Checkatrade vs Google: Which One Actually Grows Your Home Improvement Business?

If you're a kitchen fitter, bathroom renovator or general builder in South London, you've probably had this conversation with other trades.

One mate swears by Checkatrade. Another says it's a waste of money and that Google is where the real work comes from. Both are right — and both are wrong — depending on how you use them.

Here's the honest picture, written for someone running a real business, not a marketing agency.

What Checkatrade actually does well

Checkatrade gives you one thing that's hard to argue with: instant visibility.

When someone in Clapham, Brixton or Dulwich searches 'kitchen fitter near me', Checkatrade often shows up on page one. You pay per lead, and if the lead is decent, you can win the job. For a lot of trades businesses starting out or having a quiet month, that quick flow of enquiries feels like a lifeline.

It also handles reviews for you. Customers leave feedback on the platform, and that social proof helps.

So yes — Checkatrade can bring in work. Plenty of South London trades are getting jobs through it right now.

Where Checkatrade starts to cost you

The problems begin once you rely on it too heavily.

• You don't own the customer. The person who contacts you through Checkatrade belongs to Checkatrade. If you want to stay in touch, follow up, or market to them again in six months when they need another bathroom, you can't. You're renting access to that lead.
• The cost keeps rising. More trades join every month. You end up in bidding wars for the same leads. What used to cost £25–£35 per lead can easily creep up to £50+ once competition heats up in your area.
• Lead quality is mixed. You get tyre-kickers, people who are just price-shopping three or four other companies, and jobs that are too small or too far away. You're paying for every single one, even the ones that go nowhere.
• You're building their business, not yours. Every review you earn, every job you win — it all strengthens Checkatrade's position, not your own Google Business Profile or website.

What Google actually gives you (when you do it properly)

Google is different because you own the assets.

When someone searches 'bathroom renovation Clapham' or 'kitchen fitter Brixton', you can show up because you've built a proper website and optimised your Google Business Profile. Those leads come directly to you. You control the message, the photos, the reviews, and the follow-up.

You also get warmer leads. Someone who finds you on Google has usually done some research. They've looked at your work, read your reviews, and clicked through because they liked what they saw. These enquiries tend to be further along in the buying process than a random Checkatrade lead.

On top of that, once someone lands on your website, you can stay in front of them. You can retarget them with ads, send them helpful emails, and build a relationship — even if they don't book straight away.

The biggest advantage? You're building something that belongs to you. Your Google reviews, your website rankings, your email list — these are assets that grow in value over time instead of resetting every month when you stop paying Checkatrade.

So which one should you use?

The smartest trades businesses in South London aren't choosing one or the other. They're using both — but with very different roles.

Checkatrade works well as a short-term lead source when you need work quickly or you're testing a new area. It's a tap you can turn on and off.

Google — your website, Google Business Profile and targeted ads — is the long-term engine. This is what builds a steady, predictable flow of better-quality leads that you actually own.

Most businesses we speak to are spending £800–£1,500 a month on Checkatrade and getting inconsistent results. When we help them shift even part of that budget into building their own Google presence properly, they usually see two things happen: lead quality improves, and their overall cost per job goes down over time because they're no longer renting every single enquiry.

The real question

It's not really 'Checkatrade or Google?'

It's: how much of your business do you want to own in 12 months' time?

If you're happy renting leads forever, Checkatrade on its own can keep you busy. But if you want to build something more stable — where enquiries come to you directly and you're not at the mercy of rising lead prices or platform changes — then you need to start building your own presence on Google.

Most South London trades we work with eventually reach the same conclusion: Checkatrade is useful, but it shouldn't be the only thing keeping the diary full.