TRADES

Marketing for Trades & Home Service Businesses

Get found by local homeowners, stop competing on price and build the kind of reputation that fills your diary. Marketing for plumbers, electricians, builders, cleaners and tradespeople across the UK.

250,000+

UK trade and home service firms

86%

of homeowners search online first

71%

check reviews before booking

54%

choose the first business they find

Whito need-to-know

  • 70% of UK homeowners start their search for a tradesperson on Google. If you are not showing up, you are losing jobs every day.
  • Your Google Business Profile is free and is the single most important marketing asset you have. A complete profile with 50+ reviews wins the call over competitors with fewer than 10.
  • Lead generation sites like Checkatrade and MyBuilder are useful short-term, but you are renting visibility. Build your own presence instead.
  • Most UK tradespeople generating consistent work spend £200 to £500 per month on marketing once the free foundations are in place.
Tradesperson working on site
The van is your billboard. Most tradespeople drive past hundreds of potential customers every day. Clean branding and a phone number do more than any leaflet drop.

Why Most UK Tradespeople Struggle to Grow

Feast or Famine

One month you are turning work away. The next, the phone goes quiet. Without a steady pipeline of your own, income swings with the season and you are always one quiet month away from stress.

Quick TakeHeating engineers know this pattern well: flat out October to February, then silence. A structured marketing system fills the gaps.

Paying for Shared Leads

Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark, Rated People. You pay per lead, that lead goes to three or four other tradespeople, and the homeowner picks the cheapest quote. The reviews you earn there do not belong to you.

Quick TakeYou are renting visibility on someone else's platform and competing on price every time. Build your own channels instead.

Invisible on Google

70% of UK homeowners start their search on Google. If your Google Business Profile is incomplete, has no photos and fewer than ten reviews, you are invisible to the people in your area who need you right now.

Quick TakeA complete Google Business Profile with 50+ reviews is the single fastest way to start winning local searches.

What Actually Works for UK Tradespeople

Practical marketing that fills your diary and builds a reputation that stops you competing on price.

Google Business Profile

Complete every field. Add photos of your work, set your service area, list every service you offer. This is where most of your new customers will find you. Free and takes 30 minutes.

Collect Reviews Systematically

Send a text or WhatsApp message with your Google review link after every job, the same day. At 5 new reviews per week, you will have 100+ within six months. Respond to every review.

Town-Specific Landing Pages

Create separate pages for every town and service you cover. "Boiler installation in [town]" and "rewire in [town]" target the exact searches homeowners are making.

Before-and-After Photos

Document every job with photos. Post them on your website, Google profile, Facebook and Instagram. Tag the location. A portfolio of completed work builds more trust than any sales pitch.

Google Ads for Urgent Jobs

Target searches like "emergency plumber [town]" and "electrician near me". Google Local Services Ads are particularly strong for trades: pay per lead with a Google Guaranteed badge.

Van Branding

Your van is a moving billboard in your service area. Clean branding that matches your online presence creates recognition. Include your phone number, website, and Google review count.

Plumber fixing a pipe
Before and after photos close jobs. Homeowners want proof, not promises. A simple portfolio of completed work builds more trust than any sales pitch.

Quick Wins You Can Do This Week

1

Complete Your Google Business Profile

Add your services, upload photos of your work, set your service area and make sure your phone number is correct. This is free and takes 30 minutes. This alone can double your enquiries.

2

Ask for Reviews After Every Job

Send a text or WhatsApp message with your direct Google review link the same day. Most happy customers will leave one if you ask while the job is still fresh.

3

Post a Before-and-After Photo

Take a photo of today's completed job and post it on Facebook and Instagram. Tag the location. Join your local community groups. This takes 2 minutes and keeps you visible.

Common Mistakes Tradespeople Make with Marketing

Relying on Lead Generation Sites

Checkatrade, MyBuilder and Bark are useful as a bridge, but you are renting visibility and competing on price. Build your own Google presence and aim to reduce directory dependency to less than 20% of bookings within 12 months.

No Website Beyond Facebook

A Facebook page is not a website. You need a proper site with services, areas covered, pricing guidance, accreditations and reviews. When homeowners search Google, Facebook pages rarely appear in the top results.

Not Asking for Reviews

Most tradespeople do great work but never ask for reviews. Your competitors with 100+ Google reviews are winning jobs that should be yours. Make asking part of your process for every single job.

Tools on a workbench
Reviews are the new word of mouth. A customer who leaves a Google review reaches more people than ten recommendations over the garden fence. Ask every satisfied customer.

Trades Marketing Guides

Ready to Fill Your Diary?

Find out where your marketing is falling short with a free website and visibility audit.

Get Your Free Growth Report