Checkatrade vs Google Ads for Tradespeople: Which Generates More Jobs? (2026)
Most tradespeople sign up to Checkatrade because it feels safe — a well-known brand, a directory that customers trust, a monthly fee that seems manageable. Then they try Google Ads, get burned by a poorly set up campaign, and conclude that paid search “doesn't work for trades.” The reality is that both channels can generate a full diary, but only if you understand what you're actually paying per booked job and track the numbers properly. This guide breaks down Checkatrade, Google Local Services Ads and standard Google Ads so you can make an informed decision about where your marketing budget goes.
What Checkatrade membership actually costs
Checkatrade membership is not a flat fee. Pricing varies by trade, location and the package you choose, but most tradespeople pay between £800 and £2,400 per year (£67–£200 per month). That buys you a profile listing, the ability to collect verified reviews, and inclusion in Checkatrade's directory when homeowners search for your trade locally.
On top of the membership fee, Checkatrade has introduced pay-per-lead products in some trade categories, where you pay for each enquiry forwarded to you regardless of whether it converts to a booking. This changes the economics significantly. A membership that costs £100 per month and generates 6 enquiries at a 40% booking rate gives you 2.4 jobs at £42 per booked job. If those same enquiries are costing you £8 each on top of a monthly fee, your cost-per-booked-job climbs sharply.
The other factor that rarely gets discussed: Checkatrade lead quality has declined in many areas as the platform has grown. More tradespeople competing for the same enquiries means lower conversion rates. In saturated markets — plumbing and electrical in most UK cities — homeowners use Checkatrade to collect multiple quotes rather than to find a trusted tradesperson. The conversion rates that made Checkatrade attractive five years ago are no longer typical.
Google Local Services Ads: the new paid listing that changes the maths
Google Local Services Ads (GLSA) sit above the standard Google Ads results and above the organic listings when someone searches for a trade in their area. Unlike standard Google Ads, you pay per verified lead — a phone call or message from a customer who has seen your ad — rather than per click. You can also dispute leads that are irrelevant or outside your service area.
Getting set up for GLSA requires a background check, insurance verification and a minimum Google review rating. The process takes 1–3 weeks but is worth it. Once live, the “Google Guaranteed” badge appears next to your listing, which meaningfully increases click-through rates compared to standard ads.
Cost per lead for GLSA varies by trade and location but typically falls between £15 and £45 for plumbing, electrical and heating work in UK cities. At a 50% booking rate from GLSA leads (higher than Checkatrade because the lead is Google-verified and warm), you're looking at £30–£90 per booked job. That looks expensive until you compare it to what many tradespeople are paying on Checkatrade without realising it.
Standard Google Ads: highest volume, highest control
Standard Google Search Ads operate on a cost-per-click model. You write ads, choose keywords and set bids. When someone searches a keyword you're bidding on, your ad may appear. You pay when they click, not when they call.
For most UK trades, clicks cost between £3 and £15 depending on competition and geography. At £7 per click with a 30% enquiry rate from clicks (assuming a decent landing page and fast call response), each enquiry costs £23. At a 45% booking rate from those enquiries, your cost per booked job is around £51. These numbers improve significantly as you optimise the campaign — better keywords, tighter targeting, better ad copy and faster response times all lower your cost per booked job.
The advantage of standard Google Ads over both Checkatrade and GLSA is volume and control. You can set a budget, pause and restart instantly, test different messaging, and scale up when you have capacity. You can also target emergency keywords at higher bids — “emergency plumber,” “boiler not working,” “no hot water tonight” — which convert at much higher rates because the customer needs someone immediately.
Channel comparison: £200/month budget
UK trade business, 40% average booking rate, £320 average job value
Google Ads produces more volume at similar cost when set up correctly. GLSA has a lower barrier to entry and requires less management. Checkatrade often underperforms at this budget level in competitive areas.
Why many tradespeople overpay for Checkatrade
The core problem with Checkatrade — and most lead generation directories — is that tradespeople rarely calculate their actual cost per booked job. They pay the annual membership, get some enquiries, book some jobs, and feel like it's working. But when you divide the total annual membership cost by the number of jobs that came directly from Checkatrade, the number is often surprisingly high.
There are also hidden costs. Responding to Checkatrade enquiries takes time — often the same enquiry goes to 4–5 other tradespeople simultaneously, so you're spending 15–20 minutes competing for jobs you may not win. The emotional cost of losing quotes you spent time on compounds over a year. Factor in a realistic hourly rate for your own time and the Checkatrade economics look worse still.
Checkatrade does still work well in some scenarios: less competitive trade categories, rural areas where Google search volume is low, and trades where the verified review system genuinely differentiates you (bathroom fitting, kitchen fitting, general building work where trust is paramount). But for common trades in competitive urban markets, the economics have shifted significantly toward Google.
How to measure ROI from each channel properly
The only way to compare these channels honestly is to track enquiry source at the point of contact and follow it through to a booked job. This means asking every new enquiry “how did you find us?” and recording the answer, then tagging the eventual job with that source.
Once you have three months of data, calculate cost per booked job for each channel: total spend on the channel divided by jobs booked from that channel. Compare these numbers across channels. Most tradespeople who do this exercise are surprised to find that Google Ads — which they thought was expensive — produces lower cost-per-job than Checkatrade, which felt like a safe low-cost option.
Trade2Base tracks lead source through to booked job automatically. Every enquiry is tagged with its source, and the attribution dashboard shows you cost per booked job by channel so you don't have to do this manually. The data typically pays for itself within the first month of subscription by revealing one channel that is significantly underperforming.
When each channel makes sense
Checkatrade is worth keeping if: you are in a less competitive trade or rural area, you have 50+ verified reviews that genuinely differentiate you, or you are getting consistent booked-job conversion above 40% from your membership. If none of those apply, it is worth testing a 3-month pause while redirecting the budget to Google Ads to compare the results directly.
Google Local Services Ads are the best starting point for tradespeople new to paid search. Lower management overhead than standard Ads, you only pay for verified leads, and the Google Guaranteed badge builds trust quickly. Start here if you have fewer than 20 Google reviews (build them up while the campaign runs) or if you don't want to manage keyword bidding.
Standard Google Ads make sense once you have 3–6 months of marketing data, a landing page that converts above 25%, and enough budget (£300+ per month) to generate statistically meaningful results. At that point, the volume and targeting control of standard Ads typically produces lower cost-per-job than either GLSA or Checkatrade at equivalent spend.
Know which marketing brings in paid jobs
Trade2Base tracks every enquiry from Google Ads, Checkatrade, calls and referrals through to paid invoices — so you always know your real cost per booked job.
See demo dashboard →The channel that beats all three
Google Business Profile organic ranking costs nothing beyond your time. A well-optimised GBP with 60+ reviews and regular posts will appear in the local 3-pack for high-intent searches and generate enquiries at zero incremental cost. Every tradesperson should treat GBP as their primary channel before spending on any paid directory or ads.
The most effective marketing stack for most UK tradespeople is: GBP as the foundation, Google Ads or GLSA for additional volume when you have budget, and referrals as a systematic process rather than a happy accident. Checkatrade sits in that mix only if the data shows it is producing booked jobs at a cost that makes sense compared to your alternatives — and for many tradespeople in 2026, it no longer does.