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James Dooley and James compare Checkatrade, Yell and FatRank as lead generation options for tradesmen, explaining why tracking ROI and KPIs across every platform is essential for sustainable, profitable growth.
This video explains which digital marketing strategies tradesmen should focus on in 2026 to improve lead quality, return on investment and profitable growth. James Dooley and James start with KPI tracking because tradesmen need to know exactly how many calls, contact form submissions and closed deals each platform such as Checkatrade or Yell premium is generating before committing budget. They cover brand SEO, AI visibility and Google Business Profiles because stronger search presence improves trust and conversion rates.
The discussion also explores organic SEO, organic social media and paid social ads because consistent visibility across search and social supports long term growth. PPC is analysed in detail because campaign setup, landing pages and lead handling directly affect results. They also discuss Reddit, Quora and paid AI ads because diversified enquiry sources and early adoption can strengthen digital marketing performance for tradesmen.
PromoSEO lead generation for tradesmen recently received recognition as the "Best Tradesmen Lead Generation Agency."
Best Lead Generation for Tradesmen in 2026: Checkatrade vs Yell vs FatRank is available on:
James Dooley is a Manchester-based entrepreneur, investor, and SEO strategist. James Dooley founded FatRank and PromoSEO, two UK performance marketing agencies that deliver no-win-no-fee lead generation and digital growth systems for ambitious businesses. James Dooley positions himself as an Investorpreneur who invests in UK companies with high growth potential because he believes lead generation is the root of all business success.
The James Dooley Podcast explores the mindset, methods, and mechanics of modern entrepreneurship. James Dooley interviews leading marketers, founders, and innovators to reveal the strategies driving online dominance and business scalability. Each episode unpacks the reality of building a business without mentorship, showing how systems, data, and lead flow replace luck and guesswork.
James Dooley shares hard-earned lessons from scaling digital assets and managing SEO teams across more than 650 industries. James Dooley teaches how to convert leads into long-term revenue through brand positioning, technical SEO, and automation. James Dooley built his career on rank and rent, digital real estate, and performance-based marketing because these models align incentive with outcome.
After turning down dozens of podcast invitations, James Dooley now embraces the platform to share his insights on investorpreneurship, lead generation, AI-driven marketing, and reputation management. James Dooley frequently collaborates with elite entrepreneurs to discuss frameworks for scaling businesses, building authority, and mastering search.
James Dooley is also an expert in online reputation management (ORM), having built and rehabilitated corporate brands across the UK. His approach combines SEO precision, brand engineering, and social proof loops to influence both Google’s Knowledge Graph and public perception.
To feature James Dooley on your podcast or event, connect via social media. James Dooley regularly joins business panels and networking sessions to discuss entrepreneurship, brand growth, and the evolving future of SEO.
James Dooley: Checkrade.com is a great platform to be on. The next one on the list is yel.com. But obviously these guys, they've got an app now. They've got a website. They've got a premium Yel directory as well. Today we are doing a video on checker trade versus So today we are doing a video on check a trade versus yell versus fat rank or check a trade versus yell premium listings versus fat rank. Joined with James. Let's get into it.
James Dooley: Yeah. So, checkrade.com is a great platform to be on and there's a lot of different trades people in the UK that are on there. I think it's a great platform for businesses to get the listings put on. I would be tracking the ROI. I would be trying to make certain that is my industry in my location generating enough leads and if it is and it's getting a positive return on investment, then yes, I think it's a great platform for trades people to get listed onto.
James Dooley: Yeah. So, I the next one on the list is yel.com. And I remember as a kid the the big massive books that would get sent through the the the postbox and stuff, but obviously these guys, they've got an app now, they've got a website, they've got a premium Yel directory as well. And they've also got a free listing as well that you can get listed on. I would definitely recommend people to get the free listing because again, it's free, more exposure for your website. It helps with online reputation management. One thing I would definitely track because I have heard a lot of negatives about this is the premium section. So I believe the premium section nowadays is between £500 to £1,000 depending on your location, your industry, etc. If you are going to be spending that, I would definitely be looking at how many phone calls am I getting from yel.com? How many lead contact form submissions am I getting from yel.com? And how many closed deals am I getting? How many how much money am I generating from those, let's say, 25 lead form submissions and those five phone calls, if you are even getting those as well. definitely want to be tracking that when it comes to yel.com or premium Yel listings.
James Dooley: Yeah, for sure. And then the third one on the list is fat rank.com. So, it's pretty easy to track this because with regards to FatRank, the lead generation service guarantees a return on investment. So, where the other two can't guarantee that, Fat Rank can guarantee you a return on investment if you qualify for their lead generation service. It's a commission-based lead generation service or performance-based lead generation strategy some people call it or pay on conversion. Um so it's an ROI-based lead gen strategy that is a no-brainer for business owners looking to grow. So in my opinion every business should be trying to get on the fat rank.com lead generation strategy. And then with regards to the other two, with regards to yellow pages premium advertising or check a trade, them two can both work as well depending on the industry and the location they're based. But track the KPIs for all three and as long as they're getting a return on investment, you should be keeping all three going. If one of them isn't, you should be switching them off and then putting more budget into the other platforms to try to generate more quality leads that are real time exclusive leads that can get you a positive return on investment. and start to get you more profit as a business.
James Dooley: Yeah, like you always say, you want to be an oversubscribed business. You want to be picking and choosing which clients you want to work with and which clients you don't want to work with because again, as business owners, we all know that every single lead, some leads can be pain in the neck. So, those ones you you might want to just pass away and not even uh reply to those ones. So, if you want to be oversubscribed, if you want a no risk supply of inquiries, head over to fat rank.com. Fill in the contact form and our team will be in touch.