How To Use Checkatrade Properly For Your Trades Business
Without doubt Checkatrade is brilliant for local traders to gain credibility and to support a business. But it does not effectively generate business for you.
What Is Checkatrade?
Checkatrade is a very sophisticated business directory aimed specifically at professional tradespeople throughout the UK.
Theu charge each individual entrant qround £70 per month for a listing but give that business credibility in a number of ways to the general public searching for a reputable trades person to carry out a job for them. They confirm that each business is genuine and suitably qualified and list testimonials from customers who have used them. Everything contained in an entry is verified by Checkatrade as genuine, so it can be trusted as a top class reference guide to traders.
There is nothing better than a good testimonial. Conversely there is nothing worse than a bad one!
This means that it is a very important online publication to support a trades business and somthing every bona fide treder should consider.
But do not rely upon it as a means to generate business and new customers for you
Why Is That?
Because good as it is to give your business credibility with potential customers with testimonials and confirmation of legitimacy of your business, at the end of it all, it is nothing more than a business directory that lists many businesses the same as yours in a list. Whereas it is important for you to be seen there, you are very unlikely to receive many enquiries ufrom there unless you hold one of the top 2 or 3 spots.
All the entries look the same and scores and testimonial all follow a similar patternwhich makes each entry almost identical, giving a potential customer a difficult choice. In fact, despite Checkatrade having advertising campaigns from time to time, it is not used as a first resort by potential customers, Google is. That is why you need your own website that is configured to promote what you do and where you do it.
It is the same principle as with Google. in that 90% of all queries come from the first 3 entries. If you are on page 2 or below, no-one will find you because no-one bothers to dig that deep.
What You Can Do About it
Obviously your entry in Checkatrade is essential, it is where you need to be seen, but in order to be found you must have your own online presence and that requires a website and with our online scheme you get a scheme that promotes you and gives a direct link to your Checkatrade entry so they can verify you further to support what you say.
Testimonials can be added easily along with all the essentials that you need to secure new customers. Check out our website service to tradespeople here.