In this episode, Kasra Dash and James Dooley break down a major question for UK trades businesses: Is a Checkatrade membership still worth it in 2025? Drawing from real client experiences across roofing, plumbing, solar, and home services, they unpack the mixed results many tradespeople face, from decent lead flow to expensive, shared, low quality inquiries.

James Dooley explains that while Checkatrade can deliver value in certain industries, it rarely provides the strongest ROI compared to owning your own marketing engine. Kasra Dash expands on this by comparing Checkatrade to modern alternatives, including building an in-house SEO/PPC team, hiring specialist agencies, using premium directories like Yell and Bark, or leveraging performance-based partners such as FatRank, which only charges once a job is closed.

The conversation emphasizes the importance of tracking KPIs, understanding your best converting keywords, improving brand reputation, and evaluating every channel based on measurable ROI, not hype. The hosts close with a practical £3,000/month budget scenario for a roofing company and offer a step-by-step approach to building a stronger, more profitable lead generation system.