Checkatrade, Bark or Your Own Website? How to Work Out Your Real Cost per Job
Your real cost per job is everything you paid a platform or channel in a month, divided by the number of paid jobs it actually produced, not the number of leads. Track every enquiry by source for three months, then compare. Lead platforms often make sense early on; your own website and Google profile are the channel you keep.
Why is cost per lead the wrong number?
Cost per lead hides the jobs you never win. A lead might be shared with other trades, might not answer, or might just be collecting prices. What you care about is how much you paid for each job that turned into an invoice.
Two numbers change the picture:
- Contact rate: of the leads you paid for, how many did you actually speak to?
- Win rate: of the people you spoke to, how many booked?
A cheap lead with a low win rate can cost more per job than an expensive lead that usually books. The only way to know is to count.
How do Checkatrade, Bark, Rated People and MyBuilder charge?
Each platform charges in a different way, so check its own pages before signing and again before renewing. Here is how each one describes its model on its own site, at the time of writing:
| Platform | How it charges (from its own pages) | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Checkatrade | Monthly membership, no joining fee. Its trade blog says the most basic plan "starts from £30 + VAT per month" and does not provide sales leads; fixed and bespoke options cost more and vary (page last updated December 2024) | What your quote includes, contract length, how leads are allocated |
| Bark | Pay per lead using credits. Its help centre lists a standard price of £1.80 per credit, with packs cheaper per credit; each lead shows its credit cost before you respond | How many credits leads in your trade cost, and that credits bought from 1 November 2025 expire after 3 months |
| Rated People | Membership plans. It says an Unlimited plan lets you quote on as many leads as you like for jobs valued under £4,000 for one monthly fee, and that a maximum of three tradespeople can quote on each lead | Your monthly fee, which jobs are included, and any pay-per-lead charges |
| MyBuilder | A shortlist fee when a customer's contact details are shared with you. Its terms say the fee is shown before you act, is based on the likely size, value and location of the job, and is payable even if you are not awarded the job | Typical shortlist fees in your trade and area |
Sources: Checkatrade, Bark, Rated People, MyBuilder terms.
None of these models is good or bad in itself. Each suits some trades and areas better than others, which is why your own numbers matter more than anyone's opinion.
How do you work out your real cost per job? (worksheet)
Use this for each source of work: every platform, Google Ads, your website, your Google Business Profile, referrals. Fill it in monthly.
- Total cost this month (A). Membership, credits, shortlist fees, ad spend, plus any agency or website fees for that channel.
- Leads received (B). Every enquiry from that source.
- Leads you spoke to (C). Calls answered, messages replied to and acknowledged.
- Quotes given (D).
- Jobs won (E).
- Revenue from those jobs (F) and gross profit after materials and labour (G).
Then work out:
- Cost per job = A ÷ E
- Contact rate = C ÷ B
- Win rate = E ÷ C
- Return on cost = G ÷ A
A worked example (fictional numbers)
An electrician in Enfield fills in the sheet for one month. These figures are invented purely to show the sum:
| Platform X | Own website and Google profile | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost (A) | £300 | £150 (hosting share, review cards) |
| Leads (B) | 20 | 8 |
| Spoke to (C) | 12 | 8 |
| Jobs won (E) | 4 | 5 |
| Cost per job (A ÷ E) | £75 | £30 |
The platform brought more leads, but the electrician only reached 12 of 20. If the electrician improved that contact rate by replying faster, the platform's cost per job would fall without spending a penny more. That is often the cheapest fix of all, and it is why we look at missed calls before suggesting any new spend.
When do lead platforms make sense?
Lead platforms are a reasonable choice in several situations:
- You are new and have few reviews or no website yet. A platform gives you a profile and a stream of enquiries while you build your own.
- You have gaps in the diary and need work this month, not in six months.
- Your trade has steady demand in your area, so leads are frequent enough to win a fair share.
- You reply fast. Speed matters most when several trades see the same enquiry.
They suit you less when your diary is already full from referrals, when you mostly do large jobs that come through recommendations, or when you cannot respond within working hours.
How do you build your own channel alongside a platform?
Treat platform work as a source of reviews and customers you can keep. Practical steps:
- Ask every happy customer for a Google review, in addition to any platform review. Your Google reviews stay with you whatever happens to a platform subscription.
- Make your Google Business Profile complete so people searching your trade and town can find you directly. Our local SEO guide covers the basics.
- Have a simple website with your services, areas, reviews and a phone number that is answered.
- Keep a list of past customers who agreed to hear from you, for service reminders and repeat work.
- Read each platform's terms on contacting customers outside the platform before you do it. MyBuilder's terms, for example, say you must not swap contact details off the platform to avoid paying the shortlist fee.
If you later want paid search as well, our guide to Google Ads for tradespeople explains how to keep the cost per job visible from day one.
What should you track to decide?
Track source, date, whether you spoke to them, whether you quoted, and whether they booked, for every enquiry. A notebook in the van works. So does a single spreadsheet with one row per enquiry. Ask every new customer "how did you find us?" and write the answer down, because platforms, Google and referrals often overlap.
After three months you will have real numbers for each channel. Keep what produces jobs at a cost you are happy with, cut what does not, and review again each quarter.
What to do this week
- Start a one-row-per-enquiry log with columns for source, spoke to, quoted and booked.
- Pull last month's invoices from every platform and ad account and total them per source.
- Check how fast you replied to your last ten leads, and set a target to respond within the hour in working time.
- Read the current pricing and terms page for each platform you use, and diarise your renewal or notice dates.
- Send your Google review link to the last three happy customers.
At Oski Marketing we can help you set up tracking and build the website and Google profile side, without asking you to drop a platform that is working. You can get in touch here.
Frequently asked questions
Is Checkatrade worth it for a small trade business?
It depends on your trade, your area and how many of its enquiries you turn into paid work. The only reliable way to know is to track every enquiry for a few months and divide what you paid by the jobs you actually won. Many trades find a platform works well while they build their own reviews and website, and use it less later.
How do Bark leads work?
Bark sells credits, and each lead shows a credit cost before you respond. Bark's help centre lists a standard price per credit, with packs costing less per credit, and says credits bought from November 2025 expire three months after purchase. Factor that expiry into your sums if you buy in bulk.
What is a good cost per job for a tradesperson?
There is no single right figure. A cost per job is good if it leaves a healthy profit after materials, labour and travel for that type of work. A figure that works for a full rewire may be far too high for replacing a tap, so work it out per job type.
Can I use lead platforms and my own website at the same time?
Yes, and most trades do. Read each platform's terms first, because some restrict moving customers off the platform to avoid fees, and treat your own website, Google profile and reviews as the channel you keep regardless of what any platform changes.