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Guide for firms

How to get more building work without paying for leads

You don’t have to pay per lead to be found. A Google Business Profile is free, reviews and referrals cost time rather than money, and several trade bodies and directories publish a fixed price. This guide sets out each channel, what it costs as its own provider’s page stated it on 30 October 2026, and what homeowners look for when they find you.

By Estiquote · Published · Sources read on 30 October 2026 · Updated

Start with a free Google Business Profile

Google says creating a Business Profile and listing your business on Google is free (source). It also says There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google (source): local results are based on relevance, distance and prominence, and prominence takes in your reviews.

  • Choose the categories and services that match the work you want, and set the area you cover.
  • Add photos of your own finished work, with the homeowner’s agreement.
  • Put your company number and any registration numbers in your description, so homeowners can check them.

Ask every customer for a review, the same way

UK law bans submitting or commissioning fake reviews, and reviews that conceal they were incentivised (a consumer review that conceals the fact it has been incentivised (source), Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, Schedule 20, paragraph 13). The CMA’s guidance for businesses that publish reviews was published on 4 April 2025 (CMA208).

Google’s own policy says businesses may not Offer incentives (source) for reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers (source). The simplest way to stay inside both: send the same short request to every customer when the job is finished, whether it went perfectly or not. Estiquote’s rule is the same: you may ask any customer to leave an honest review of your firm, but you mustn’t offer anything for it, ask only the customers you expect to be happy, or write reviews yourself (our review policy).

Your own website

Homeowners who find you elsewhere may look for your website before they call. It doesn’t need to be large. It should say:

Referrals from architects, designers and engineers

Homeowners with drawings may ask their architect or designer who to send them to. Professionals remember builders whose prices are easy to compare and whose paperwork is in order. When you price someone’s drawings, price every line the drawings show, list what you’ve left out, and send your registrations and insurance with the quote. Architects, structural engineers and building control approvers can list on our map too.

Trade bodies and schemes

Homeowners are told to check trade association membership themselves on the body’s own list (the Federation of Master Builders’ 10 point checklist), so membership helps only if you’re on that list. What each says it costs, on its own page, on 30 October 2026:

What trade bodies and schemes say they charge firms, checked 30 October 2026
SchemeWhat its own page saysLeaving
Federation of Master BuildersFMB membership costs £62.69 (+VAT) a month. (source) For the first year, an inspection fee of £14.85 a month (+VAT).Monthly members can leave at any time; no refund part way through an annual subscription.
TrustMarkA standard annual fee of £40 is charged for your TrustMark registration. This is billed to your Scheme Provider. (source) You join through one of its scheme providers, which charge their own fees.Set by your scheme provider.
Which? Trusted TradersAssessment fee £248.00 (source), then £69 per month (source) for 0 to 3 employees, £89 for 4 to 9 or £124 for 10 to 14. The FAQs say the assessment fee is non-refundable.a rolling contract with no set end date (source); three months’ notice.
Buy With ConfidenceMembership starts from £23.75 per month (source) plus VAT, for a single premises with 0 to 5 employees, plus a one-off application fee. Run by local authorities; fees stated as correct as of 1 April 2024.Not stated on the costs page.

Free directories

Several directories don’t charge to be listed. Read what each offers before you sign up:

  • Whito says it lists firms it can confirm are real using Companies House where they are registered, and that Nobody can pay for a listing or a higher position. (source)
  • Houzz lists a free profile alongside its paid plans (FREE HOUZZ PROFILE (source)).
  • Estiquote is building a map of checked firms that homeowners will search after they’ve priced the job, opening area by area. Firm sign-up isn’t open yet. Listing will be free while we build the map, with at least 30 days’ notice before any charge, no lead fees, and homeowners will choose up to 3 firms per quote request. See what you’ll need to appear.

Some lead sites charge a subscription, some charge per lead or per shortlist, and several don’t publish a price at all. We set out what each says on its own pages in trade directory fees compared, with questions to ask before you sign.

Make the most of each enquiry

Sources