Website vs Checkatrade for Electricians — Which Gets You More Work?

Most electricians use Checkatrade. Plenty don't have a website. And almost nobody thinks carefully about which one is actually making them money. If you've ever wondered whether Checkatrade is worth it or whether you'd be better off with your own website, this is the breakdown.

How Checkatrade Works for Electricians

Checkatrade is a directory. You pay a monthly membership, your profile gets listed, and homeowners searching for an electrician on the platform can find you and get in touch.

What's good about it:

• You get in front of customers who are actively looking for an electrician
• The Checkatrade name carries trust — people recognise the brand
• Reviews and vetting badges help you stand out
• No technical skills needed to get listed

What's not so good:

• You're on a page with every other electrician in your area
• Customers compare you side-by-side with competitors before they even call
• You pay whether you get leads or not
• Checkatrade controls the rules, the pricing, and the layout — you don't
• When you stop paying, you disappear completely

How Your Own Website Works

Your website is yours. When someone searches "electrician in Birmingham" on Google, a properly optimised website can appear in the results. When they click through, they see your services, your reviews, and your work — with no competitors on the page.

What's good about it:

• You control everything — design, content, what customers see first
• No competitors alongside you
• SEO traffic compounds over time — the longer your site is live, the more visible it becomes
• You can rank for specific services like "consumer unit upgrade," "full rewire," or "emergency electrician"
• One-time cost with almost no ongoing fees
• Works as the landing page for all your other marketing

What's not so good:

• Takes time to rank on Google — typically 3-6 months for local searches
• Needs an upfront investment
• Requires occasional updates to stay fresh

Cost Comparison Over a Year

Let's look at the actual numbers.

Checkatrade:

• Monthly membership: roughly £60-120/month depending on your area and categories
• Annual cost: £720-£1,440/year
• And you're still competing for every lead

Your own website:

• One-time build: £497 for a hand-coded, SEO-optimised electrician website
• Domain renewal: £10-15/year
• Hosting: included
• First year total: around £510
• Every year after that: roughly £15

After year one, your website is essentially free. Checkatrade keeps charging you the same amount forever.

Lead Quality: The Real Difference

This is where it matters most.

Checkatrade leads are shared. A homeowner requests quotes, and three or four electricians get the same lead. It becomes a race to respond first or quote cheapest. You're competing before you've even spoken to the customer.

Website leads are yours alone. Someone has Googled a problem, found your site, read about your services, looked at your work photos, and then contacted you directly. They've already decided you're the one — they just want to confirm availability and price. These leads convert better and they're less price-sensitive.

The difference in lead quality is massive. Website enquiries are warmer, more committed, and more profitable.

The Compound Effect of SEO

Here's what most electricians don't think about.

Checkatrade is like renting a room. You pay every month, and when you stop paying, you're gone. Nothing you did on the platform carries over.

A website is like buying a property. You invest once, and it appreciates over time. Every month your site is live, Google learns more about it. Blog posts you publish today can bring in customers for years. Your domain builds authority, making it easier to rank for tougher keywords.

After 12 months, your website is significantly stronger than on day one. After two years, it's stronger still. Checkatrade on month one is identical to Checkatrade on month 24 — same fee, same listing, same competition.

The Verdict

If you can only pick one, pick the website. It costs less over time, gives you better leads, and builds an asset that grows in value. A well-built electrician website will pay for itself with a single job and keep bringing in work for years.

But the real answer? Use both together. Checkatrade gives you immediate visibility while your website builds organic traffic. Link your website from your Checkatrade profile — it makes your listing more credible and gives customers somewhere to learn more about you.

The smart approach:

1. Get a website first — it's the foundation for everything
2. Link it from Checkatrade — instant credibility boost
3. Use your website as a landing page for Google Ads when you want to scale
4. Let SEO compound — within 6-12 months, your website may bring in enough organic leads that you can reduce or drop your Checkatrade spend

If you want a professional electrician website that's built to bring in customers, we can have you online in 7 days. One-time payment of £497, no monthly fees, and hand-coded by a developer who understands the trades.

Axel

Full-stack developer specializing in Shopify and Django. Building automated e-commerce solutions.