Blog>Trade>Starting a Business>How to start a trade business online
Last updated: 6 January 2025
How to start a trade business online
Skilled trade jobs involve working with your hands. However, when you're setting out, knowing how to start a business online is important. Here we look at the four important steps to setting up a business as a skilled tradesperson.
Knowing how to start a business online is just one part of being a tradesperson. Whether you've set out already, or looking to grow, you probably want to make a name for yourself as a tradesperson. As you've likely read, one of the key steps to setting up a business is your online presence.
In fact, we could place bets on the reality that most of your potential (or current!) customers have started their search for a tradesperson online. It is a key part of social proofing.
This is why, when they do, you want to be found. Make sure people come across your business first. But...
How do you make that happen?
Is starting your trade business online really that easy?
What about all the digital marketing and acronyms you need?
Keep reading for the 4 steps to setting up a business.
How to start a business online in 4 steps
Despite what many marketers might have you believe, there are 4 main steps to making sure people find your trade business on the internet. Knowing how to start a business online is only one piece of the puzzle for tradespeople.
If you want customers to find you and the service you provide easily, you'll need to do the following:
Create informative and appealing online profile/s
Create content that helps your customers and sells your services at the same time
Use search engines to drive traffic to your website
Focus on building your reputation as a tradesperson
"Wow, only 4 steps?" we hear you asking.
Well, these are 4 pretty big steps, so let’s break them down.
Get the right backing for a strong start
Find more jobs as a trusted tradesperson on Checkatrade
Creating informative and appealing online profiles
Few people will be able to find your new trade business if you don't promote yourself. This can start with a simple web presence.
If you can't be found online, your number one priority should be to make sure you can be found across a few places, to increase your chances of potential customers finding you.
For tradespeople, we recommend investing time in creating the following pages:
A strong website
At least one social media page
A Checkatrade listing and profile
Having your business shown on a few places will help signpost potential customers when they want work doing.
What do you include on your business profiles?
When you've picked the appropriate channels, it's about making sure they're informative and appealing. You'll want to include:
All relevant contact information
The areas you cover
The services you provide
High-quality pictures and easy-to-read information
Outline why you're different from others
How you might solve a customer's problem better than your competition
The more you stand out and look professional, the likelier you are to be picked for jobs.
Most websites offer accessible and aesthetically pleasing templates. Although there are a number of common mistakes that you are fairly simple to avoid.
Even if you're not a computer whiz, building a website through Squarespace, Wix or WordPress is no longer a headache. Similarly, social media sites like Pinterest and Instagram offer various features and help guides for maximising your reach and engagement.
And when it comes to Checkatrade, it's a matter of filling out an online profile and showcasing your work. However, you need to make sure you make the grade.
What do you need to become Checkatrade approved?
Becoming a Checkatrade member comes with a whole host of benefits, but the biggest has to be gaining our seal of approval. Homeowners tend to expect a commitment to quality when it comes to the Checkatrade tick, which can help you to win more business. Here are the checks you'll need to pass to join our directory.
Creating content that helps your customers and sells your services
These days, we're living in an age saturated with adverts and online content. This is why it is so important to stand out.
It is also why potential customers might leave if they visit your website or profile/s and get hit with hard sell tactics. Thankfully, Google cottoned on to this fact, and updated their terms of use with a 'good content' update.
Customers want online content that offers value. This comes in a range of types:
Video / entertainment
Questions being answered via a helpful blog
New data or insight in a trade industry
Podcasts with experts in your field
The longer people spend looking at your content, the more likely you are to rank well on Google. Starting a business online is not the same as following steps to setting up a business offline.
How to start a trade business in the UK: Everything you need to know
Every budding trade-entrepreneur wonders how to start up a trade business. And then they usually go ahead and start one! To give you a head start on what's involved, check out this guide to start building your new business.
When you're online, content is key
As a result, it's super important that what your write is informative, well-written, and engaging. Knowing how to start a business online involves much more than being good with tools.
Really think about how to help your customers and solve their problems. You can only do this if your own your niche and establish your USP (unique selling point) early on.
To do this, ask yourself questions like:
Why is what you offer so valuable?
What are your customers hoping for when they work with you?
How can you deliver good customer service?
What makes you stand out from your competitors?
If you still aren't sure what your USP is or don't think you have one, take a look at how to write a business plan.
Using search engines to drive traffic to your website
One of the quickest and easiest ways to drive traffic to your brand-new website is through PPC (pay-per-click) marketing.
Although organic marketing methods cost less, they can take a long time to get results. There is also a degree of trial and error when it comes to keyword research. If this doesn't make much sense, take a look at our guide on how to boost SEO.
You want to be be discovered on search engines, so that people can find your business.
PPC marketing costs money every time an ad is clicked. However, PPC is a great way to drive people to your website. It can pay to use an agency for this, as you'll need to understand the process and audience.
For example:
Keywords and phrases
Pricing and affordability
Location or radius
Headlines that people to your site
Competitor activity
Even if you do pay-per-click for a month, the insights can help you with your SEO strategy further further down the line.
Get the right backing for a strong start
Find more jobs as a trusted tradesperson on Checkatrade
Building your reputation as a tradesperson
Once the above three strategies are in place, the last thing you need to do is get organised and provide the best possible service offline too.
Your online reputation matters. With a digital presence, your trade business will be open to criticism and reputational damage through poor reviews if you're not offering excellent customer service.
Of course, it's easy to get overwhelmed. When the work starts pouring in, it can be tempting to do as many jobs as possible, rather than maintaining a high quality of service.
Some things to consider when building your reputation:
Negative feedback spreads faster than positive
Customers don't want to feel "ripped off"
Speed is key - especially with emergency jobs
Referral schemes can provide incentives
Managing expectations before and during a project is vital
Making sure you're on top of your admin, answering your phone, following up with customers, and honing your skills will therefore help keep you in business for the foreseeable future.
How to improve customer satisfaction
They say ‘a happy customer tells a friend; an unhappy customer tells the world’. Getting customer satisfaction wrong is one of the fastest ways to lose business. But they also say that an unhappy customer whom you have made happy again is likely to share this positive experience with lots of people
Making a strong start with Checkatrade
When you're looking at how to start a business online, visibility is key. Being an trade business that can be found online will open doors and find you different potential customers.
In this day and age, you can no longer rely on word-of-mouth recommendations to keep work coming your way. Especially when you're looking to grow as a business.
You need to appeal to how people shop today, which is very much 'online first.' One of the ways to do that is with a Checkatrade membership.
As a Checkatrade member, you'll get:
Your own business profile page (for reviews, photos and key contact details)
Help with finding more trade jobs
Visibility for consumer searches(over 22 million just through Checkatrade in 2024)*
Dedicated support from the Checkatrade team
Quality of work guaranteed when booked through us (T&Cs apply)
Access to our trades app (for job management, invoicing and messaging)
Savings on business essentials (like tools, software, workwear and more!)
Our fixed membership option lets you build the plan that’s perfect for you and your business needs. Sound too good to miss?
Checkatrade members get more for their money
Our members save ££££s every year on business essentials
* Internal search data from users of the Checkatrade.com website between 1st January and 31st December 2024
