SEO & AI Search Insights for UK Trades

24.4 million crawler requests just got analysed.

AI now drives 78% of all bot traffic to UK websites.

What every UK tradesperson needs to do this month.

Checkatrade costs £2,400 to £4,440 a year for shared leads.

Potter Gold Digital costs £3,588 a year for direct, exclusive ones.

Trade-by-trade cost-per-lead breakdown.

We audited 135 UK tradespeople with no website.

£6.4 million a year going to competitors.

What the data actually shows.

90% of UK tradespeople have a GBP problem.

44% no profile, 67% zero reviews, 59% no photos.

The 5-step fix takes one afternoon.

Lichfield has 35,000 people.

Most local businesses are invisible to Google.

What an SEO agency should actually deliver.

Birmingham has 3,000+ plumbing businesses.

Three appear in the local pack.

Here is what separates them.

You are good at the trade.

The phone keeps going quiet.

The five things that actually fill the diary.

Last week you were on page one.

This week you are nowhere.

Google ran two major updates in the last five weeks.

Here is what changed, and what actually fixes it.

You do good work. Customers love you.

Your phone used to ring constantly.

Now it does not.

Here is exactly why, and what fixes it.

Plasterers rely on word of mouth.

Most never appear when someone searches "plasterer near me".

Here is why, and how to fix it.

Manchester has 2,500+ plumbing businesses.

Only three appear in the Google Maps pack.

Here is what separates them.

Your website is live.

People are finding it.

But the phone isn't ringing.

Here is exactly why it happens, and what changes it.

Architects rely on word of mouth.

But the first thing a new client does after a recommendation is search online.

If your website doesn't appear, or looks thin, that enquiry goes to someone else.

Here is what your site needs to be found on Google and AI search in 2026.

Google checks specific signals before ranking any builder's website.

Most building company sites fail at least one of them, without knowing it.

The 2MB crawl limit. The og:title. The og:image. The freshness window.

Here is exactly what Google looks for, and what fixes it.

When a homeowner searches "painter and decorator near me," Google has to pick someone.

It is not random. It is not about who has been trading longest.

Google runs a set of checks on every painting website in your area.

Here is what those checks actually look for.

Most roofers have a website.

Most of those websites don't appear when a homeowner searches locally.

The reason is almost always technical, Googlebot's 2MB limit, missing og tags, no fresh content.

Here is exactly what goes wrong, and what fixes it.

165,000 people search "plumber near me" every month in the UK.

90,000 search "electrician near me".

74,000 search "removal company near me".

These are not browsers.

They are buyers ready to call.

76% do so within 24 hours.

Reviews account for 20% of your local pack ranking.

Most tradespeople leave this completely to chance.

The fix is a system, not a hope.

Ask at the right moment, in the right way, and the review rate goes from 5% to over 40%.

Your primary GBP category is the single most important local pack ranking signal.

Most tradespeople pick the wrong one.

Or only have one set.

Google lets you add up to 9.

Here is exactly what to choose for your trade.

GEO, Generative Engine Optimisation, is the new frontier of local search.

We optimise your business for 50+ AI engines.

Here is what that means and why it matters.

"Builder near me" generates 60,000 searches a month in the UK.

The average project value is £8,000.

One new client per month from SEO covers the entire investment.

The complete guide to ranking on Google Maps for "near me" searches.

Written specifically for UK tradespeople.

No jargon. No theory. Just what works.

The SEO industry is full of red flags.

Guaranteed rankings are a lie.

Monthly reports with no real data are a lie.

Here is how to tell the difference.

Your Google Business Profile accounts for 32% of your local pack ranking.

Most tradespeople get it wrong.

Here is exactly how to fix it.

58.5% of Google searches now end without a click.

Google AI Overviews appear on nearly half of local business queries.

Without a strategy, you are invisible to half your potential customers.

165,000 people search "plumber near me" every month.

They are ready to call.

76% do so within 24 hours.

If you are not in the top three on Google Maps, you are not getting those calls.

800 million people use ChatGPT every month.

When they ask for a tradesperson, AI gives them one name.

Not a list of ten.

One.

Is it yours?

The free website offer is real.

We build it in 7 days.

It is yours to keep after 12 months on any plan.

No hidden charges. No small print.