Do I need a website for my trade business?
Quick answer: Yes. Referrals still bring the work, but customers check you online before they call. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults, 97% read reviews for local businesses and 45% used AI tools to find one, up from 6% a year earlier. It’s a US survey, so treat it as directional for UK trades. A website gives Google and AI tools a page to verify your trade, areas, accreditations and contact details. A Facebook page alone can't do that reliably.
What happens when a customer Googles your trade business?
A referral rarely ends with a phone call. It ends with a search for your name. What the customer finds in the next few seconds decides whether they ring you or the next name on the list.
| What they find | Likely effect on the enquiry (our assessment) |
|---|---|
| Nothing | Hesitation. No proof you exist beyond one person's word. |
| Facebook page only | Some reassurance, but no list of services, areas or accreditations, and no quote form. |
| Google Business Profile only | Reviews, phone number and map pin. Good for calls, thin on detail. |
| Google profile plus a website with reviews, accreditations and a quote form | Strongest. Every question the customer has is answered before they ring. |
The research backs the habit. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults, 97% read reviews for local businesses, 41% always do (up from 29% in 2025), and consumers use an average of six review sites. We found no UK survey of that size, so treat these as directional for UK trades.
Why does AI search make a website more important?
The same survey found 45% of consumers now use AI tools such as ChatGPT to find local business recommendations, up from 6% the year before. Google's share as a review source fell from 83% to 71% in the same period. AI tools build answers from pages they can read and cross-check. A website that states your trade, your towns, your accreditations and your contact details in plain text gives them something to cite. A profile with a name and a star rating gives them very little.
What does a website do that Facebook or Google Business Profile can't?
| Capability | Facebook page | Google Business Profile | Own website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears in the Google Maps pack | No | Yes | No, but it supports your ranking |
| Lists every service and every town you cover | Limited | Limited | Yes |
| Shows accreditation numbers and insurance | Posts only | Limited | Yes |
| Captures job details (postcode, job type) in a quote form | Messenger only | Call or website link only | Yes |
| You control layout, wording and data | No | Partly | Yes |
| Survives a platform rule change or account suspension | No | No | Yes |
Google ranks local businesses on its own profile data first: Whitespark's 2026 expert survey puts Google Business Profile signals at 32% of the local pack weighting and on-page website signals at 15%. You need both, and the website is the part you own.
What must a UK trade website show?
Some of this is legal and some is trust. Online service providers must make their name, geographic address and email address easy to find under the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002. Limited companies must also show their company number and registered office. Beyond that, customers look for proof in your trade:
| Trade | Show on the site | Why customers check |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers and heating engineers | Gas Safe registration number (for gas work), insurance, areas covered | Gas work must be done by a registered engineer, and the number can be checked on the Gas Safe Register |
| Electricians | Scheme membership such as NICEIC or NAPIT, public liability insurance | Customers want evidence the work is certified |
| Roofers | NFRC or TrustMark membership if held, guarantee terms, photos of finished roofs | High-value, high-risk job |
| Removals and man and van | British Association of Removers membership if held, goods in transit insurance, fixed or hourly pricing | Customers are handing over everything they own |
Only display schemes you actually belong to. A false badge is a bigger problem than a missing one.
How many pages does a trade website need?
One page can work for a sole trader, but separate pages rank for separate searches. A solid minimum is a home page, a services page (or one page per main service), an areas page, a reviews and gallery page, and a contact page with a short quote form.
Real-world example: Joel Removals
At Joel Removals, a business we help run and have improved online over several years, customers regularly tell us the website made the company feel established and transparent. That is the unspoken question every new customer is asking: are these people legitimate?
Related questions
Is a Facebook page enough for a tradesman?
It is better than nothing, but it can't list every service and town, show accreditation proof, or capture quote details, and the platform controls it. A Facebook page works best as a supporting channel alongside a website and a Google Business Profile.
Do sole traders need a website in the UK?
There is no law requiring one, but if you do trade online you must show your name, geographic address and email under the E-Commerce Regulations. Commercially, a one-page site with your services, areas, reviews and a quote form covers most sole traders.
Do I need a website if I get work from Checkatrade or MyBuilder?
Directory listings are rented visibility: the platform sets the rules, the fees and what customers see. A website you own captures customers who search your name directly and gives you something to link from every profile.
Do plumbers and electricians need a website to rank on Google Maps?
No, Maps ranking is driven mainly by your Google Business Profile. But on-page website signals are the third-largest group of local pack factors in Whitespark's 2026 survey, so a website with your services and towns helps you rank.
Sources
- BrightLocal: Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
- Whitespark: Local Search Ranking Factors 2026
- Advice Local: 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors summary
- Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002, reg. 6
- Gas Safe Register
General information, not legal or financial advice. Figures are quoted from the sources above; where a source is a US survey or an older UK study, we say so in the text.
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