Are lead sites like Bark worth it, or should I get my own website?
Pay-per-lead sites like Bark, MyBuilder and Rated People can bring quick work, but you pay for every lead, you share each one with rival trades, and the cost never builds into anything you own. Your own website is the opposite: a one-off cost, every enquiry is yours alone, and it keeps working for free once it ranks. Lead sites are worth it as a top-up; your own site is worth it as the foundation.
The catch with pay-per-lead
You often pay whether or not you win the job, the same lead is sold to several trades, and you are pushed to compete on price. It can fill a quiet week, but you are renting other people's audience and the spend disappears each month.
Why a website compounds instead
A website is bought once and keeps earning. Enquiries come straight to you, not to five competitors, and there is no per-lead charge. StaticSwift builds one hand-coded for 499 pounds, with a free working preview within 24 hours so you can see it before paying.
A sensible mix
Use lead sites to smooth out quiet spells, but put your money into the asset you keep. Over a year, the trades who own their presence spend less per genuine customer than those renting leads.
Want to see what yours would look like?
StaticSwift builds a free working preview within 24 hours. 499 pounds once if you keep it, 60-day lead guarantee.
Common questions
Is Bark good for tradespeople?
It can bring leads fast, but you pay per lead, share them with competitors, and own nothing at the end. Good as a top-up, poor as your only source.
What is cheaper over a year, lead sites or a website?
A website almost always. Lead fees repeat every month; a StaticSwift site is a one-off 499 pounds and every enquiry it brings is yours with no extra charge.