SEO for tradesmen
Homeowners find trades through people they know, through reviews, and through Google. SEO for trades is making sure the second and third lead to you, not to a directory that sells the same lead to four of your competitors.
From
£99 /mo
→The short answer
SEO for tradesmen means getting your business found when homeowners nearby search for your trade: a Google Business Profile that ranks in the map results, a website with a page for each job you do, and steady reviews. It's the route to enquiries you don't pay a directory for. We do it from £99 a month.
(01)How homeowners choose
What the research says, and what it means for your website.
How homeowners find a tradesperson
55%
of homeowners surveyed rely on online reviews when choosing who to hire
Source: Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, via PR Newswire
44%
check evidence of previous work online
Source: Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, via PR Newswire
That survey of 2,000 UK homeowners, for the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, asked people who'd had a bad experience with a trade before1, which is exactly the customer you're trying to reassure. Recommendations from friends still matter most for many jobs, but even a recommended trader gets looked up: their reviews checked, their past work inspected, their phone number found on Google.
So for a trade business, being findable isn't only about strangers searching "roofer near me". It's also about the friend-of-a-friend who searches your name and decides on what they see.
(02)Directories or your own site
Both have a place. Know what each costs you.
Directories vs your own website
| Lead directory (pay per lead) | Membership directory | Your own website and Google profile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you pay | A fee per lead: MyBuilder's shortlist fees are typically £2–£35, depending on job size, and due even if you don't win the job2 | A monthly membership: Checkatrade's paid plans start at £59 a month3 | A website plan; Google Business Profile is free |
| Who else sees the customer | Other trades shortlisted for the same job | Other members listed in your area | Just you |
| Where your reviews live | On the directory | On the directory | On your Google profile, and shown on your site |
| If you stop paying | Leads stop | Your listing stops bringing work | Your Google profile and its reviews stay yours; the site needs a plan |
Directory prices are their own published figures on the day we checked; plans and fees change.
Many trades use a directory while their own site and Google profile build up, then lean on it less. What matters is that every customer who finds you anywhere can also find you on Google, with your own reviews.
(03)A concept site
For a fictional roofer.
What a roofer's homepage can look like
(04)For each trade
Websites and SEO, trade by trade
Questions
(06)Questions
If people in your area search for your trade, yes: those enquiries are yours, not shared with other trades on a directory. The essentials, a strong Google profile, a page for each job you do and steady reviews, are within reach of any trade business.
Not straight away. Keep what brings you work while your own website and Google profile build up, then judge each by what it costs per job won.
Get your Google Business Profile right and ask every customer for a review. It's free, and it's what appears when people search for your trade nearby. See local SEO.
Sources
(07)Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. Checked on the date shown.
- 1CIPHE reveals that most homeowners fail to carry out basic checks before hiring a tradesperson, Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, via PR Newswire. Checked 26 October 2026.
- 2MyBuilder trade membership signup, MyBuilder. Checked 26 October 2026.
- 3Pricing, Checkatrade. Checked 26 October 2026.
(08)Start a project
Let's build your
free preview.
Tell us about your business. We'll come back with a plan and start on your preview. You pay nothing until you give it the nod.
(05)Social media
Social media for trades, in brief
For most trades, social media is a shop window rather than a lead machine: finished jobs, before-and-afters, the team, and a steady sign that you're busy and trusted. Local Facebook groups are where many recommendations happen. Our social media post ideas for builders and tradesmen has forty to start with, and our social media management does it for you.