No matter how good your work is, at some point a customer is going to complain. It might be justified. It might not be. Either way, how you respond matters more than the complaint itself. A complaint handled badly becomes a negative Google review, a dispute, or worse — a small claims court claim. A…
Every tradesperson has a story. The customer who queried the invoice after the job was done. The one who went silent when payment was due. The one who asked for a quote, had you round for an hour, then never replied. It’s one of the most frustrating parts of running a trade business — and…
Finding new customers takes time, money, and effort. Getting an old customer to book you again costs almost nothing. Yet most tradespeople spend all their energy chasing new work and do very little to hold onto the customers they’ve already got. If you’re a sole trader or running a small trade business in the UK,…
You don’t need a £2,000 website to get work from Google. You need a website that loads fast, looks professional on a phone, clearly states what you do and where, and has enough content for Google to understand what searches it should show up for. Most tradespeople can build something that does all of that…
Your Google Business Profile is the single most powerful free marketing tool available to a UK tradesperson — and most tradespeople are using it at about 20% of its potential. A basic claimed profile with a phone number and a handful of reviews is a start. But there’s a significant gap between a profile that…
Three of the biggest names in UK trade lead generation — but they work completely differently and suit very different businesses. Here’s an honest breakdown of Checkatrade, MyBuilder, and Bark so you can decide where to spend your marketing budget in 2026. Quick Verdict Best overall Checkatrade Best brand trust and conversion — but only…
Checkatrade costs up to £200/month, locks you into a 12-month contract, and makes it deliberately difficult to leave. Is it still worth it in 2026? The honest answer: it depends — and for many tradespeople, it isn’t. How Checkatrade Works Checkatrade is a membership directory. You pay a monthly or annual fee to be vetted…
Ask ten tradespeople whether they need a website and you’ll get ten different answers. Some will tell you they’ve never needed one — they’re fully booked on word of mouth and referrals. Others will tell you their website is their best source of new work. Both can be true depending on where you are in…
Reviews are the most powerful marketing tool a tradesperson has. More powerful than a website. More powerful than social media. More powerful than any paid advertising. When a homeowner is choosing between two tradespeople, they almost always go with the one who has more reviews — and better ones. It’s that simple. The problem is…
Social media gets talked about a lot in business circles. But for a tradesperson who’s busy on the tools all day, the last thing you need is to waste time on platforms that don’t actually generate work. The honest truth is that not every social media platform is worth your time as a tradesperson. Some…