Compare your website options
A tradesperson has more ways to get online than ever: directories like Checkatrade, DIY builders like Wix, big providers, local agencies, or a one-person web designer. Each suits someone. These pages set out what each one actually gives you, who owns what, and the questions to ask before you pay.
For reference, mine is £249.99 to build, then £49.99 a month for a sole trader, with no minimum term.
The comparisons
- Checkatrade vs your own website: which one do you need?
Checkatrade or your own website? What each actually does for a tradesperson, who owns the customer, and why most trades end up wanting both. - Yell websites: what to check before you sign
Considering a Yell website? What to check before you sign: contract length, who owns the domain and content, and what happens when you leave. - Website Builds vs Wix: which suits a tradesperson?
Building your own site on Wix or having one built for you: what a tradesperson actually gets from each, how much time it takes, and which suits you. - Bark vs your own website: paying for leads or owning them
Bark or your own website? How lead-buying platforms work for a tradesperson, what you are really paying for, and where your own site fits in. - MyBuilder vs your own website: which brings better work?
MyBuilder or your own website? How job platforms charge tradespeople, who owns the customer, and when your own site pays for itself. - Website Builds vs Squarespace for a trade business
Squarespace or a site built for you? What a tradesperson gets from each, the time it really takes to do it yourself, and which is better value. - Website Builds vs GoDaddy: what a tradesperson should know
GoDaddy's website builder or a site built for you? What a tradesperson gets, the renewal and ownership questions to ask, and which suits you. - A local agency or a one-person web designer?
A local web agency or a one-person web designer? What each is good at, what you pay for, and which suits a sole trader or small trade business. - Wix or Squarespace vs paying a web designer
The full three-year cost comparison. - Do I need a website if I have Facebook?
What a Facebook page does and does not do for you.
The three questions that matter with any of them
Who owns the domain name and the content if you leave? How long are you tied in for? And will customers see you on your own, or in a list next to your competitors? Get those answers in writing and most of the decision makes itself.