Checkatrade vs your own website: which is better for a UK trade business?

A directory like Checkatrade rents you a place in front of people already looking for a trade, while your own website is something you own that keeps working whether you pay a monthly listing fee or not. For most trades the honest answer is not one or the other: a directory can bring work in quickly, but your own website is the asset that carries your reviews, your name and your search visibility for years. Unavoidable Marketing is a UK-wide, Leeds-based agency that builds websites and runs search marketing for trades across the UK, and founder Andrew Heppinstall is on every strategy call.

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Last updated: 21 October 2026

The short version

Checkatrade, and similar directories such as TrustATrade, MyBuilder or Rated People, are platforms. You join, you are vetted to their rules, you collect reviews on their site, and homeowners who trust that brand find you there. That is a real benefit, especially when you are new and nobody knows your name yet.

Your own website is different. It sits on a domain you own, it can rank in Google for your own jobs and towns, it can be read by AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini, and nobody can switch it off because a membership lapsed. It takes longer to build momentum, but it keeps what it earns.

Many trades use both. The real question is how much of your work depends on someone else’s platform.

How each one brings in work

A directory works by being the place a homeowner goes first. Someone in Norwich needs an electrician, they open a directory they have heard of, type in the job and their postcode, and see a list of trades with ratings. They pick a few, look at reviews, and get in touch. Your job is to have a strong profile, plenty of recent reviews, a clear description of what you do and the areas you cover, and to respond quickly. How enquiries reach you and how you pay depends on the platform and changes over time, so check their current pricing and terms.

Your own website works by being found in several places at once. It can appear in Google’s free results for searches like “consumer unit replacement Norwich”. It is linked from your Google Business Profile, which can appear in the map pack. It is where your Google Ads and Local Services Ads send people who want to check you out. It is what people look at after a friend recommends you, after seeing your van, or after an AI assistant mentions you. A good site turns all of that interest into calls and form enquiries.

So a directory is one door, and you share the room behind it with other trades. Your website is your own front door, and every other bit of marketing you do leads back to it.

Side by side

A week on each: an electrician in Norwich

Picture a small electrical firm in Norwich doing rewires, consumer unit replacements, EV charger installs and fault finding.

A week relying on a directory

On Monday a request comes in for an outside socket in a village the firm covers. The owner rings back between jobs, and the customer says she has already booked someone who rang sooner. On Tuesday a homeowner wants a price for a full rewire and has contacted several trades from the same list, so the owner books a survey knowing it will come down to price and timing. On Wednesday a good customer leaves a glowing review on the directory profile, which helps the profile but does nothing for the firm’s Google listing. On Thursday a fault-finding job comes in and books, a nice straightforward job. On Friday the owner looks at the week: some work booked, some chasing that went nowhere, and every enquiry came through a platform he does not control. If the platform changes how it shares leads next month, his week changes with it.

A week with a working website

The same firm, with a fast site, a page for each main service and a well-kept Google Business Profile, has a different mix. On Monday someone finds the EV charger page after searching for an installer in Norwich, reads that the firm handles the Part P notification for notifiable work, and fills in the form with the make of car and where the charger should go. On Tuesday a call comes from the Google profile after a customer in Wymondham sees recent reviews that mention rewires in his town. On Wednesday a past customer recommends the firm to a neighbour, who looks at the website, sees real photos of local jobs, and rings. On Thursday the owner adds a short case study of a consumer unit swap with photos. None of these enquiries were shared with other electricians, and none of them stop if a membership lapses. It took time to get here, though: the site and the reviews built up over months.

What a directory does well

A directory gives you borrowed trust. A homeowner in Norwich who has never heard of you may still ring because they recognise the platform and its vetting. If you have just set up as a plumber or an electrician and have no reviews yet, that matters.

It is also simple: fill in a profile, ask customers for reviews and answer the phone. It suits someone who would rather be on the tools.

And a good directory profile helps your wider visibility. A listing with your correct name, address and phone number counts as a citation, one more trusted place that confirms you are real. AI assistants and Google both look at mentions like these when deciding who to trust.

Where a directory falls short

The profile is not yours. The rules, the layout, the fees and how leads are shared can all change, and you have no say. Your reviews sit on their site, so if you leave, that history usually stays behind.

You are also shown next to competitors. A customer looking at your profile is one tap away from the next roofer or the next locksmith, and the platform has every reason to keep them browsing.

You also have limited say over which jobs you are shown for. A directory groups work into its own categories. If you want more heat pump installs and fewer small repairs, or more work in Cambridge and less in outlying villages, your own website and Google profile give you far more control.

Cost works differently from platform to platform. Some charge a membership, some charge per lead, some both. We do not quote anyone else’s prices here because they change, so check their current pricing and work out what each booked job really costs you once you count the leads that never turn into work.

What your own website does well

A website you own is the one piece of marketing that keeps paying back. A page about boiler servicing in Leicester or emergency roof repairs in Swansea can bring in enquiries for years without a fee per lead.

It is also where every other channel points. Your Google Business Profile links to it. Your Google Ads land on it. Your van, your invoices and your Facebook page send people there. When the site is quick on a phone, shows real job photos and has a tap-to-call button at the top, all of that marketing works harder.

It lets you explain things a directory profile cannot. Your accreditations, such as NICEIC, NAPIT, Gas Safe or TrustMark, can sit next to the jobs they relate to. You can explain how you quote, what a survey involves, and what happens on the day. A quote form can ask the questions your trade needs answered, such as the age of the property or the type of boiler, so you arrive prepared.

It is the main source AI assistants use to describe you. Clear, answer-first service pages, consistent business details, reviews and schema markup give ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews something solid to read. Nobody can guarantee being named, but a business with no website gives them very little to go on.

Where your own website falls short

It is not instant. A new site on a new domain needs time, good pages and reviews before it ranks. If you need the phone ringing next week, a website alone will not do that.

A poor site can also be worse than none. A template with stock photos, a slow homepage and no clear phone number loses the people who do find it. And watch for sites you do not actually own: some packages keep the domain or the site in the provider’s name, so you lose it if you leave.

A website also needs looking after. Updates, security, new job photos and the odd new page keep it healthy. That is not a lot of work, but it is not nothing.

How to decide: questions to ask yourself

• What share of my work comes from one platform? If losing that platform would empty your diary, that is a risk to reduce, not a reason to panic.
• What does each booked job from the directory really cost? Count the fees and the leads that never booked, not just the jobs that did.
• Do I own my domain, and is it in my name? If not, sort that before anything else.
• Do customers find me by name? If people search for your business after a recommendation, they should land on your own site, not a directory.
• Which jobs do I want more of? If the directory sends mostly small jobs, your own pages can target the work you prefer.
• Am I collecting Google reviews as well as directory reviews? Google reviews stay with your business profile wherever else you list.
• How much time can I give my marketing each week? A directory asks for quick replies. A website asks for photos, reviews and the occasional update.

Which should you choose

Common mistakes

• Letting a website provider register the domain in their own name, so you cannot take it with you.
• Only asking for directory reviews and never asking for Google reviews.
• Using slightly different business names or phone numbers on the directory, the website and Google.
• Building a website and then never adding a photo, a page or a review to it again.
• Judging the directory on number of leads rather than booked jobs and what they cost.
• Leaving a directory suddenly without anything else in place to replace that work.

Getting started: step by step

Getting the most from a directory

• Step one. Complete every part of the profile: services, areas, accreditations and real job photos.
• Step two. Use exactly the same business name, address and phone number as your Google profile and website.
• Step three. Reply to every enquiry as fast as you can, with a short, personal message.
• Step four. Log every enquiry and whether it booked, so you can work out cost per booked job.
• Step five. Review the listing every few months against that number.

Getting your own website working

• Step one. Register your domain in your own name, or move it into your name if someone else holds it.
• Step two. Build a fast site with tap-to-call, a quote form that asks the right questions, and a page for each main service.
• Step three. Add pages for the towns you genuinely cover, with real local jobs on each.
• Step four. Link your Google Business Profile to the site and start asking for Google reviews that name the job and town.
• Step five. Add schema markup and keep adding job photos and case studies over time.
• Step six. Track enquiries from the site so you can compare it fairly with the directory.

Using both without wasting money

• Keep your business name, address and phone number exactly the same on the directory, your website and your Google profile.
• Link from your directory profile to your website where the platform allows it.
• Ask happy customers for a Google review as well, naming the job and the town.
• Track where every enquiry came from so you know which channel books the most work.
• Review the directory every few months against cost per booked job, not just number of leads.

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