It's nearly impossible to remember a time when banking could only be done in person. For community banks and credit unions, a website is no longer just a place to list products, rates, and branch locations. For prospective customers, a website often serves as a first impression. For existing customers, it serves as an always-open branch.

A website is not a one-and-done kind of thing. As customer expectations evolve, so must the website. As we look ahead to 2027, now is the perfect time to evaluate whether your website is helping you achieve your goals... or if it's holding you back.

We've compiled a checklist of 12 bank website must-haves to identify gaps, uncover opportunities, and see whether your website is ready to support your goals—in 2027 and beyond.

Quick Answer

What should a bank website include?

A modern bank or credit union website should include mobile-friendly design, clear navigation, accessible content, secure hosting, useful product pages, strong calls to action, educational resources, search-friendly content, performance tracking, and a content management system that authorized employees can use easily.

1Is Your Website Aligned With Your Strategic Goals?

One of the first questions to ask is: What should our website help us accomplish? Do you want to generate more mortgage applications? Grow deposits? Increase business banking relationships? Attract younger customers or members?

Once you've identified what you want your website to do, here are the next questions you should ask:

  • Are our priority products easy to find?
  • Are the next steps clear?
  • Are we measuring performance against our goals?

Your website should help your institution reach its goals, not simply list information.

forbinfi’s strategic planning services help banks and credit unions define their goals, create a plan, and track progress.

2Is Your Website Actually Fast and Mobile-Friendly?

If you pull up your website on your phone, how easy is it to:

  • Open online banking?
  • Find a loan product?
  • Locate branch information?
  • Submit a contact request?
  • Fill out an application?

If any of these actions require excessive scrolling, pinching, zooming, or searching, your website is creating friction for visitors.

Many visitors will use your website primarily, or exclusively, from a phone. The most important tasks need to work just as well on a small screen.

Quick Check

  • Navigation works smoothly on mobile devices
  • Pages load quickly on mobile connections
  • Buttons are easy to click
  • Forms are mobile-friendly
  • Key actions are accessible within a few scrolls or clicks

Mobile responsiveness is a core part of successful community bank and credit union website design. Learn more about forbinfi’s website development services.

3Can Visitors Find What They’re Looking for Quickly?

Financial institutions often offer dozens of products and services, but having more options doesn't always translate into a better user experience.

One of the most common website frustrations is confusing navigation. For example, a customer may not know the difference between three separate checking accounts, so a single page that houses all of the checking accounts is more beneficial.

Visitors don't know your organizational chart. They just want answers. If they have to hunt through multiple menus to find basic information, your navigation may need attention.

4Is Your Website Accessible to Everyone?

Just as each of your branches needs to be accessible to everyone, so must your website. Beyond compliance considerations, accessibility improves the overall user experience.

Here are some key accessibility areas to consider:

  • Proper heading structure
  • Alternative text for images
  • Accessible forms and error messages
  • Keyboard navigation
  • Color contrast
  • Screen-reader compatibility
  • Clearly labeled buttons and links
  • Readable documents and PDFs

Accessibility should be reviewed whenever templates, navigation, forms, documents, images, or third-party tools change. Automated scans are helpful, but manual keyboard and screen-reader testing may uncover barriers that automated tools miss.

Accessibility is not simply a box to check when your site launches. It should remain part of ongoing website management.

5Does Your Website Inspire Trust?

Financial institutions operate on trust. Your website should reinforce that trust.

Visitors may ask themselves questions like:

  • Does this institution appear professional?
  • Is this website secure?
  • Are the products clearly explained?
  • Are rates, disclosures, and contact details current?
  • Can I easily get help if I need it?

Outdated designs, broken links, inconsistent branding, and old content can undermine credibility.

A strong website combines professional design, accurate information, clear messaging, and reliable performance.

6Can Your Team Update Content Easily?

Updating a rate, changing holiday hours, or adding an alert banner shouldn't require a support ticket every time.

Wait, what?

We said what we said.

A modern content management system (CMS) should empower your team to:

  • Publish announcements
  • Update rates and products
  • Add landing pages
  • Post blogs
  • Maintain staff directories
  • Promote community events

The easier it is to manage content, the more likely your website stays updated.

7Is Your Website Helping People Find You Online?

Even the best website can't generate results if nobody finds it. Search engine optimization (SEO) should be part of your website’s foundation, rather than something added after launch.

Search visibility is especially important for financial institutions competing against larger brands with bigger advertising budgets.

Strong bank website SEO starts with:

  • Well-organized content
  • Helpful product pages
  • Keyword-focused headings
  • Optimized page titles and descriptions
  • Local search information
  • Internal links
  • Educational content

Think about the questions your customers or members are already asking. Your website should answer those questions.

Explore SEO for Financial Institutions

8Are Your Product Pages Built to Educate and Convert?

A product page that describes an account or loan is good.

But a product page that helps visitors understand who the product is for, how it solves a problem, and what steps to take next? That's exceptional.

Whether you're promoting mortgages, HELOCs, checking accounts, business loans, or treasury management services, your pages should answer common questions before visitors need to call.

Consider these next steps:

  • Apply Now
  • Contact Us
  • Schedule an Appointment
  • Talk to a Lender
  • Open an Account

If visitors aren't sure what they should do next, your institution is missing out on opportunities.

9Are You Creating Content That Builds Trust?

Not everyone who visits your website is ready to open an account today.Some are researching. Others are comparing options. Many simply want answers.

This is where educational blog content can help. forbinfi's content services focus on creating searchable, shareable information that can also support email, social media, and wider campaigns.

Here are some topics customers find particularly useful:

  • Fraud prevention
  • Identity theft protection
  • Homebuying tips
  • Financial wellness advice
  • Digital banking education

Bonus: Consistent content also supports SEO efforts and gives your marketing campaigns more meaningful destinations.

10Does Your Website Include the Features People Expect?

As technology changes the way customers use websites, their expectations evolve. A modern website should remove friction.

Common customer expectations include:

  • Easy access to online banking
  • Loan or financial calculators
  • Branch and ATM locators
  • Educational resources
  • Staff directories
  • Online forms
  • Appointment scheduling

Start with the tools your customers or members use most.

11Are You Measuring Performance?

One of the biggest mistakes organizations make is treating a website launch as the finish line.

In reality, launch day is just the beginning. From there, the goal is to measure performance and make informed decisions.

Financial institutions should consider tracking:

  • Top-performing pages
  • Most common visitor paths
  • Search traffic
  • Form submissions
  • Landing page performance
  • Mobile behavior
  • Blog engagement

A website's performance tells a story. Learning to interpret that story can reveal opportunities to improve user experience and support growth.

12Do You Have the Right Website Partner?

Banks and credit unions operate within unique environments that include compliance reviews, accessibility considerations, and security expectations that make their website needs different from other businesses. That's why it's essential to have a website partner who understands how financial institutions operate.

The right website partner should understand:

  • Financial institution marketing
  • Customer and member expectations
  • Accessibility best practices
  • Website strategy
  • Content development
  • SEO
  • Ongoing support
  • Long-term digital growth

If routine updates are difficult, support is slow, or your platform cannot keep up with your goals, it may be time to review your options.

Website Development for Banks & Credit Unions

A Quick Recap

Before moving into 2027, ask yourself whether your website includes:

✓ Mobile-friendly design

✓ Clear and intuitive navigation

✓ Accessibility best practices

✓ Strong trust signals

✓ Easy content management

✓ SEO-friendly structure

✓ Optimized product pages

✓ Educational content

✓ User-focused tools and features

✓ Analytics and performance tracking

✓ Strategic alignment with goals

✓ A partner who knows financial institutions

Your Website Should Work as Hard as Your Team

Community banks and credit unions need websites that reflect who they are, support current customer expectations, and make the next step easy to find.

The best websites don't happen by accident. They're intentional. They're strategic, user-focused, easy to manage, and built to grow. As you plan for 2027, now is the perfect time to ask yourself: Is our website ready to help us meet our goals, or is it holding us back?

A website audit can help your team identify opportunities involving mobile usability, navigation, content, accessibility, SEO, security, and website performance.

Ready to see where your website stands?

Request a Free Website Audit

FAQ: Bank & Credit Union Website Must-Haves

What should a bank or credit union website include?

A bank or credit union website should include mobile-friendly design, clear navigation, accessible content, secure hosting, helpful product pages, strong calls to action, easy online banking access, educational resources, search-friendly content, analytics, and a manageable CMS.

How often should a bank redesign its website?

There is no single redesign schedule that fits every institution. Banks and credit unions should review their websites regularly and consider a redesign when the site no longer supports customer needs, business goals, mobile usability, accessibility, security, integrations, content management, or search visibility.

What makes a financial institution website different?

Financial institution websites must balance customer experience with security, accessibility, product accuracy, compliance review, third-party integrations, trust, and the need to explain financial products clearly.

Why does a bank website need a content management system?

A CMS allows authorized employees to update rates, alerts, pages, blogs, staff information, and other website content. A manageable system helps the institution keep information current without relying on a developer for every routine change.

How can a bank website generate more leads?

A bank website can support more inquiries and applications through helpful product pages, clear calls to action, focused landing pages, straightforward forms, useful financial resources, and ongoing performance review.

What makes a bank website SEO-friendly?

An SEO-friendly bank website uses clear page structure, descriptive titles and headings, helpful product content, local information, fast mobile performance, internal links, and educational resources that match what customers search for.