Trades websites have one job: turn someone searching "boiler repair near me" at half seven in the morning into a phone call. Not to win design awards, not to explain your company values. Everything below is judged on that.
How customers actually find a tradesman
Three routes, in rough order of volume: a Google search on a phone, a recommendation they then Google to check you out, and a directory like Checkatrade. Your website matters in all three — even the recommendation, because the first thing people do with a name is look it up. A missing or scruffy site turns a warm lead cold.
That second route is the one people underestimate. Half your website traffic is not strangers finding you; it is people deciding whether to trust the number they were given.
What belongs on a trades site
- Your phone number in the header on every page, tappable on mobile. Most trades enquiries are calls, not forms.
- The towns you cover, named in plain text. "Plumbing in Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells" beats "Kent and surrounding areas".
- A page per service — boiler repair, bathroom fitting, emergency call-outs — because that is how people search.
- Photos of your own work. Ten phone photos of finished jobs will beat any stock library.
- Your accreditations: Gas Safe, NICEIC, Part P, public liability cover. Put the numbers on, not just the logos.
- Reviews with a name and a town under each.
- Whether you charge call-out fees, and your hourly or day rate range if you can bear to publish it.
- Emergency availability, clearly. "24 hour call-out" in the header wins jobs on its own.
A customer with a leak is not reading your about page. They are looking for a number, a town and a reason to trust you — in that order.
What you can skip
Sliders on the homepage, a mission statement, a blog you will not write, stock photos of models in hard hats, and a contact form that only asks for name and message. That last one costs you money: every vague enquiry becomes a phone call to find out what the job even is.
The enquiry form that saves you an hour a day
Ask for what you need to quote, and nothing else: what the job is, the postcode, how urgent it is, a photo if they have one, and their number. Five fields. You can then reply with a real price instead of arranging a visit to find out it is a job you did not want. Photo upload is the single highest-value field on a trades form — a picture of the boiler or the leak often tells you everything.
Do you need a website if you have Checkatrade?
Yes, and the maths is simple. Directories charge monthly, rank you against competitors on the same page, and own the relationship. A website costs once, ranks for your own name, and sends enquiries straight to you with no commission. Most successful trades run both — but the ones who only rent a directory listing are paying every month for leads they could own. It is the same ownership question as website builder vs custom-built.
What a trades website should cost
For a sole trader or a small firm, £700–£1,500 gets a proper custom site with service pages, local SEO and a decent enquiry form. Below £500 you are usually getting a template with your logo on. Above £3,000 you are paying agency overheads for the same result. Full ranges are in how much should a cheap website cost.
On top of that, budget £100–£250 a year for domain, hosting and basic upkeep — see website hosting and maintenance costs.
One job pays for it
That is the honest way to think about it. If your average job is £400 and the site brings in one extra job a month, a £1,200 website has paid for itself by the end of quarter one and is profit after that. The risk is not spending the money — it is spending it on a site nobody local can find.
Luxsite builds a lot of trades sites: service pages, service-area pages, photo-upload enquiry forms and Google Business setup, fixed price, interest-free instalments if you would rather spread it over the first six months.
Common questions
Does a tradesman need a website?
Yes. Even when work comes by recommendation, people search your name before calling, and a missing or poor website loses that job. A website also ranks for local searches you would otherwise pay a directory monthly to appear in.
How much does a website for a tradesman cost in the UK?
A custom site with service pages, local SEO and an enquiry form typically costs £700–£1,500 as a one-off for a sole trader or small firm, plus roughly £100–£250 a year for domain, hosting and upkeep.
Is a website better than Checkatrade?
They do different jobs. A directory rents you leads monthly and lists you beside competitors; a website is a one-off cost, ranks under your own name and sends enquiries directly with no commission. Most established trades use both, but rely on the website for repeat and referral traffic.
What should be on a plumber or electrician website?
A tappable phone number on every page, the towns you cover named in text, a page per service, photos of your own work, your accreditation numbers, reviews with names and locations, emergency availability, and a short enquiry form that asks for the job, postcode, urgency and a photo.