Which? Trusted Traders is an endorsement scheme run by Which?, the UK consumer organisation best known for product testing and consumer advice. Traders who pass its assessment can use the Which? Trusted Trader logo and are listed in a searchable directory where homeowners look for builders, electricians, garages, plumbers, gardeners and many other trades.
How Which? Trusted Traders works
A trader applies and is assessed before being endorsed. The assessment looks at the business’s trading practices and how it treats customers, including checks on things such as its paperwork, its references and an interview; the scheme publishes its own description of the process, which is the place to read the current detail. Endorsed traders pay a fee to remain in the scheme and agree to its code of conduct.
Once listed, a trader has a profile showing the services they offer, the areas they cover and reviews from customers. Which? also runs a complaints process for customers who have a problem with an endorsed trader. The name carries weight because it comes from an organisation that many people already trust for buying advice, rather than from a business set up only to sell listings.
Why it matters
For a trade business the endorsement is mainly a trust signal. A homeowner choosing between quotes for a new bathroom or a rewire is looking for reasons to believe one trader will do the job properly. A recognised consumer brand behind an assessment can be one of those reasons, used on the website, quotes and vans, and in adverts. It works in the same space as Checkatrade and TrustATrader, though each platform has its own checks and fee model.
The profile also acts as a local citation: your business name, contact details and coverage listed on a well-known UK site. That supports the consistency of your details across the web, but on its own it will not move your position in Google’s map results much.
Common mistakes
- Using the logo after leaving the scheme. If membership lapses, remove it from the website, vans and quotes straight away.
- Claiming more than the endorsement means. It is an assessment of how you trade, not a guarantee of every job. Describe it accurately.
- Inconsistent contact details. Use the same name and phone number as on Google and your other listings.
- No link to the profile. A badge customers cannot verify is worth less than one that links to your live listing.
How to act on it
If you are considering joining, read the scheme’s published criteria and fees, then check the directory for your trade and area to see how many endorsed competitors you would sit beside. Prepare for the assessment as you would for any audit: have insurance documents, terms and customer references ready.
Before renewing each year, check what the scheme has sent you. Give the profile a tagged link to your website so visits show up in GA4, ask every caller where they heard of you, and work out the cost per job won. Add a rough value for the logo’s effect on quotes you win, but be honest about how uncertain that part is.
Once endorsed, add the logo to your site with a link to your profile, mention it on quotes, and ask customers to review you on the platforms your next customers read most, usually Google first. If you would like help deciding where trade endorsements fit alongside your Google profile and website, my local SEO service covers that planning.