Using AI to write a stronger Checkatrade, MyBuilder or Google profile

What the directories charge, so the profile is not the whole cost

The profile is free to start on some of these sites. The work is not always free.

Checkatrade. On 16 October 2026 the pricing page (opens in a new tab) listed a free profile at £0 a month, for a page you can share and for collecting reviews. Approved was £30 a month. Growth was listed as prices from £59 a month. The page says memberships are for 12 months and that terms apply. Growth also mentions Checkatrade Pay with fees from 1.29% to 1.79%. The same page was showing a limited first-month offer. Treat an offer as an offer. The plan prices are the figures above, and they can change. The page says members go through checks before the tick, including identification and qualifications, and that public liability insurance is optional on that list. Do not let a draft say you are "Checkatrade approved" unless that tick is already on the account.

MyBuilder. The fees article (opens in a new tab) says there are no joining fees, membership fees, or other costs, and that you pay a fee when a homeowner shortlists you. It does not print one pound figure for that fee. Read the amount on the job before you accept the shortlist. This guide will not guess it.

Rated People. The payment terms (opens in a new tab) say use of the service is free for homeowners, and that trade businesses pay a membership fee. The amount is the one in your Membership Confirmation, not a number this page can copy, because the public signup pages do not print a single monthly price. The trade agreement (opens in a new tab) says the Unlimited Plan includes leads in your primary trade, with budgets under £4,000, within a 20-mile radius, and that leads outside those limits may cost extra. If a draft says "unlimited leads" without those limits, it is advertising their plan wrongly.

Google Business Profile. Creating the profile is free. The cost is the time to fill it in, and the risk of a restriction if the reviews break Google's rules. There is no membership line to quote.

A directory fee does not make a thin profile into a good one. Photos of finished rooms, a clear list of services, and reviews from people who actually hired you are what the next customer uses. The review reply guide covers what to say after a poor review is already public.

How to ask for a review without breaking the rules

Each site allows a request from a real customer. None of them allow a reward for a kind review.

Checkatrade. The review guidelines for trades (opens in a new tab) say a customer who has had a real experience can leave a review, including at the quote, during the work, or when they have paid. They ask you not to request reviews from employees, friends, or family. They say not to request fake reviews, and not to offer discounts or gifts in exchange for a review. If they find fraudulent reviews, they say you will be removed. They check reviews and say those that pass are published within 24 hours. If a problem in a review was later fixed, they will not remove the review for that reason, and they say you should not pressurise or incentivise the customer to edit or delete it. Replies should be respectful and factual, and should not include full names, addresses, or phone numbers. You can report a review in the app within three months if you think it breaks their consumer guidelines. They will not remove it only because you think it is unfair.

MyBuilder. The reviews policy (opens in a new tab) says a homeowner can review a tradesperson hired through the platform once the work has started or some money has been paid. It also says they accept reviews from up to five customers who hired you outside the platform. You request those from your account, and they ask for a copy of the paid invoice before the review is published. Their support article (opens in a new tab) says a new profile can add up to five references: Profile, then Reviews, then Request review, then the customer's details or a link you send yourself. The tradesperson terms say you must not submit or procure feedback while posing as a customer, pay or otherwise incentivise a review, commission false or misleading feedback, or use harassment, threats, intimidation, or coercion to get one. Those lines are in section 11.2 of the terms (opens in a new tab).

Google. The help page on getting more reviews (opens in a new tab) says you can ask customers to use a Google link or a QR code, and that a mix of positive and negative reviews is normal. The page on creating that link (opens in a new tab) says you can put it on a receipt, in a thank-you email, at the end of a chat, or on a printed QR code, and that the QR code is generated in a computer browser, not on the phone. The same pages prohibit incentives, including payment, discounts, or free goods or services, in exchange for posting a review, changing one, or removing a negative one. Google's prohibited-content policy also says not to discourage negative reviews, not to ask only the happy customers, and not to pressure someone to review while they are still on the premises. It says not to ask for specific wording, including a staff name. Asking only the jobs that went well is the breach, even if you never mention a discount.

Rated People. This guide did not find a public page that sets a review cap or a script. Use the request tool inside their account, ask only people who hired you, and read the trade agreement and code of conduct on their site before you send a batch of messages. Do not copy Checkatrade's or Google's wording onto their form and assume it matches.

A short text is enough. Name the job in a way the customer will recognise, give the link for that one site, and do not tell them what star to pick. Send it once. A second nudge is reasonable if the site's own tool offers a reminder, as Checkatrade's member guide describes for its app. A string of messages is pressure.

A prompt that cannot invent the firm

Fill the brackets with notes you would be happy to show a customer. Leave a bracket blank rather than guessing.

Turn these notes into a company description for a trade directory. UK English. Under 700 characters, so it also fits a Google Business Profile.

Rules:
- Use only the notes below. Do not add a town, a year, a qualification, a price, or a guarantee.
- Do not mention discounts, awards, or "the best".
- Do not add a website or a phone number.
- If a note is missing, leave it out. Do not write [placeholder] into the description.

Trade:
Area I cover:
Jobs I do:
Jobs I do not do:
How long I have done this, if I want it said:
Qualifications I actually hold:

Read it against the notes, not against how polished it sounds. Then trim it to the box. Google's 750-character limit is a ceiling, not a target. Checkatrade and the other directories may allow more or less. Paste, then look at the live preview. If the first two lines do not say the trade and the area, move those words up. The free tools guide is the wider note on what to leave out of a chat.

For the review request, keep the message shorter than the profile.

Draft a text asking this customer for a review. UK English. Under 50 words.

Rules:
- Do not mention stars, a score, or the word "positive".
- Do not offer money, a discount, or a free visit.
- Do not ask them to delete or change an old review.
- Include only the link I paste.

Their name:
The job, in a few words:
Link:

If you would be embarrassed to read that text out to the customer on the doorstep, do not send it. The prompts guide has more wording for customer messages. None of those prompts are a reason to skip the rules on this page.