Tradespeople setting up online win an average of 21 extra jobs a year, worth around £16,000. Over a third (39%) are winning jobs outside their main patch and 36% are pulling in jobs from clients with heavyweight budgets.
New research from the .uk domain run by Nominet found that, despite the monetary rewards on offer, over a third, the equivalent to 334,600 tradesmen and women in the UK (35%) are yet to make the move from ‘on site’ to ‘website’. Not knowing where to start prevents almost a quarter (24%) from getting online and 1 in 10 (10%) believe it would be expensive to set up.
CEO Russell Haworth said: “Moving from on site to website is giving a financial boost to tradespeople and up and down the country. With more of us going online to look for trade services, many plumbers and painters might find themselves losing out on business when consumers need expert help in a hurry. From displaying pictures of past jobs, to customer testimonials and accreditation badges, a website isn’t just your online CV, it’s your chance to make a great first impression.”
Glasgow tops Britain’s most tech-savvy tradespeople town with 74% of traders having their own professional website. Other hotspots include Bristol (72%) and London (71%). This compares to less than half (47%) of all tradespeople in Leeds taking their business online.
Aerial fitters are seeking out new customers online with 81% owning their own site. This is followed by bathroom fitters (77%); and security specialists (76%).
