For locksmiths
How Locksmiths Get Work: Channels and What They Cost
Locksmiths get work from Google, directories, lead marketplaces, national networks and contract panels, and each one charges differently: a monthly subscription, a fee per lead, or a share of every job. Google's Local Services Ads are not open to UK locksmiths. Compare channels on cost per job won, and on whether the customer stays yours.
Which channels do UK locksmiths use to find customers?
Published costs, checked in 2026:
| Channel | How you pay | Published cost | |---|---|---| | Google Business Profile | Free | Time to verify | | Google Ads | Per click | No reliable public UK figure | | Checkatrade | Subscription, 12-month terms | Free profile; £30 a month; from £59 a month | | Which? Trusted Traders | Assessment plus monthly fee | £248, then £69 to £124 a month | | Bark | Credits per lead | £1.80 a credit | | MyBuilder | Fee when shortlisted | Can be under £2 on small jobs | | Rated People | Subscription plus per lead | Not published on pages we read | | National networks | Share of each job | Not published |
Sources: Checkatrade's, Which?'s, Bark's and MyBuilder's own pages. Lead marketplaces suit planned work better than emergencies, where a lead can go stale before you reply.
Is Google the main source of locksmith work?
For most, yes. A Google Business Profile is free and puts you in the map results. Google uses locksmiths as its own example of a service-area business, and verification is often by video, showing tools, your location and proof that you run the business. Virtual offices are not eligible, and numbers that redirect to another business are banned.
Google Ads has no special locksmith restriction in the UK. Its Advanced Verification for locksmiths does not apply here, and Local Services Ads, Google's pay-per-lead product, are not open to UK locksmiths. So in the UK there is no Google check specific to locksmith ads, and the paid results are where national networks compete. Agencies quote cost-per-lead figures, but no reliable public UK figure exists.
How do Bark, MyBuilder and Checkatrade compare?
They charge in different ways, so compare cost per job won, not cost per lead.
- Bark sells credits at £1.80 each (Bark Help Centre), and you spend credits to contact a customer. A lead is shared with other sellers. Since November 2025 credits expire after 3 months. - MyBuilder charges only when a customer shortlists you, and the fee scales with job size; it can be under £2 on small jobs (MyBuilder). There is no membership fee. - Checkatrade is a subscription: a free profile, £30 a month, or from £59 a month, on 12-month terms (Checkatrade pricing page). - Rated People combines a subscription with a fee per lead; we could not confirm current prices from its own pages.
For emergency lockouts, speed decides who gets the job, so shared leads favour whoever answers first.
What do national networks take from each job?
A share, which they do not publish. One locksmith puts the network cut at 30% to 40% of the job (Lockerfella, August 2026). That is a single practitioner's claim, not an independent figure. Keytek's own academy says subcontractors receive 'only a proportion' of the job price, without giving the split.
Networks do bring volume, and some carry insurer, warrant and facilities work that an independent would struggle to win alone. The cost is the share and the fact that the customer belongs to the network, not to you. The guide to working for a national network covers what to check before you sign.
How do you get on insurer and housing panels?
Through procurement rather than marketing. Home emergency insurers send work to locksmiths on their panels at rates they do not publish. Housing associations and councils buy lock changes on empty homes inside repairs frameworks, and some run separate lock, unlock and key holding tenders; these appear on Find a Tender under CPV code 98395000, which covers locksmith services.
Panels usually want evidence: insurance certificates, DBS checks, references and sometimes MLA approval. Letting agents and landlords are a smaller version of the same thing, built on direct relationships, mostly for lock changes between tenancies.
Where does locksmiths.trade fit?
It is a directory that sends the customer to you directly. Locksmiths are listed free in the town where the evidence shows they are based, with their own number, and calls and enquiries go straight to the business. There are no lead fees and no commission.
Claiming a listing is free. Premium costs £12 a month plus VAT and adds a price list, photos and availability; it never changes the order listings appear in. The how to get listed guide explains the evidence a listing needs and how to correct or remove one.
Common questions
Can UK locksmiths use Google Local Services Ads?
No. Local Services Ads are available in the UK for some home-service categories, but locksmiths are not an eligible category, according to Google's own help pages.
How much does Checkatrade cost a locksmith?
Checkatrade's published plans are a free profile, Approved at £30 a month and Growth from £59 a month, on 12-month terms. Members report total bills that vary widely, so ask for the full cost before signing.
Are Bark leads worth it for a locksmith?
It depends on your win rate. Bark credits cost £1.80 each, leads are shared with other sellers, and emergency jobs go to whoever replies first. Track cost per job won, not per lead.
How much does a national locksmith network take?
Networks do not publish it. One locksmith puts the share at 30% to 40% of each job, which is a single practitioner's claim rather than an independent figure.