Guides
Straight answers for trades who want more work.
What owners ask us about Google, reviews, lead sites and missed calls, answered plainly. Every one dated.
- 45 guides
- Real client numbers in every one
- Every fact checked and dated
Start here
Where most owners start: not on the map, not high enough on it, or not enough work.
- Google MapsWhy isn't my business showing on Google Maps?Usually one of two things. Either Google isn't showing your profile at all (it isn't verified, it's been suspended, it's brand new or you've just edited it), or it is showing but below the firms Google thinks are closer, a better match or better reviewed.
- Google MapsHow to rank higher on Google Maps as a tradeGoogle ranks Maps results on three things: how well your profile matches the search, how close you are to the person searching, and how well known you are, which includes your reviews and how many other websites link to you.
- More workHow to get more work as a tradesmanMost trade work now starts with someone searching on Google, so get found there first: a Google Business Profile done properly, a steady flow of new reviews, and a website that says your trade and your towns.
Google Maps 7 guides
Showing up, staying up, and moving up on the map.
- Google MapsAre Google Business Profile posts worth it for a trade?What Google Business Profile posts are, what Google says they do and don't do, what a trade should post, and how often.
- Google MapsGoogle Business Profile suspended: what to do nextWhy Google suspends a trade's Business Profile, how to appeal from the UK, the evidence to have ready, and the mistakes that make it worse.
- Google MapsHow long does it take to rank on Google Maps?What Google says about how long verification, edits and new listings take, what takes months instead, and how to measure progress honestly.
- Google MapsHow to rank higher on Google Maps as a tradeWhat decides who Google Maps shows first, what you can and can't change, and the order to do things in, with real examples from trades we work with.
- Google MapsHow to show on Google Maps without a shop addressHow trades who work from home or the van get on Google Maps: hiding the address, setting service areas, verifying, and still ranking.
- Google MapsWhich Google Business Profile category should a trade pick?How a trade should choose its primary and extra Google Business Profile categories, with Google's own rules and how each one changes your enquiries.
- Google MapsWhy isn't my business showing on Google Maps?The nine reasons a trade business doesn't show on Google Maps, a two-minute test to find yours, and how to fix each one.
Reviews 4 guides
Getting more of them, answering them, and the bad ones.
- ReviewsCan you remove a bad Google review?What Google will and won't remove, how to report a review and appeal, and what to do about a genuine bad review instead.
- ReviewsHow many Google reviews do you need?There's no magic number. How to work out yours from the firms around you, the sum for moving your star rating, and why new reviews matter.
- ReviewsHow to get more Google reviews without beggingHow to get your review link, when to ask, the exact texts to send, and the rules you must not break. A plain guide for trades.
- ReviewsHow to reply to Google reviews, good and badHow to reply to Google reviews as a trade, with word-for-word replies for 5-star, 3-star, 1-star and fake-looking reviews, and what never to write.
More work 14 guides
Where the work comes from in your trade, and how to win more of it.
- More workHow to get more building work and extension enquiriesHow extension customers choose a builder: they read before they ring. Your map listing, your website, planning help, trust and chasing quotes.
- More workHow to get more car valeting customersHow valeting and detailing customers choose: Google Maps, prices on show, interior photos, easy booking, fast replies and repeat customers.
- More workHow to get more clients for a barbershopHow to get more barbershop clients: Google Maps, reviews, prices and booking on your site, matching details, photos, regulars and quiet days.
- More workHow to get more driveway cleaning customersHow driveway and patio customers pick a cleaner: Google Maps, before-and-after photos, quoting from a photo, the seasons, and chasing quotes.
- More workHow to get more flooring jobsHow flooring customers choose a fitter, how to show on Google as a fitter rather than a shop, and how to win more jobs direct.
- More workHow to get more landscaping and gardening clientsHow to win regular garden customers and bigger landscaping jobs: Google Maps, photos, a page per service, reviews, a customer list and the winter.
- More workHow to get more roofing workHow roofing customers choose who to ring, for leaks and for re-roofs, and how to show you're safe, answer fast and win more quotes.
- More workHow to get more rubbish removal jobsHow rubbish removal customers choose who to ring, why the phone matters most, and how to show you're licensed and worth calling.
- More workHow to get more scaffolding workHow builders, roofers and homeowners choose a scaffolder: answering first, your Google listing, licences, CISRS cards, and chasing quotes.
- More workHow to get more tree surgery workHow tree customers choose: Google Maps, reviews, photos, your website, the permissions they worry about, and chasing every quote.
- More workHow to get more vehicle recovery workHow a recovery firm gets found on Google, answers every call, prices up front and wins trade work, with a new firm's day-one record.
- More workHow to get more work as a plumberHow plumbing customers choose who to ring, for emergencies and planned jobs, and how to show you're qualified, answer fast and win more quotes.
- More workHow to get more work as a tradesmanWhere trade customers really come from, the six things that make the phone ring more, and the order to do them in. With real numbers from trades we work with.
- More workHow to get more work as an electricianHow customers choose an electrician, why your Part P registration should be up front, and how to win more call-outs, rewires, EV and landlord work.
Enquiries 6 guides
Missed calls, quotes that go quiet, and knowing what came in.
- EnquiriesAnswering service or receptionist for a trade? What it really costsWhat a UK answering service and a receptionist really cost a trade, from published price lists and the National Living Wage, and what they can't do.
- EnquiriesHow many jobs are you losing to missed calls?The simple sum for what missed calls cost a trade, how to read your own call log to find out, and three ways to stop losing the work.
- EnquiriesHow to follow up a quote (with texts that work)When to chase a quote, how many times, and word-for-word texts and emails to send, without sounding pushy. Written for trades.
- EnquiriesHow to tell which jobs came from GoogleFive ways to see which enquiries and jobs came from Google: your Performance screen, Search Console, tagged links, tracked numbers and a tracker.
- EnquiriesMissed call text back: what it is, and is it worth it for a trade?How a missed call text back works, what to write, the UK rules, and the catch most people miss. For trades who can't always answer.
- EnquiriesWhy does my website get visits but no calls?The usual reasons a trade website gets visitors but no enquiries, how to test your own phone link and form in five minutes, and how to fix each one.
Websites 4 guides
What a trade site needs, what it costs, and why it might not ring.
- WebsitesDoes a tradesman need a website?When a Google listing is enough on its own, when it isn't, and what a trade website actually has to do. With real numbers from trades we work with.
- WebsitesHow much does a website cost for a trade in the UK?Do-it-yourself, freelancer, agency or monthly plan: what each costs, what you should get for the money, and the questions to ask before you pay anyone.
- WebsitesWhat should be on a trade website's first screen?The six things a trade website's first screen needs, in order, with real examples from five trade and local business sites we've built.
- WebsitesWix, Squarespace or a proper site: what should a trade use?Wix and Squarespace for a trade business: UK prices, what each does well, where DIY sites let trades down, and when to get one built.
Lead sites 5 guides
Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark and the rest, from their own terms.
- Lead sitesBark vs Checkatrade: which costs a trade less?Bark and Checkatrade side by side from their own pages and terms: how you pay, the contracts, who else gets the job, and the sum to compare them.
- Lead sitesCheckatrade vs TrustATrader vs MyBuilder vs Rated PeopleHow each charges trades, the contracts, and who else chases the same job, from their own pages on 2 October 2026. Plus what happened to Rated People.
- Lead sitesIs Checkatrade worth it for tradesmen?What Checkatrade costs in 2026, the 12-month contract, how leads reach you, and who it suits, all from Checkatrade's own pricing page and terms.
- Lead sitesIs MyBuilder worth it for tradesmen?How MyBuilder works for trades, what the shortlist fees cost, when you pay without winning, and the sum to do, from MyBuilder's own pages.
- Lead sitesIs Rated People worth it in 2026?Rated People closed its memberships and is now part of Checkatrade Group. What that means for trades, what joining costs now, and the alternatives.
Money 5 guides
What to spend, what to charge, and how to tell if it pays.
- MoneyAre Google Ads worth it for a trade?Google search ads and Local Services Ads for UK trades: how each charges, which trades can use them, when ads beat SEO, and when they waste money.
- MoneyFacebook ads for tradesmen: worth it?How Facebook ads charge, lead ads versus your own website, when they work for a trade, when they waste money, and the sum to do first.
- MoneyHow much does SEO cost in the UK, and what should you get?How UK SEO is priced, what local SEO for a trade costs, what you should see every month, and the red flags Google itself warns about.
- MoneyHow much should a trade spend on getting work?How to work out what to spend on getting work from your job value and margin, why cost per job won is what matters, and how to track it.
- MoneyHow to price jobs as a tradesmanWork out a day rate from what you need to earn, price materials, VAT, deposits, write a quote that wins, raise prices and follow up.
One firm per trade in each town. Is yours still free?
A minute of questions about your business tells you. Nothing to pay until you've won £500 of work through us.
- No setup fee, no contract
- Everything we build is yours after 90 days
- Tyler usually rings you the same day