Why Is My Checkatrade Membership Not Working?
A membership that isn't bringing in work usually has a fixable cause. Here's a fair, practical way to check each one before deciding what to do.
The short answer
Usually it's one of a few fixable things. Work through them before deciding the membership isn't for you.
When a Checkatrade membership isn't bringing in enough work, the cause is usually one of five things: a thin profile or too few reviews, the trades and areas you're listed under, how quickly you respond, how your quotes are presented and followed up, or a mismatch between the work that comes through and the work you want. Most of these are in your control.
Sometimes, after you've fixed what you can, the numbers still don't add up for your trade and area. That's a fair conclusion to reach, and plenty of contractors reach the opposite one: the platform works well for many members. The point is to decide on evidence, not on a bad month. Here's how to check each area, and how to judge the result.
A practical check
Six things to review, in order
Your profile
Is it complete and current? A clear description of the work you do, recent photos of your own jobs and accurate contact details all help a customer choose you over the next listing.
Your reviews
Customers weigh reviews heavily on any directory. If you've done good work for customers who haven't left one, a polite request after completion is reasonable and often welcome.
Your trades and areas
Check that you're listed for the work you actually want, in the areas you can realistically cover. Too narrow and few customers see you; too broad and you get enquiries you can't take.
Your response time
How quickly do enquiries get a reply? A slow response loses work on any platform. If you're on the tools all day, decide who answers and when.
Your quotes
Are they itemised, clear and sent promptly? Are you following them up? A good enquiry lost at the quote stage looks like a platform problem but isn't one.
Your tracking
Count enquiries, visits, quotes and jobs won over the same period. Without those figures you can't tell whether the membership is underperforming, or whether something later in your own process is.
Judge the membership over enough time to smooth out seasonal swings, and set its cost against the jobs it produced. True cost per job won sets out the sum.
When the checks come back clean
Signs the fit is the issue, not your setup
If your profile is strong, you respond quickly, your quotes are good and the work still isn't coming, the likely explanation is fit. A directory works by customers choosing between listed members. In some trades and areas there are many members, and a newer profile with fewer reviews takes time to compete. In others, the enquiries that come through may lean toward work you'd rather not do.
A membership is also a fixed cost. It's paid whether a given month is busy or quiet, which suits some businesses and not others. The current published figures are in how much does Checkatrade cost?, and is Checkatrade worth it for tradesmen? takes a balanced look at who it tends to suit.
Before changing anything, read your agreement for its term, renewal and notice arrangements. Pricing and terms change, so check Checkatrade's current terms rather than relying on what applied when you joined.
Options
What to do next
Fix and retest
If the review turned up gaps, fix them and measure again over a set period before making a decision.
Compare the alternatives
See how the main platforms and their charging models compare in Checkatrade vs MyBuilder vs Rated People.
Build what you own
Referrals, repeat work and a Google Business Profile run alongside any platform and cost little per job once established.
Another route
Work that doesn't depend on a listing
Some contractors add a contractor network alongside a platform membership. Mortaro Group generates enquiries itself and appoints one contractor from its network to each, with no membership, subscription or per-lead charge. We qualify the customer, book the visit, present your trade-rate price as a professional quotation and administer the payments.
How much work comes through depends on your area, trade and track record, and the model doesn't suit contractors who prefer to handle every customer conversation themselves. How contractor networks work explains the arrangement. If you're weighing up whether to step back from platforms altogether, read when should I stop using lead sites?
Straight answers
Membership questions
How long should I give a membership before judging it?
Long enough to cover a busy and a quiet spell in your trade, with tracking in place from the start. A single month tells you very little.
Is it worth contacting Checkatrade about it?
Yes. As a member, it's reasonable to contact them and ask for help reviewing your profile, categories and areas. They know how their own platform works.
Should I leave if it still isn't working?
Not straight away. Fix what you can, give it a fair test and check your agreement's terms. If the numbers still don't work for your trade and area after that, stepping back is a reasonable business decision, and there's no need to make it a dramatic one.
For contractors
Tell us about your business
Your trade, the areas you cover and the size of work you take on. A person reads every enquiry, and if it looks like a fit we will send you the full application.