Guides for trades
Plain how-to guides for trade businesses. Getting reviews, your Google profile, your website and more. New here? Start with how to get more work as a tradesman. For what’s changing at Google and the lead sites, read our trade news.
Start here
1. Your Google profile and reviews
2. Showing up on Google
3. Your website
All guides
Best website builders for tradesmen in the UK
The website builders a UK trade would use, compared on price, your domain, contracts and what happens if you leave. Pick one with three questions.
8 min read
How to get customers for a new trade business
Just started a trade or home service business? Where your first customers come from, what to check before the first job and when lead sites make sense.
7 min read
Google review link generator
Find your business, get your Google review link and QR code, and print a review card. Free, no sign-in.
3 min read
How to get more work as a tradesman in the UK
Where trade work comes from in the UK, what each channel costs you and where to start.
11 min read
How to choose an SEO company for a trade business
What to ask an SEO company before you sign. Contracts, who owns your accounts, Google's own red flags and what a monthly report should show.
10 min read
How to get plumbing leads without paying per lead
Where plumbing and heating work comes from when you stop buying leads. Your Google profile, reviews, Gas Safe number and being ready for October.
7 min read
Trade website examples: what the good ones do
Three real trade websites and what each one does well, plus the details every business site must show.
5 min read
How to get roofing leads without paying per lead
Where roofing work comes from when you stop buying leads. Your Google profile, reviews, job pages and the proof homeowners look for.
7 min read
Is Checkatrade worth it for tradesmen?
Checkatrade's own prices and contract terms, how to work out your cost per job won, and what to own instead.
8 min read
SEO vs Google Ads for trades
SEO or Google Ads for a trade business? How each one charges, how fast each works and what you keep when you stop.
6 min read
Wix vs WordPress for a trade business
Wix or WordPress for a trade website? What each costs, what you can move later, and what matters for Google.
6 min read
Checkatrade vs MyBuilder vs Bark vs TrustATrader for trades
How Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark and TrustATrader charge trades, from their own terms.
7 min read
Will ChatGPT recommend your trade business?
How ChatGPT and Google's AI Mode pick local businesses, what Google and OpenAI say you need, and what a trade can do about it.
5 min read
How much does a website cost for a trade business?
What a trade website costs in the UK, from DIY builders to freelancers and agencies, plus the running costs people forget.
4 min read
How much does local SEO cost for a trade business in the UK?
What UK businesses pay for local SEO, from published prices and surveys, what drives the cost and the red flags to watch for.
6 min read
How to remove a Google review as a trade business
You can't delete a Google review yourself. How to report one, which reviews Google removes, fake reviews and how to appeal.
8 min read
Google Local Services Ads in the UK: a guide for trades
How Google's pay per lead ads work for UK trades, which trades qualify, and what happened to Google Guaranteed.
9 min read
How to rank higher on Google Maps as a trade business
What Google says decides who shows up on the map, and a checklist a trade business can work through.
7 min read
Google Business Profile suspended? What to do as a trade business
How to find out why your profile was suspended, fix it and appeal, using Google's own steps.
5 min read
How to set up your Google Business Profile for a trade business
The steps from Google to get your trade on Google Maps, and the mistakes that get trade profiles suspended.
9 min read
How to get Google reviews as a tradesman
Find your Google review link, when to send it and the rules that catch trades out. Using Google's own steps.
10 min read
See what your local market looks like
Tell us your trade and your towns. We’ll send a free forecast showing how many people search, who you’re up against and where the gaps are. We reply within one business day.