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67% of UK trade businesses have no website of their own, according to a 2026 review of 73,676 Companies House-registered trade firms.¹ Directory listings and social pages were excluded; the figure counts sites the business controls. For the third that do have one, the competition online is far thinner than the competition on the road.
The gap is not uniform. Commercial builders are best covered, with 21% lacking a site. Roofers 43%, plumbers 33%, electricians 31%. Pest control is worst at 57%.¹ Because the study counted incorporated firms only, sole traders are likely worse.
Only 58% of construction SME employers use digital tools to sell or manage the business, against 69% across all sectors.² That is the government’s own Longitudinal Small Business Survey, not a vendor estimate. The trade that most needs its phone to ring is the trade least likely to be findable.
No study puts a pound figure on it, and Knight Li Group will not invent one. What the evidence does show:
Not a brochure. One clear page can do it: what you do, where you cover, proof you are qualified (Gas Safe, NICEIC, TrustMark), photos of finished jobs, reviews, and a phone number and form that get answered. Knight Li Group, a UK consultancy for trades and small businesses, builds sites around one job: turning a visitor into an enquiry. Clients own everything built.
About a third. A 2026 review of 73,676 Companies House-registered trade businesses found 67% had no website of their own, with directory and social listings excluded. Coverage ranged from 79% of commercial builders down to 43% of pest control firms. Sole traders, who were not counted, are likely lower still.
Yes, and most already have the advantage: 67% of plumbers and 69% of electricians have one, better than most trades. That means the customer comparing three quotes will usually find two with a site. Knight Li Group builds single-page trade sites that state services, areas, qualifications and proof, so the comparison is won rather than lost.
No. A Facebook page is rented space with no control over what customers see, and it is not counted as a website by customers, Google or AI assistants. It works well alongside a website, as a place for job photos and reviews, but not instead of one.
It depends on scope. A single well-built page costs far less than the multi-page brochure sites many providers sell. Knight Li Group starts with a free audit so a business only builds what it needs, and clients own everything built with no ongoing rental fee.
See exactly where your trade business is invisible.
Book Your Free Audit¹ Local Business Marketing, UK Trades Website Report 2026, 73,676 Companies House-registered trade businesses. ² Department for Business and Trade, Longitudinal Small Business Survey 2024, n=8,396 (UK official statistics). ³ BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2025 and 2026 (US).