Banks lagging behind in website performance

The Sitemorse Q1 2009 Finance 1000 Website Index has revealed that UK high-street banks are lagging behind in website accessibility and performance, according to Alterian.

The UK's leading website in terms of performance, accessibility and compliance was that of Intelligent Finance.

None of the UK top five high-street banks appeared in the top 10 and the most improved website was the Thinc Group, which moved up 884 places from quarter four 2008 to 11th position this quarter.

The audit showcases the best and worst financial and legal websites from the UK by marking them out of 10 in six key categories.

As organisations invest in online marketing strategies during the recession, a company's website needs to be fully functional and at the core of its marketing campaign.

The index highlights the requirement to employ a competent Content Management System (CMS), which is effectively linked into an organisation's marketing technology infrastructure.

Such an approach enables organisations to build and manage compliant and accessible websites that provide a better online experience for site visitors and improve an organisation's ability to retain existing customers and compete for the attention of the economically-strapped prospects.

David Eldridge, chief executive officer of Alterian, said: 'In the current economic climate, organisations are investing more heavily in online activities such as search engine optimisation and e-mail marketing to drive their business growth.

'This drives visitors to websites, and organisations need to ensure that their websites are working optimally in order to maximise the opportunities created by increased site traffic following an investment in online marketing.

Lawrence Shaw, chief executive officer of Sitemorse, added: 'The results of this 1000 financial services website report held a few surprises, not least the vast range of scores for function and compliance.

'With the financial services industry under the spotlight, any business that can deliver accurate, reliable services through the web will retain consumer confidence and can hopefully translate that to the rest of its business operations.

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