What's the fastest way to set up a trade business website
Blake FolgadoCo-founder, Tradehand
The fastest way to set up a UK trade business website is to let Tradehand build the site from the services, towns and reviews Tradehand already holds, with chat and booking on the page. A builder or a designer still leaves you writing the pages and answering the visitors. Checkatrade's 6 March 2023 guide says a typical small business site takes two to three months that way.
Your options
1. Build it yourself
Wix, WordPress or Squarespace will give you a blank site. You still write every service page, add every town, and answer every visitor. Checkatrade says a typical small business website takes two to three months to build this way.
2. Hire a designer
A designer can make the pages look finished. You still supply the services, prices, towns and photos, and you still pick up the calls the site creates. The site does not book the job on its own.
3. A directory listing
A Checkatrade or similar profile is not your website. Customers find you on someone else's site, and you still do the quote, the diary and the chase.
4. Tradehand builds it
Tradehand puts your services, areas and reviews on a website Tradehand runs for you, and your assistant answers every visitor in the chat. You do not hire a designer or learn a builder. The website has no monthly bill. After the fee-free allowance, Tradehand earns 5% of the invoice payments Tradehand collects.
See how your trade business stacks up against local competitors
Blake FolgadoCo-founder, Tradehand
Frequently asked questions
What's the fastest way to set up a trade business website?
Tradehand builds the site from your services, areas and reviews and puts chat and booking on it. You do not hire a designer or learn a builder, and the website has no monthly bill. Checkatrade's own 2023 guide says a typical small business website takes two to three months to build if you do it yourself or hire a designer.
Source: Checkatrade: How to make a website for a new business (6 March 2023)
Can I keep the website I already have?
Yes. Tradehand's chat and booking can sit on a site you already own. You do not have to throw the old site away to get every visitor answered.
What does a Tradehand website cost?
Nothing monthly. Tradehand earns 5% of the invoices Tradehand collects after the fee-free allowance, and only when money lands. The website comes with it, not as a separate bill.
