Checkatrade vs Google Business Profile. Where Should You Invest?

The Real Question Every Tradesperson Faces

If you have a limited budget and limited time, and let us be honest, most tradespeople do, you need to know where your money is actually working hardest. Two names come up again and again: Checkatrade and Google Business Profile. Both promise leads. Both claim to put you in front of local homeowners. But the way they work, what they cost, and what they deliver over time could not be more different.

This is not about picking sides for the sake of it. This is about looking at hard numbers, real costs, and long-term value so you can make a decision that fits your business. Whether you are a plumber just starting out or an electrician who has been trading for fifteen years, the maths matters.

What Checkatrade Actually Costs

Checkatrade operates on a monthly subscription model. At the time of writing, membership starts at around £60 per month for a basic listing, but most tradespeople end up paying between £80 and £150 per month once they add extra postcodes, categories, or featured placement. Over a year, that is somewhere between £960 and £1,800. and that is before you factor in Checkatrade's lead fees for their pay-per-lead products.

For that money, you get a profile on Checkatrade's platform, the ability to collect verified reviews, and a listing that appears when homeowners search within Checkatrade itself. You also get the Checkatrade badge, which carries a degree of trust with consumers who know the brand.

What you do not get is any presence on Google. Checkatrade does not improve your visibility in Google Search, Google Maps, or the local map pack. When someone in Rhyl types "boiler repair near me" into Google, your Checkatrade profile is not what appears. The businesses that show up there are the ones with strong Google Business Profiles.

What Google Business Profile Costs

Nothing. It is completely free to set up and maintain. There is no monthly subscription, no lead fee, no charge for extra postcodes or categories. Google gives every legitimate business a profile that can appear in Search and Maps at zero cost.

That does not mean it requires zero effort. You need to verify your business, fill in your details properly, post regularly and keep your information accurate. But the financial barrier is non-existent. A heating engineer with a well-maintained Google Business Profile is competing on equal footing with national companies. without spending a penny on the platform itself.

If you are unsure how your current profile stacks up, our free audit for plumbers or free audit for electricians will show you exactly where you stand.

Lead Quality: Where Do Better Customers Come From?

This is where the conversation gets interesting. Checkatrade leads come from people who are already on Checkatrade. they have gone to the website or app specifically to find a tradesperson. These are people who are comparing multiple businesses side by side, often sending the same enquiry to three or four companies at once. The leads are real, but they tend to be more price-sensitive. The homeowner already has several quotes lined up before you have even replied.

Google leads work differently. When someone searches on Google, they often click on the first business they see in the map pack and book the job. The comparison process is shorter. The intent is high. A homeowner who searches "emergency locksmith Wrexham" at ten o'clock at night is not browsing. they need someone now. That call goes to whoever shows up first, and that is determined by your Google Business Profile.

We have seen this pattern repeatedly with tradespeople across North Wales. The businesses that invest in their Google presence report higher-value jobs and better conversion rates from enquiry to booking. The leads feel warmer because the customer found you through their own search rather than through a comparison platform.

The Compounding Effect That Changes Everything

Here is the factor that most people miss. Checkatrade delivers leads for as long as you keep paying. The moment you cancel your subscription, your profile disappears and the leads stop. There is no lasting benefit. The money you spent last month bought you last month's leads and nothing more.

Google Business Profile works on a compounding model. Every review you collect makes your profile stronger. Every post you publish adds signals. Every month your listing exists with consistent, accurate information, Google trusts it a little more. As we have explained in our piece on how many reviews you need to rank, the effect builds over time. A builder who invests twelve months into their Google profile is in a stronger position at the end of that year than at the start. and that strength does not vanish if they take a month off.

This compounding effect is one of the most important local search ranking factors. It means the effort you put in today continues to pay off six, twelve, even twenty-four months from now. Checkatrade simply cannot offer that.

When Checkatrade Still Makes Sense

We are not suggesting Checkatrade is worthless. There are situations where it earns its keep.

If you are brand new to the trade and have zero online presence, Checkatrade can get you in front of customers while you build up your Google profile. It acts as a bridge. The reviews you collect there still carry trust with homeowners, even if they do not help your Google ranking.

If you work in a trade where comparison shopping is the norm, such as larger home improvement projects like kitchen fitting or bathroom fitting, Checkatrade can bring in enquiries from homeowners who are actively comparing quotes. These leads may convert at a lower rate, but the job values tend to be higher.

And if you are already maxing out your Google visibility in your area, Checkatrade gives you an additional channel. But that should be seen as a bonus, not a foundation.

The Numbers for a Typical Plumber

Let us put this into real figures. A plumber paying £100 per month for Checkatrade spends £1,200 per year. In return, they might receive 30 to 50 leads, of which perhaps 10 to 15 convert into paying jobs. That is a cost per customer of roughly £80 to £120.

The same plumber could spend that £1,200 on professional photos, a few Google posts per month, and a targeted review collection campaign. After six months, they might have 30 genuine Google reviews and regular visibility in the map pack for searches across Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, and surrounding areas. The leads from Google cost nothing per click and they keep coming as long as the profile stays active.

At Local Markers, we help tradespeople across North Wales build exactly this kind of presence. You can see how we approach it on our how it works page or take a look at results from real businesses we have worked with.

A Practical Investment Strategy

For most tradespeople, the smartest approach looks like this:

Year one: Put your primary effort into Google Business Profile. Get verified, fill in every section and post at least twice a month. If your budget allows, use Checkatrade as a secondary source of leads while your Google presence is still growing.

Year two: Reassess. If your Google profile is generating enough work on its own, consider dropping Checkatrade and redirecting that monthly fee into other areas. better photos, a stronger website, or local advertising.

Ongoing: Never stop collecting Google reviews. The gap between you and your competitors is maintained by consistency. Read our guide on how to get more reviews for practical methods that actually work.

The Bottom Line

Checkatrade sells you leads on a drip feed. Google lets you build an asset that grows in value over time. One costs you money every month. The other costs you effort. but the returns keep increasing.

If you can only invest in one, invest in Google. If you can afford both, use Checkatrade as a short-term boost while you build a Google presence that will serve you for years. That is not a sales pitch. It is just how the maths works out.

Want to see where your Google profile stands right now? Request a free audit and we will show you exactly what is working and what to fix first.