Why Google search beats Facebook, Checkatrade and Ads

When a homeowner has water coming through the ceiling, they do not open Facebook. They do not browse Checkatrade for fun. They type roofer in Brighton into Google and call the first firm that looks real.

That is the whole argument.

Everything else is you paying to interrupt people who were not looking for you, or paying to stand in a queue with ten other firms.

The homeowner is already looking for you

Google search traffic is different from every other channel because the customer starts it.

• They have a problem today.
• They have typed the job and the town.
• They are ready to phone.

A Facebook post is you tapping someone on the shoulder while they are looking at their sister’s holiday photos. A Checkatrade lead is often someone collecting three quotes. A Google Ad can work but you rent that top spot by the click, and the meter resets the day you stop paying.

Search traffic is the customer walking onto your yard and asking for a price.

What you are actually buying on the other channels

Checkatrade
Useful for reviews and looking legit. The paid plans that send work typically start from around £59 a month and many trades report £80–£300+ once area and volume are factored in, often on a 12-month term. The enquiry is rarely yours alone. You are one of several firms the homeowner can tap.

Bark / MyBuilder / Rated People
You pay per lead or per shortlist, often £5–£40, more on bigger jobs. Four or five other vans get the same name. You are paying for the right to compete, not for the job.

Facebook and Instagram ads
Cheap clicks. Soft intent. Plenty of “how much for a new roof?” from people who are still thinking about it next spring. Fine for brand. Poor as your main source of work this week.

Google Ads (AdWords)
This is the closest cousin to search, because it sits on the same page. The difference is the bill. Roofing clicks in London and the South commonly run £12–£40+. A click is not a lead. Once the page converts, exclusive leads often land at £40–£150+ in competitive postcodes. The day the budget stops, you disappear.

None of those channels are “scams”. They are rented attention. You do not own the pipe.

Why a Google enquiry is worth more

It is exclusive.
The call comes to you. Not you plus nine others who also paid.

The customer chose you.
They searched, they liked the website, they phoned you. That person is easier to close than someone who filled a form so three roofers would fight on price.

You are not bidding against your own trade.
On platforms, the more desperate the other firms are, the more you all pay. On Google, the firm that shows up for “flat roof repair Richmond” takes the call.

It compounds.
Ads and directories reset every month. A site that ranks keeps working on Sunday night, in a storm, when you are not posting on Facebook.

The maths favours high-ticket trades.
If a re-roof is £6,000–£9,000 and you close one in four proper inbound enquiries, each good Google lead is worth well over a thousand pounds to you. Paying £25–£40 for that lead (or a flat monthly once the volume is there) is cheap next to shared platform leads you still have to chase, quote and lose.

What this is not

Google search is not instant. Ads can fill the diary this week. Checkatrade can still be worth it as a trust badge. Facebook can keep your name in front of past customers.

The mistake is using those as the engine, then wondering why every job is a price war and the phone goes quiet the month you cut spend.

Search is the engine. The rest is a booster.

What we do with that

We build and rank local sites for the towns you want to work – Putney, Wimbledon, Richmond, and the next postcode your van can actually reach. When a homeowner searches, the enquiry comes to you. You do not own the website. You own the jobs.

Small start fee per town of £195 to show commitment but your first 5 leads are free. *Pay per lead once the site is on page one. **Cap the monthly bill once the volume is there, so you are never punished for being busy.

*We’ll agree a price per lead upfront. **A flat fee will always work in your favour.