New research has revealed that a significant number of UK trades websites are falling short when it comes to mobile usability. The State of UK Trades Websites 2026 report, published by Websites for Tradespeople, found that 72.5% of the 30,399 websites tested took more than four seconds to display their largest content element on a mobile device.
The measurement used in the study, called Largest Contentful Paint, records the time it takes for the largest visible image or block of text to appear during page loading. The research was conducted using Google Lighthouse lab tests, rather than actual customer visits.
The study looked at a sample of 43,738 UK trades websites, with 31,030 returning a usable result on at least one device. This sample included businesses such as plumbers, electricians, roofers, builders, and landscapers.
Results showed that only 15.7% of the 30,397 websites that returned a mobile Lighthouse Performance score achieved a “good” rating of 90-100. The majority of websites (73.6%) fell into the “needs improvement” category, with a score of 50-89. Additionally, 10.7% of websites scored below 50, in the “poor” category. The median mobile Performance score was 67 out of 100.
John Wozniak, founder of Websites for Tradespeople, stated: “There is a huge amount of advice online telling small businesses what a good website should look like. We wanted to step away from opinions and actually measure what is happening across tens of thousands of trades websites.”
The study also compared mobile and desktop results for the same websites and found that 99.5% of the 29,969 websites that returned measurements for both devices had a longer loading time on mobile. The median difference between the two devices was 5.1 seconds.
It should be noted that these results were gathered through laboratory testing and do not necessarily reflect the actual loading times experienced by customers. The full report includes a breakdown of website platforms and WordPress page builders used by the sampled businesses.
Websites for Tradespeople provides fixed-price websites, SEO, and ongoing website support for UK trades businesses. The company, operated by JW Digital Services Ltd., hopes that this research will help tradespeople improve their online presence and attract more customers.
For media inquiries, please contact:
John Wozniak
Websites for Tradespeople
hello@websitesfortradespeople.co.uk
0161 399 4054
