Lead sites like Checkatrade, Bark and MyBuilder can bring in work, but you’re paying to be one name among several: on a directory you’re listed next to your competitors, and on some sites the same enquiry goes to a few trades at once. Running your own Google and Facebook adverts costs more effort to set up, but every enquiry comes to you alone and the adverts stay yours.

Neither is right for everyone. Here’s how each works, so you can decide.

How the main lead sites work

Checkatrade is a directory. You pay a membership to be vetted and listed, and customers search the directory for a trade near them. Pricing is quoted by their sales team rather than published in full, and depends on your trade and area, so check the price and how long the contract runs before you sign.

Bark sells leads. Customers post what they need, and you buy credits to contact the ones you want. The same request can be sent to several professionals, so you’re often competing for it with others who’ve paid too.

MyBuilder lets you express interest in jobs customers have posted. You pay a fee if the customer shortlists you and your contact details are shared, whether or not you win the job.

Rated People works in a similar way: you pay to contact customers who’ve posted jobs, and a few trades can go after the same one.

Prices on all of these change, so check each site’s current terms for your trade.

What they’re good for

  • Starting out. When you’ve no reviews and no website, a known name can help people trust you.
  • Filling gaps. Picking up the odd job in a quiet week.
  • No setup. You can sign up and start quoting quickly.

Where they fall short

  • You’re competing on the same page. Customers see you next to other trades, and on shared leads they’re often comparing quotes, which pushes prices down.
  • The customer is theirs, not yours. Your reviews and profile live on their site. Leave, and much of that goes with it.
  • Less say over the work you get. You can filter, but you’re choosing from what’s posted rather than going after the jobs you want.

How your own adverts are different

With your own Google Ads (adverts at the top of Google when someone searches for your trade) and Meta ads (adverts on Facebook and Instagram shown to homeowners in your area):

  • Every enquiry is yours alone. Nobody else is sent the same lead.
  • You choose the work. Adverts can be aimed at the jobs you want more of and the towns you want to work in.
  • It builds your name. People see your business, your photos and your reviews, not a directory’s.
  • You own it. The advert accounts, the website and the enquiries stay with you.

The catch is that you pay for the adverts themselves as well as for someone to run them well, and badly run adverts waste money quickly. That’s the part a good agency should take off your hands.

Checkatrade alternatives

If you’re weighing up Checkatrade, these are the other routes UK trades use. Most can run side by side.

  • Other directories. TrustATrader and Which? Trusted Traders also vet and list trades for a fee, each with its own checks. Like Checkatrade, you’re listed next to other firms in your trade.
  • Lead sites. Bark, MyBuilder and Rated People sell you access to jobs customers have posted, so you’re usually competing with other trades for each one.
  • Your Google Business Profile. Free, and it’s what shows on Google Maps when someone searches for a trade near them. With a steady flow of reviews it does much of what a paid directory listing does. See how to get your business on Google Maps.
  • Google Local Services Ads. Adverts at the very top of Google where you pay per enquiry rather than per click, for eligible trades. See how Local Services Ads work in the UK.
  • Local Facebook groups and Nextdoor. Free, and good for recommendations, though you can’t control when a job comes up.
  • Your own adverts. Google and Facebook adverts aimed at the jobs and towns you choose, with every enquiry coming to you alone. More on that below.

Whichever you choose, reviews on your own Google profile are worth building, because they stay with you whatever else you change.

Can you do both?

Yes, and plenty of trades do. A sensible approach is to keep a lead site while your own adverts get going, track where each job came from and what it cost, and then put your money where the numbers say.

How RareBear does it

We run Google and Facebook adverts for UK tradespeople, aimed at the jobs you want. The form your customers fill in screens out the work you don’t want, and every enquiry is texted straight to your phone. We take one client per trade per area, and if we haven’t hit the goals we agreed by the end of month 3, month 4 of our fee is on us.

See marketing for trades for what’s included and how pricing works.