Short answer: yes, most trades still need a website, even with a good Google Business Profile. In our study of 777 Google Maps listings for roofers, plumbers and electricians across 10 UK cities, almost a third (31.7%) showed no website. Listings with a website had a median of 9 Google reviews; listings without one had a median of 2, and 87.4% of them had fewer than 10 reviews.

Those figures come from The UK Trades Google Gap 2026, our research using public Google Maps data retrieved on 7 October 2026. They show an association, not proof that a website causes reviews. But they point the same way as what customers do every day: before they ring a tradesperson they do not know, many of them tap through to check the website.

How many trades have no website on Google?

Across London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol, Sheffield, Newcastle and Cardiff:

• 31.7% of all 777 listings showed no website.
• By trade: roofers 30.0%, plumbers 30.7%, electricians 34.4%.
• By city, it ranged from 22.5% in Cardiff to 41.9% in Birmingham. City samples were 65 to 86 listings, so treat these as indicative.

Our earlier Leeds Trades Google Gap 2026 study, across eight trades in one city, found a very similar figure: a third of listings with no website.

If I have a Google Business Profile, why do I need a website as well?

Your Google profile gets you found. Your website is where a careful customer decides whether to trust you. A profile has limited room; a website lets you show everything a customer worries about before letting someone into their home.

• Proof you are qualified. Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, insurance and guarantees, clearly shown.
• A page for each service. A roofer who does flat roofs, slate repairs and chimney work, or an electrician who does rewires, EICRs and EV chargers, can explain each one properly. Separate service pages also give Google more reasons to show you for different searches.
• Your real work. Before and after photos and short case studies from local jobs.
• The areas you cover. Useful pages for the towns you really work in.
• Something you own. Your profile sits on Google’s platform under Google’s rules. Your website is yours.

Does a website help with Google reviews and rankings?

In our data, the businesses with websites were also the ones with more reviews: a median of 9 against 2. We cannot say the website caused that. More likely, firms that take their online presence seriously do both: they keep a website, ask for reviews and keep their profile up to date.

What is clear is the opposite pattern. The listings most likely to have no website were also the most likely to be thin everywhere else. Unclaimed listings in our study (23.3% of the total) had a median of just 1 review, and 95.6% had fewer than 5 photos. A trade with no website, an unclaimed profile and two reviews is very easy for a customer to scroll past.

What should a trade website actually include?

It does not need to be big or expensive. A small, fast site that does these things well beats a large one that does not:

1. Your phone number at the top of every page, tappable on a mobile.
2. A short quote or contact form that works on a phone.
3. One page per main service, written in plain English.
4. Your accreditations and insurance, with the right logos where your scheme allows.
5. Real photos of finished jobs, not stock images.
6. The areas you cover, matching what is on your Google profile.
7. Your Google reviews, linked or shown, so customers see the same trust signals in both places.
8. Fast loading on a phone. Many trade searches happen in a hurry, often with water on the floor or the lights off.

Make sure your website and Google profile match

Once you have a website, link it from your Google Business Profile and make sure the details agree: the same business name, phone number, services and areas. If you have not claimed your profile yet, Google explains how in Add or claim your Business Profile. It costs nothing.

Then keep both fresh. Add new photos to your profile, ask every customer for a review using the link Google provides (see Google’s tips to get more reviews), and add new jobs to your website as you finish them.

When can a trade get away without a website?

If you are fully booked for months through word of mouth, you may not feel the need. But a third of your competitors having no website is also an opportunity: with a clear site and a complete profile, you look more established than many of the firms a customer is comparing you with, and you are ready when the referrals slow down.

Next steps

We build fast, simple websites for trades and set up Google profiles properly. See our guides for roofers, plumbers and electricians, or get a free Google profile check and we will tell you the three things we would fix first.

About the author: Andrew Heppinstall is the founder of Unavoidable Marketing, a Leeds agency that helps UK trades and local service businesses win work through Google Local Services Ads, SEO and paid search. His article “What makes Google ads effective?” appeared on the Business Matters page of PHAM News in September 2026.