Google Ads vs Checkatrade: Which Generates Better Leads for UK Tradespeople?

The Real Cost Per Lead in 2026

Checkatrade now charges UK tradespeople between £85 and £130 per month for membership, depending on trade and area, with a 12 month contract and a hefty exit fee if you leave early. On top of that you pay nothing per lead, but you also share every job with up to four other members who get the same enquiry.

Google Ads has no membership fee. You pay per click, and in the UK trades, click costs range from £1.20 for niche services up to £18 for emergency plumbing in London. A typical UK trade campaign in 2026 produces leads at £25 to £75 each, with the lead going to you exclusively.

On paper Checkatrade looks cheaper. In practice, when you factor in the 60 to 80 percent of Checkatrade enquiries that go to a competitor first, your true cost per won job is often higher than Google Ads.

Lead Quality, Not Just Lead Volume

Google Ads leads come from people who typed a specific intent into Google: 'emergency electrician Bristol' or 'new boiler quote Leeds'. These are warm, exclusive, and ready to book. Conversion rates of 25 to 40 percent are normal for a well-run campaign.

Checkatrade leads come from people browsing a directory comparing tradespeople. They are colder, almost always shopping on price, and they have already opted in to being contacted by multiple firms. Conversion rates of 10 to 20 percent are typical, and price-led customers tend to leave harsher reviews when things go wrong.

Where Checkatrade Genuinely Wins

Checkatrade is genuinely strong in three situations. First, if you are brand new with zero reviews and no website, the platform gives you instant credibility and a profile that ranks well in Google for your local trade keyword. Second, if you serve a rural area with low search volume, the directory aggregates demand you could not capture alone. Third, if you have spare capacity and need any work to keep the van moving, a steady trickle of shared leads is useful.

Outside those scenarios, the maths usually favours an owned channel like Google Ads or organic SEO, because you keep the customer relationship, the review, and the future repeat work.

Where Google Ads Genuinely Wins

Google Ads dominates for emergency trades and high-ticket installations. If someone has a flooding kitchen at 9pm, they are not opening Checkatrade, they are clicking the first Google ad that offers a same-night callout. Plumbers, drainage specialists, locksmiths and electricians serving emergencies routinely get their best leads from paid search.

It also wins for any job where you want to control your own brand. Ads point to your own website, your own reviews, and your own quote process. Every job you win builds your own asset, not Checkatrade's.

The Hybrid Approach Most Top Tradespeople Use

The tradespeople who consistently outgrow their competitors do not pick one. They use Checkatrade or MyBuilder for baseline lead flow in the early days, run Google Ads for high-intent emergency and installation jobs, and invest in SEO so that within 18 months they are getting most enquiries for free.

The mix shifts over time. Year one might be 60 percent directories, 30 percent ads, 10 percent organic. By year three a healthy trade business is closer to 10 percent directories, 30 percent ads, and 60 percent organic and repeat. That shift is where the real margin compounds.

A Simple Decision Framework

Use this rule: if your average job is worth less than £400 in profit, Checkatrade-style directories are usually viable. If your average job is worth more than £400 in profit, Google Ads almost always wins on margin even at higher click prices.

Test for 90 days before deciding. Run a £600 per month Google Ads campaign alongside your Checkatrade membership, track cost per won job separately for each channel, then double down on whichever delivers a lower true cost.

What This Means for Your 2026 Marketing Plan

If you are spending more than £1,500 per year on Checkatrade and not yet running Google Ads, you are leaving the highest intent leads in your area on the table. Even a modest £400 per month ads campaign typically produces three to eight exclusive enquiries that would otherwise go to whichever competitor showed up first on Google.

Whichever route you pick, make sure your website, phone answering, and quote turnaround are dialled in. The cheapest lead source on earth is wasted if you take two days to send a quote.