Do I need my own website if I am on Checkatrade?
Being on Checkatrade and having your own website do two different jobs, and most tradespeople are best served by both. Checkatrade is a paid directory where customers compare vetted trades, and you pay a monthly membership to appear. Your own website is something you own outright: it ranks in Google under your own name, has no per-lead or membership fee, and lets you show your work and reviews your way. A directory rents you visibility; a website builds an asset you keep.
What Checkatrade gives you
A trusted, vetted badge and a stream of customers actively comparing trades, in exchange for an ongoing membership fee. It is genuinely useful for reputation, but you do not own the profile, you compete with other members on the same page, and the fee never stops.
What your own website gives you
A home that is only yours. It shows in Google when someone searches your trade and town, it carries your reviews and photos with no competitor listed beside them, and it costs a one-off 499 pounds with StaticSwift rather than a fee forever. Customers who find you on a directory also Google you, and a real site wins the ones who are deciding.
The honest answer: use both
Keep the directory for the trust badge and comparison traffic, and add a website so you own your presence and stop paying per lead for every customer. The two reinforce each other. A website with a free preview first, like StaticSwift, is a low-risk way to add the piece you actually own.
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 Checkatrade enough on its own?
It can bring work, but you are renting visibility and competing on every page. A website you own ranks under your own name and has no per-lead cost, which is why most established trades run both.
How much does a website cost compared to a directory membership?
A directory is a recurring monthly fee. A StaticSwift website is a one-off 499 pounds that you own, with an optional 49 pounds a month plan only if you want changes handled for you.