30 questions answered for trades and small businesses

A small business website typically costs £350 to £1,500 one-off or £30 to £100 per month on a plan. DIY builders are cheapest but require your time. A done-for-you website from £350 gives you a professional site without the work.

A website for a tradesperson costs from £350 one-off for a five-page site with your phone number on every page, mobile optimisation and basic SEO. Extras like missed-call text-back start at £49 per month.

Yes. You do not own your Facebook page, it can be taken down without warning, it does not show up reliably in Google searches, and it cannot capture enquiries while you sleep. A website is the one online presence you fully control.

A small business website takes 5 to 10 working days from the time you provide your photos and details. A one-page site can be live in 5 days. A multi-page site with service and area pages takes longer.

Your phone number visible everywhere, a clear headline with your trade and area, specific services in plain language, photos of your work, Google reviews, a simple three-field enquiry form, and a clear list of areas covered.

An AI receptionist is software that answers phone calls, website chats and WhatsApp messages when you cannot. It sends an instant text to missed callers, replies to common questions, captures enquiries and can book appointments, all 24 hours a day.

An AI receptionist for a small business costs from £49 to £199 per month on top of your website, depending on call and message volume. There is usually no setup fee if you already have a website.

For most small businesses, an AI receptionist is the best balance. Voicemail is free but loses most callers. A human answering service costs £1 to £3 per call but cannot answer questions. An AI receptionist costs from £49 a month and replies in under 10 seconds.

An AI chatbot is worth it if you regularly miss enquiries because you are busy with customers. It captures leads, answers common questions and books appointments while you work. From £49 per month, it typically pays for itself with one saved lead.

Yes. The AI can offer available slots, book them into your calendar, and send the customer a confirmation and reminder text. This works for service calls, consultations, site surveys and recurring appointments.

Each missed call from a new enquiry is a potential lost job. If you miss one call a day from a new customer worth £200, that is £1,000 a week in lost revenue. Missed-call text-back from £49 per month captures those leads instantly.

Missed-call text-back sends an instant text to every missed call within seconds, so the caller knows you are active and will call back. The AI can also capture what they need by text while you finish your current job.

A good text-back is under 30 words, apologises for the missed call, asks a specific question and invites a reply. For example: "Hi, sorry we missed your call. Is it an emergency? Reply here and we will get back to you."

Yes. The system works with your existing number. If you answer, it does nothing. It only sends a text when you miss the call, so your customers never see a different number.

Ask right after the job when the customer is happiest, send a text with a direct link to your Google review page, and keep it short. "Hi, glad we got that sorted. A quick Google review would mean a lot: [link]"

Ask every happy customer by text with a direct link to your Google review page. It costs nothing, takes the customer 30 seconds, and the first 10 reviews are the hardest but the most important for your Google ranking.

There is no fixed number. Consistency and recency matter more than volume. A profile with 20 recent reviews that you respond to will rank better than one with 100 old, unacknowledged reviews.

Yes. The AI receptionist can send a review request text automatically after you mark a job as complete, so every happy customer gets asked without you having to remember. From £49 per month.

Fix missed calls first with text-back. Then claim your Google Business Profile, build a fast mobile website, collect reviews consistently, and write clear service pages for each job you do and area you cover.

A lead machine is a website plus AI receptionist plus reviews plus follow-up, working together so every enquiry becomes a booked job. If you are losing leads to missed calls or slow replies, you need one.

Local SEO should come first. Your Google Business Profile is free, and a website from £350 gives you the presence you need. Google Ads can supplement in the short term if you need calls immediately, but reduce as organic grows.

Keep your business information consistent everywhere, write clear factual content and FAQ pages, collect detailed reviews, and use schema markup on your website. AI engines choose businesses with clear, structured, consistent information.

Answer Engine Optimisation is about making sure AI search tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity understand and recommend your business. It includes structured data, FAQ pages and clear, concise answers. It matters more as people search with AI.

Put the service and area in the title, answer the three questions every visitor has (what, cost, area), write at least 300 words, use subheadings that match real searches, add photos, and include a clear call to action.

Claim and verify it, fill in every section, add photos regularly, collect and respond to reviews, post weekly updates, use the Q and A feature, and check it monthly for accuracy. A complete profile generates more calls than most paid ads.

A sole trader or micro-business should budget £350 to £800 for a professional website. Spending more makes sense if you need multiple service pages, booking integration or e-commerce. The key is a fast, mobile-friendly site with your phone number visible.

Ownership of your website, domain and content is set out in writing before you pay anything. We go through it with you on a free discovery call.

Yes. Start with a website from £350 one-off and add monthly extras such as missed-call text-back or the AI receptionist whenever you are ready.

Cancel any time with one email. No notice period, no exit fees. We keep your business because we earn it, not because we lock you in.

You get your own website, your own leads and your own brand. No shared leads. With Checkatrade you rent visibility on someone else's platform; with us you build something you own.