Your own website vs Checkatrade and MyBuilder: which wins more work?

How lead-generation sites like Checkatrade, MyBuilder and Bark actually work

These platforms sit between you and the customer. A homeowner posts a job or searches a category, and the site puts your details in front of them — for a fee.

There are two main charging models, and some sites use both:

• Membership fees — you pay a monthly or annual subscription to be listed at all (this is closer to how Checkatrade has traditionally worked).
• Pay-per-lead — you pay each time you get a customer's contact details or respond to a job (closer to how MyBuilder and Bark work).

The catch most trades only notice later: the same lead is usually sent to several tradespeople at once. You are paying to compete for a job that three or four other people are also chasing — often within minutes.

The upsides of lead-gen sites

They are not a rip-off. For the right person at the right time they genuinely help:

• Instant visibility. You can be in front of customers the day you join, with no waiting for Google to rank you.
• Built-in trust badges. A vetted profile and a stack of reviews reassure people who have never heard of you.
• Useful when starting out. If you have no website, no reviews and no word of mouth yet, a lead-gen site can fill the gap while you build your own presence.

If you are brand new, this is a reasonable way to get your first jobs and your first reviews. The mistake is treating it as your only plan forever.

The downsides of lead-gen sites

The honest drawbacks are worth knowing before you commit:

• It's an ongoing cost. Membership and per-lead fees repeat every single month, for as long as you stay. Stop paying and you disappear.
• You compete on price. When a customer is comparing four quotes side by side, the conversation drifts towards who is cheapest — not who is best.
• You don't own the customer or the reviews. The relationship and the five-star ratings live on the platform. If you leave, they don't come with you.
• It can get pricey per won job. If you pay for leads that several trades chase and you only win some of them, the real cost per booked job can climb a lot higher than the headline lead price.

What your own website gives you

A simple website flips the relationship around. Instead of renting space on someone else's platform, you have your own:

• You own it. It's your business name, your work, your reviews — on a site nobody can switch off or change the rules on.
• No monthly fees. A one-off build keeps working without billing you again. (Ours is £249 one-off with no monthly cost.)
• Full control of how you look. You decide what to show, which photos to lead with, and which towns you cover — no fixed template shared with rivals.
• Credibility. A clean site makes you look established next to a competitor who only exists as a directory listing.
• Customers come straight to you. A big button sends them to WhatsApp or email in one tap — no shared lead, no middleman, no per-enquiry charge.

If you're still weighing it up, we cover the basics here: do tradespeople actually need a website?

The cost comparison

This is where the maths gets interesting. Lead-gen costs are recurring; a website is a one-off.

Say a lead-gen membership or your monthly lead spend works out at even £40–£100 a month. That's roughly £480–£1,200 a year — every year — and it never stops. A one-off £249 trade website costs less than a single year of most lead-gen plans, then carries on working for free.

Put simply: after a job or two, a website you own has paid for itself. A lead-gen subscription is still charging you next month, and the month after that.

So which should you choose?

For most tradespeople, the order is what matters. Don't pick one and ignore the other — sequence them:

1. Get your own simple website first. It's the foundation everything else points back to.
2. Claim and complete your Google Business Profile. This is the free engine that puts you on the map for "near me" searches — here's how to set up a Google Business Profile for your trade.
3. Then use lead-gen sites as a top-up — but only if they genuinely pay off for you. Track your cost per won job and keep what works.

This combination gives you free, owned traffic that grows over time, plus the option to buy extra leads when you want them. For more ideas on filling your diary, see how to get more local work as a tradesperson.

It also works for any trade. Whether you're a plumber, an electrician or a builder, the principle is the same: own your shopfront, then rent extra leads only when the numbers add up.

The honest answer

Lead-gen sites aren't the enemy — they're a tool. They're great for instant visibility and a fast start, but they cost you every month and you never own what you build there.

Your own website is the asset. Pair a one-off site with a Google Business Profile, and use Checkatrade, MyBuilder or Bark as a top-up if they pay their way. That combination wins the most work for the least ongoing cost.

Frequently asked questions

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