What is Rated People

Full definition

Rated People is a UK online platform that connects homeowners with local tradespeople across more than 30 specialist trades. Launched in 2005, it operates across the whole of the United Kingdom and generates approximately one million job postings annually. The platform describes its model as a hybrid: tradespeople pay a recurring monthly membership that includes a credit allowance, then spend those credits selectively on the specific leads they wish to pursue.

Homeowners use the platform free of charge. After posting a job, they typically receive one to three quotes from interested tradespeople and can evaluate each based on profile information, review history, and credentials.

How the lead and vetting model works

Each tradesperson pays a monthly membership fee. Entry-level plans start at £35 + VAT per month and include £35 of lead credit returned, effectively making the base month cost-neutral if the full credit allowance is used. Higher-tier plans provide larger credit allocations suited to businesses seeking a greater volume of leads.

When a matching job is posted, it appears in the tradesperson's Live Leads list. The tradesperson reviews the job details and, if interested, spends credits to access the homeowner's contact information. The number of credits required per lead varies by job type and estimated value. Up to three tradespeople can quote on any single job, which means a lead is not exclusive.

Vetting is carried out at registration and includes identity verification, confirmation of professional qualifications, insurance checks, and a review of past work history. The platform runs an ongoing monitoring system that flags behavioural red flags — such as poor review patterns or complaints — to identify and address underperformance after admission. Members who do not maintain standards can be suspended.

Why it matters for trades

The hybrid model gives tradespeople more control than a flat-rate directory subscription: they can increase or reduce lead spend based on current workload, rather than paying a fixed sum regardless of how busy they are. The credit return built into the base membership means a trade that actively uses the platform rarely pays net above the headline fee.

For small and mid-sized businesses, Rated People's scale — access to 75,000 leads per month according to the platform — means consistent opportunity across the UK without requiring a large in-house marketing operation. The three-quotes-per-job cap also prevents the marketplace from becoming so competitive that conversion rates collapse, as can happen on fully open bidding platforms.

Difference from owned demand (local SEO and AI)

Dimension	Rated People	Owned demand (local SEO + AI visibility)
Cost structure	Monthly subscription + per-lead credits	Setup investment, then near-zero marginal cost
Lead exclusivity	Up to 3 tradespeople per job	Exclusive when you rank first organically
Traffic ownership	Platform directory; not transferable	Owned; builds on your domain permanently
Brand presence	Profile on ratedpeople.com	Brand on your own domain with full control
AI citation potential	Platform domain cited by AI, not individual trade	Your business content directly citeable
Continuity risk	Leads stop if subscription lapses	Organic ranking persists after investment

Rated People is valuable for trades that want a managed lead flow without building marketing infrastructure from scratch. Owned demand — local SEO, structured schema, and AI-visible content — removes the per-lead cost and attribution dependency, but requires sustained investment to reach similar volumes.

Related terms

Checkatrade, MyBuilder, local SEO.