Checkatrade or your own website: where should your leads come from?

A plumber with an empty diary needs enquiries quickly. A Checkatrade profile can put that plumber in front of people already looking for help. A website may take longer to bring enquiries, especially if it is new and hard to find on Google. This makes lead platforms useful when you need work now. They can help a new electrician, cleaner or dog groomer build a first set of jobs and reviews.

Your own website serves a different purpose. It gives people one place to check your services, photos, reviews, service area and contact details. It can help someone choose you after finding your name on a platform, in a van search or through a recommendation. The website also works outside one platform. For most trades, the sensible plan is to use both, then change the balance over time.

Think of a lead platform as rented space and your website as space you control. Rented space can bring visitors sooner, but the rules and costs belong to someone else. Your website needs more work at the start, but it can become a steady source of enquiries. The right mix depends on your trade, local competition, prices, availability and how well you follow up.

Lead platforms often charge through membership, lead fees, or a mixture of both. Check the current terms before joining. A lead can look cheap until you count time spent replying, travelling to quotes and chasing people who choose another tradesperson. If three electricians receive the same enquiry, only one may win the job, but all three may spend time preparing a response.

A website has different costs. You may pay for its build, hosting, a domain name and updates. You may also spend time writing service pages, taking photographs and asking customers for reviews. You do not normally pay a separate fee for every person who fills in your form. This can make each extra enquiry cheaper once the website is bringing regular visitors.

Work out the cost of a won job, not just the cost of an enquiry. Suppose a landscaper receives ten enquiries and wins two. Add platform fees, fuel, quote time and unpaid visits. Then compare that with website costs over the same period. A driving instructor should also count missed calls and empty lesson slots. A lower enquiry cost is not useful if the enquiries are poor quality or take too long to handle.

Some platform enquiries are shared with several suitable providers. That gives the customer choice, but it means speed matters. A cleaner who replies an hour later may lose the job to another cleaner who answered within minutes. You may also compete on price before the customer has learned why your service is worth choosing.

Ask how an enquiry is sent, how many providers receive it and whether you can reject unsuitable requests. Check if the customer has asked for one small repair or a full project. A builder should avoid spending an evening pricing work outside their area. A dog groomer should check the pet's size, coat and needs before booking time.

Your website usually sends an enquiry directly to you. The visitor has chosen to contact your business rather than pressing a platform button. That does not guarantee a good job, but there is less direct competition at the point of contact. Clear pages can answer common questions first, such as prices, areas covered, opening times and whether you take urgent bookings.

On a platform, you work within its profile layout, rules and search system. You may be able to add photos, services and reviews, but the customer still sees the platform around your details. Changes to fees, placement or contact rules can affect your enquiries. You should not build your whole pipeline around a channel you do not control.

Your website lets you explain your work in your own words. A roofer can show before and after photos, list the types of repairs covered and explain what happens during a survey. A salon can show treatments, prices and booking options. A personal trainer can explain who sessions suit, where they take place and what a first session includes.

You also control the information you collect. A contact form can ask for the postcode, job type, preferred date and useful photographs. This helps you decide whether to call, quote or decline. Keep the form short, though. A householder needing a broken tap fixed may not complete a long questionnaire. Always show a phone number for people who need a quick answer.

People often check more than one place before choosing a tradesperson. They may find a plumber on Checkatrade, then search the company name and visit its website. If the website looks neglected, has no clear service area or shows an old phone number, confidence can fall. Your platform profile and website should tell the same story.

Use the same business name, phone number, service areas and main services everywhere. Add recent, genuine photos from your own jobs, with permission from the customer. Explain your process in simple terms. A builder could outline the steps from first visit to final clean-up. A dog groomer could explain drop-off times, collection and what happens if a dog becomes distressed.

Reviews matter on platforms and on your website, but never copy vague praise without context. Ask a customer if you can use their words and first name or location where suitable. A review saying "excellent work" is useful. One that mentions a same-day boiler repair in Gateshead tells a future customer more. Do not invent reviews or make a job sound larger than it was.

A new business may need platforms to fill gaps while its website gets found. Keep your profile accurate, answer quickly and record which jobs came from it. At the same time, build useful website pages for the work you want more of. An electrician might create separate pages for fault finding, rewiring and landlord certificates, if those are services they actually provide.

After a few months, look for patterns. Which source brings profitable jobs? Which source brings work in your chosen area? How often do enquiries turn into quotes and paid jobs? A spreadsheet is enough. Record the date, source, job type, value, travel time and result. Do not judge a source by the number of messages alone. Five good enquiries may beat twenty poor ones.

If your website starts bringing steady work, you may choose fewer paid leads from a platform. That does not mean leaving immediately. Keep a channel that helps during quiet periods, supports a new service or reaches customers you cannot yet find elsewhere. A plumber with strong local website traffic may reduce platform spending, while a new bathroom fitter may still need it for larger projects.

Keep your strongest platform profile, but check its fees, shared lead rules and cancellation terms. Set a simple reply routine, such as answering new enquiries during set breaks. Do not accept every job. Check location, timing, job type and likely value before spending time on a quote.

Make your website easy to trust and easy to contact. Show your services, areas, phone number, recent work and genuine reviews. Add a short form that asks what you need to know. Track where each enquiry came from for the next three months.

Use both channels today, then review the results every month. Put more effort into the source that brings suitable, profitable jobs. That may be Checkatrade at first, your website later, or both for the long term.