If your bank or credit union recently found out your website platform is being discontinued, it can feel like being sent onto the field after the clock has already started.

Suddenly, you have deadlines to understand, website providers to compare, integrations to protect and internal teams to coordinate. No pressure, right?

The good news is that your website sunsetting can also be an opportunity. With the right game plan, your bank or credit union can move to a financial institution website platform that is easier to manage, better serves your customers, and supports your team’s long-term marketing goals.

First Quarter: Know the Situation Before Calling the Next Play

Before evaluating new bank website providers, make sure your team understands exactly what is being discontinued.

A provider sunset can mean a variety of things. Your hosting service may be ending. The content management system (CMS) may be retired. Technical support may be going away. Your current platform may remain available but stop receiving important updates.

Start by asking:

  • What services are being discontinued?
  • When is the final deadline?
  • Which website components will be affected?
  • Will we retain access to our website content and files?
  • Which third-party tools and integrations need to be preserved?
  • Are redirects, analytics, forms, and online applications included in the transition?
  • Who within our institution should be involved in the decision?

The sooner your team understands the scope of the change, the more room you’ll have to evaluate your options instead of making a rushed decision.

Second Quarter: Bring the Right People into the Huddle

A community bank or credit union website is not solely a marketing responsibility. It can affect nearly every department in your institution, including:

  • Marketing
  • Information technology
  • Compliance
  • Operations
  • Deposit and lending teams
  • Customer service
  • Executive leadership

Bringing the right people into the huddle early can help your institution identify important requirements, avoid surprises and keep the website migration process moving.

Your new website provider should make that collaboration easier. They should understand the realities of the financial institution's approval processes and keep the project moving even when multiple key players are involved.

The ultimate goal is not just to get a replacement website, but to get the right website for your institution, your employees, and your customers.

Halftime Adjustment: Don’t Just Replace Your Website, Improve It

When a website platform is being discontinued, the quickest option may appear to be moving everything to the first replacement platform you find. The shortest path sounds like the best one, right?

Not necessarily. If you’re already making a change, now is the perfect time to upgrade.

Use this checklist to identify opportunities for your new website.

Area to Evaluate Questions to Ask
Mobile Responsiveness Does your website work well across smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers?
Website Accessibility Has the site been designed with people who use screen readers, keyboard navigation and other assistive technologies in mind?
Website Navigation Can visitors quickly find branch locations, account options, current rates, online banking access and contact information?
Product and Service Pages Do your checking accounts, savings accounts, loans and other services have dedicated pages that explain their benefits, features, eligibility requirements and next steps?
Search Engine Optimization Can potential customers find your institution when they search online for banking products and services in your market?
Customer Experience Does your website create a trustworthy first impression and make common banking tasks easier?
Online Application Paths Can visitors easily open an account, apply for a loan or begin another important conversion process?
Lead Generation Opportunities Does the website give visitors clear opportunities to contact your institution, schedule a conversation, visit a branch or begin an application?
Content Management Can your team make ordinary website updates without submitting a support ticket? Is the CMS easy for nontechnical employees to use?

Rather than automatically recreating your existing website on the first platform option you come across, look at what your new website could do better.

Is Search Visibility Part of the Problem?

Learn how forbinfi’s SEO services for financial institutions can help your bank or credit union reach more of the right people online.

Explore SEO Services for Financial Institutions

Third Quarter: What Should You Look for in a Bank Website Provider?

Banks and credit unions have website needs that many general website companies do not regularly encounter. As you compare financial institution website providers, consider the following factors.

Experience With Banks and Credit Unions

Your website needs to support disclosures, customer education, online banking access, product promotions, accessibility standards, and the level of trust your customers have come to expect from you.

Choosing a partner that works specifically with banks and credit unions can help reduce learning curves.

A User-Friendly Bank CMS

Your employees shouldn’t have to submit a support ticket request each time a branch changes its hours or the institution needs to post an alert.

A bank content management system should allow authorized team members to:

  • Update existing content easily
  • Add pages and educational resources
  • Publish alerts and announcements
  • Maintain rates and product information
  • Create campaign landing pages
  • Control who can review, edit, and publish content

The easier your CMS is to use, the less dependent your team is on outside resources for everyday updates.

Security-Focused Hosting and Infrastructure

Your institution depends on public trust. Security should be a priority, not an afterthought. A good provider prioritizes secure hosting, follows industry best practices, maintains strong infrastructure, keeps up with changing regulations, and understands the expectations financial institutions face.

Accessible Website Design

Just as any customer should be able to access a physical branch, they must also be to access a virtual one. Check for a provider that builds their websites with accessibility in mind.

Accessibility should be treated as an ongoing responsibility rather than a box checked on launch day.

Ongoing Support

Launch day is important…but so are all the days leading up to it and following it.

Before choosing a new website provider, ask:

  • Who will handle our support requests?
  • Is CMS training included?
  • Will we have a dedicated contact?
  • How quickly can updates be made?
  • What support is available after launch?

The best partnerships don’t end when the website goes live; they’re the ones that are just beginning.

Fourth Quarter: Choose a Platform Built for Financial Institutions

One of the biggest mistakes a bank or credit union can make during a time-sensitive website transition is choosing a platform designed to serve every possible industry. Banks and credit unions aren’t just “everyone.”

That’s why forbinfi created BankWeb™, a website platform designed specifically for banks and credit unions. BankWeb isn’t a generic CMS that was adapted for financial institutions; it was built with the financial industry in mind from the start.

What Makes BankWeb Different?

Easy-to-Use CMS

BankWeb gives authorized internal users the ability to manage everyday website changes without coding knowledge. Update a page, post an announcement, create a landing page, or make a routine content change—no coding knowledge needed. And when you experience a hiccup? We’re here to help.

Security-Focused Infrastructure

BankWeb uses secure hosting and infrastructure designed to support the needs of banks and credit unions.

Accessible Design

Accessibility should not be an optional addition. BankWeb websites are designed with accessibility considerations in mind, including the needs of visitors who use screen readers, keyboard navigation and other assistive technologies.

Compliance-Conscious Approach

Financial institutions operate in highly regulated environments. BankWeb is built specifically for that reality, helping institutions manage content in a way that supports their internal review and approval processes with the ability to assign user roles and easily access an audit log.

Designed for Growth

Your website shouldn’t become outdated as soon as it launches. We built our websites to support evolving products, campaigns, content strategies, and customer expectations as your institution grows and the banking landscape changes.

Training & Dedicated Support

Before your website goes live, we train your team on everything you need to know about managing your site, which empowers you to take ownership of everyday changes.

Your dedicated account manager and customer care team are always available for questions or concerns after your site goes live.

Ready to See BankWeb in Action?

See how a website platform built for banks and credit unions can give your team greater control while supporting your institution’s digital goals.

Request a BankWeb Demo

Beyond the Website: Why the Right Web Partner Matters

A great website is important, but it’s just a piece of the puzzle.

One of the advantages of working with a partner like forbinfi is that website development is just one of our specialties. We also offer a full suite of marketing services such as:

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
  • Blogging
  • Email Marketing
  • Social Media Management
  • Paid Advertising
  • Branding and Design
  • Print Marketing
  • Strategic Planning

That means that your website is just a part of a larger marketing strategy designed to support growth, increase visibility, and strengthen customer relationships.

Especially for lean marketing teams, that kind of partnership can be invaluable.

Final Play: Turn a Website Sunset into an Opportunity

Finding out that your website platform is being discontinued probably did not feel like good news.

However, the transition gives your institution an opportunity to evaluate its current digital presence, improve the online customer experience and choose a platform designed for the way banks and credit unions operate.

When the final whistle blows, you should have more than a replacement for your old site. You should have a website that is easier for your team to manage, more helpful to your customers and better prepared to support your institution’s future.

Ready to Build Your Website Transition Game Plan?

If your bank or credit union website is sunsetting, forbinfi can help you evaluate the next move.

From website development, secure hosting, and a full suite of marketing opportunities, we’ve helped hundreds of financial institutions nationwide navigate a seamless transition—and we’re ready to help you plan your next move.

Talk with forbinfi

FAQ: Bank Website Platform Transitions

What does it mean when a bank website platform is being discontinued?▾

It can mean several things. Your hosting may be ending, the content management system may be retired, technical support may be going away, or the platform may remain online but stop receiving important updates. Start by confirming exactly which services are affected and what the final deadline is.

Will we lose our website content if our platform shuts down?▾

Not necessarily, but you should confirm it early. Ask your current provider whether you will retain access to your content, files, images, and data, and whether items like redirects, forms, analytics, and online applications are included in the transition. Knowing this upfront helps protect your SEO and customer experience during the move.

How long does a bank website migration take?▾

Timelines vary based on the size of your site, the number of integrations, your internal review process, and how much you want to improve during the move. The key is to start as soon as you learn about the sunset so you have time to evaluate providers and upgrade rather than rush a like-for-like replacement.

What should banks and credit unions look for in a website provider?▾

Look for experience with financial institutions, a user-friendly CMS your team can update without support tickets, security-focused hosting, accessible design, and ongoing support after launch. A provider that understands compliance and approval processes can make the transition much smoother.

Should we rebuild the same website or improve it during the transition?▾

A transition is an ideal time to improve. Since you are already making a change, evaluate mobile responsiveness, accessibility, navigation, SEO, product pages, and content management before recreating your old site as-is. The goal is a website that is easier to manage and more helpful to customers, not just a replacement.