How to write an effective Checkatrade profile description

If you're a member, we’re chuffed to have you on board. Now you have to write your Checkatrade profile description. This is vital for a good first impression. Here are our tips for how to write an effective Checkatrade profile description.

Presenting your Checkatrade profile

Being on Checkatrade itself is a great way to get more leads for your business. However, membership won’t matter much if your profile’s not up to scratch.

After all, your profile is the first thing new customers will see. And if it’s not representative of your business, new customers will likely go elsewhere.

That’s why it’s so important to get your Checkatrade profile description right. You need to put effort into writing your Checkatrade profile. That way, customers will see that you take pride in your work – which will help win you their business.

So, keep reading to learn exactly how to write a great Checkatrade profile description for your customers.

1. Remember who you’re writing for

First things first, you need to bear in mind who you’re writing your profile description for – your customers. Think about it, who else is going to read your profile description, so why wouldn’t you write it for them?

So, consider who will be reading your profile. Why are they looking for a tradesperson like you and what might make them decide to contact your business?

Once you’ve thought about this write a description in clear, friendly English. Make sure it’s easy for them to understand what your business has to offer.

2. Share your story and value

Next, you need to think about sharing your business’s story and values.

We’ve found that this is one of the best ways to show customers that your business is right for them. It helps them to connect and shows them just why your business is a great pick.

However, you do want to keep this brief.

Use an example to show them what your business can offer and how you’ve helped homeowners in the past.

3. Build confidence in your business

Besides clear writing and examples, there are several other ways to show off your business in your profile description. This includes:

• Using simple, well-written language in accurate English to show that you’ve taken care in writing your profile

• Mentioning your trade qualifications, accreditations, or any other trade associations you belong to in order to show you take pride in your work

• Listing your most popular services to highlight exactly what you can offer to your customers

By ticking off all of these points, a potential customer will give your profile more than a passing glance.

4. Set customer expectations

Now, while generating leads is one thing, so too is setting customer expectations in your work.

There’s absolutely no point in generating leads for jobs you can’t do. Instead, you want to win the sort of profitable work you excel at.

This makes it essential to briefly explain what customers can expect when working with you. That way, you can be sure that any homeowners that contact you are right for your business.

So, make sure you include a list of the services you offer and the areas that you cover. That way, customers immediately know if you’re the right tradesperson for them.

5. Show off your work

This might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many tradespeople forget to show off their work. And your Checkatrade profile is one of the best places to do this with images and video.

Make sure you upload photos to your Checkatrade profile. And in your profile description, be sure to talk about the issues you’ve previously solved for your customers.

Don’t be afraid to pull out your favourite quotes or reviews from customers that show exactly what you can do.

6. Get found online by including keywords

The great thing about having a Checkatrade profile is that homeowners can find your profile online through search engines. This works in the same way as someone finding your website directly and can be made easier with keywords.

Keywords are specific words or phrases Google uses to decide what pages to show people.

By including a few keywords in your profile description, you’ll increase your chances of showing up in a search.

Of course, keywords are not always obvious. So, to help you out, here are some common search terms customers use when looking for tradespeople:

• (specific trade) in (location), e.g., “painters in Enfield” or “carpenters in Dorset”

• (specific trade service) in (location), e.g., “bathroom renovations in Bristol” or “roof repair in South London”

Simple, right? Just make sure that you weave these into the text organically. You want to make sure your profile still reads right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyPXIcIbFTU

7. Check your spelling and grammar

Last, but not least, nothing puts customers off more than a poorly written profile. So, once you’ve finished writing your profile, take time to check that everything is spelt correctly with good grammar.

"Spelling and grammatical errors will affect how someone looks at your business. First impressions count, and normally, your business's content is someone's first impression of you."

Tom Blake, Checkatrade's Senior Content Marketing Manager

And if writing isn’t your strong suit, don’t worry.

Just be sure to ask someone who’s good at writing to read through your profile before you put it live.

How to proofread your own writing and why it’s so important

Why is it important to proofread your writing? Knowing how to proofread your own writing is essential in our digital world. Here are two reasons to really care about your content. 1. First impressions count The content on your Checkatrade profile, website or social media is likely to be the first

Learn more

Our example of a good Checkatrade profile description

As with any sort of work, it’s always best to plan for your profile description before you start writing. That’s why we’ve created this template below for you to follow when creating your profile:

1. Provide an introduction to your business – a brief description of what you do, why you do what you do, and what you can offer

2. The history of your business – a sentence two around your founding story and business values

3. Experience – evidence of your experience, such as how many years you have in your industry

4. A list of services – provide a clear, bulleted list of all the services that you can offer customers

5. Added value – provide a secondary list of all the ways you can add value to a potential customer’s experience, such as offering a free quote

6. Finishing points – wrap up by providing information on any additional areas of interest, like a history of providing excellent customer service

Seems simple enough, doesn’t it? Well, to help you even further**, here is an entire written example that you can follow with your profile:**

"Tom’s Kitchens are a family-run kitchen fitting company based in Surrey. Our team have been bringing people’s dream kitchens to life across The Home Counties for over 30 years.

“Our tailored, end-to-end kitchen service gives you peace of mind. From design to installation, your kitchen renovation project stays under one roof and with one team.

“One of the common themes you’ll read in our hundreds of Checkatrade reviews is our personable service. We pride ourselves on delivering an enjoyable customer experience, no matter how small the job.

“Our services include:

• Kitchen design

• Kitchen installation

• General Plumbing

• Carpentry Services

“Call or drop us a message to book your free consultation. And make sure to check out our recent kitchen renovation projects on our Checkatrade profile."

Getting started with Checkatrade

So, now you know exactly how to write a profile description with Checkatrade.

By following these steps, you should have no problem creating a strong Checkatrade profile description. One that reads well and encourages more customers to contact you.

Of course, if you want more from Checkatrade, then get in touch with our team to learn about our benefits.

These include:

• Job leads coming your way

• Exclusive offers and discounts

• Use of Checkatrade branding

• Reduced public liability insurance (PLI)

• Membership options to suit your business needs

You can also visit our blog for even more articles like this one. Such as our pieces on how to write a business plan and how to appear higher in the Checkatrade search.