As internet-based banking gradually replaces trips to the High Street, we all rely on online access to bank accounts more and more. Having a website that works well and provides a great user experience is essential to the reputation of any financial organisation, and none more than the Swiss banking sector.

Maintaining an efficient website requires methodical web governance, as the banks leading our first-quarter 2014 INDEX benchmark prove. Sitemorse has been ranking the websites of the banking sector in Switzerland for several years, and our latest INDEX reviews almost 200 banking websites to measure how well they work.

The INDEX by Sitemorse is created using automated software that reads the first 125 pages of each site to generate a ranked table based on checks to the quality, user experience, accessibility, performance and search engine optimisation capability of each.

The Zurich-based regional ZLB Zürcher Landbank has risen no less than 50 places in our table to take top spot. A pillar of the local economy for the last 150 years, the bank proudly boats that it finances more than 90 per cent of local properties. The bank’s website has ranked in more than 20 recent Sitemorse benchmarks but this time has showed a marked improvement to reach top position, with an overall score of 8.1 of a possible ten marks.

Banque Bénédict Hentsch & Cie SA, a private bank founded in Geneva less than a decade ago but boasting a long tradition in wealth management, was pipped to the post to first place this time after a short run at the top of our table. The bank scored 7.9/10 in our testing this time.

Keeping its spot at third place this time is Zurich-based J. Safra Sarasin Holdings. Operating worldwide in 30 locations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, providing a full range of private banking and asset management services, the company’s website also retained its 7.6/10 score.

Our biggest improvers this time are the websites WIR Bank (rising 83 places to 24th overall), Schaffhauser Kantonalbank (up 103 places to 62nd), Bank CIC (Schweiz) AG (rising 131 to overall 56th place), Pictet et Cie (up 160 to 21st overall) and top riser HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) SA (up 161 places to 33rd overall)

The importance of an accessible website

Around 15% of European citizens of working age, or 80 million people, have a disability or some form of functional limitation. Both that real number and the percentage will grow as the European population continues to age. Today we live much of our life online and websites are critically important to our daily life.

Websites that can’t be navigated by disabled users, apart from being illegal, may discriminate against users.

J. Safra Sarasin Holdings and Gonet & Cie are the highest scorers in this sector on accessibility, both with 8/10, and Bank-now AG, Banca del Sempione, NPB Neue Privat Bank AG, and E. Gutzwiller & Cie. Banquiers all scored 7/10.

About the Swiss Banking sector
Banks and financial institutions play a key role in the Swiss economy. The Swiss franc is among the world’s most stable currencies. The Swiss capital market is one of the most important in the world and a major force in the global financial market. The Swiss financial sector employs well over 200,000 people, around six per cent of the entire Swiss workforce. In addition, the major Swiss banks employ several thousand staff overseas.
The Swiss are world leaders in offshore private banking, managing more than a quarter of all private offshore funds. Private banking is a centuries-long tradition in Switzerland, with the first recorded private bank dating back to the 17th century.

About the INDEX

The quarterly INDEX Website Review, powered by the Sitemorse software platform, is an important independent benchmark that clearly shows how websites are performing, meeting compliance levels and satisfying their users. It’s also a key indicator for website managers who, while always wanting to be at the top of their game, could be hampered by poor-performing suppliers, non-compliant legacy content or content management systems that often fail to spot errors affecting user experience.

Sitemorse services such as Governisation and the Web Management Toolkit immediately find the issues that affect web users the most on any web presence, help demonstrate real improvement and ensure you have control and confidence in your web presence.

They will help you minimise unnecessary risk, issues covering everything from compliance with web standards to helping you deal with malware, protect your brand across even a large web presence, and enhance search engine optimisation to help more potential customers find you. They can help spotlight content that may need updating, issues with staff training and support, and focus supplier management. We offer a confidential internal ‘company wide' website testing and benchmarking service - allowing you to review the position of all the sites in your organisation. Contact us to request further details and / or an example.

More information

• More information about our surveys and what they test can be found on our website http://www.sitemorse.com/index/