A credit union website Declaration of Independence

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence . . . that’s 249 years ago! The Founding Fathers asserted the nation’s sovereignty, listed grievances against King George III and pledged to support this document with “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Now, your credit union website isn’t as big a deal as the founding of a country . . . but it’s still time for a revolution.

There are restrictions (both purposeful and accidental) holding many credit union websites back from greatness. You deserve to be free of those hurdles. So, here’s your own credit union website declaration of independence. Now’s the time to take control of your website and make it incredible for your members!

Too many credit unions don’t control their websites. It’s like the websites are on loan to them. You get to play with the website, but if you want any alterations, you need to go through a middleman. Oh, and those alterations? They’re going to cost you (a lot).

There’s often no escape once ensnared. You watch your website become one of the middleman’s many digital colonies for three-to-five years, locked in by brutal contract. Requests for changes may as well be sent across the Atlantic by wooden dinghy with how long it takes for a response.

But your website should belong to you. You should own your site, be able to change your site and not have to spend more of your members’ money on periodic changes.

The time for subpar websites draws to a close. Your website is the great equalizer. Small credit unions look bigger with a great website, and large credit unions look smaller with a poor website. The credit unions willing to update and modernize their websites will surpass those that refuse to give their digital presence the attention it warrants.

Get control of your website . . . then use that control to change things for the better and address website grievances. Here are three of the top website grievances to look for:

Yes, powdered wigs were in fashion in 1776 . . . but they aren’t anymore. And many credit union websites still hold onto ancient aesthetic styles—the digital equivalent of walking around your office with a powdered wig today. Fuzzy images. Big blocks of text on white backgrounds. Strange looking menus. It all needs to go.

Website users expect certain things from their sites, such as some kind of contact form or adequate information. Charles Schwab Bank excels in checking and savings satisfaction because they validate consumer trust with digital yardsticks like “the website provides all information needed.” Are you doing this simple show of support for your members? And is the information written for normal people or financial professionals? Remember, you aren’t making a website for yourself; you’re making it for members.

SEO is still important to your website, but there’s also a new frontier of AI-related search. Normal Google searches now result in AI summaries prior to showing website results. Do you know what it says about you when you type in “what are people saying about ABC Credit Union?” It summarizes whatever most people say in public member or employee reviews (good or bad). You must pay attention to how your website collects reviews and how you appear in AI search summaries. Get AI search to work for you . . . not against you.

Here’s the thing: your new declaration of independence means nothing without a serious commitment to your credit union website.

It’s worth the investment, even in uncertain times . . . maybe especially in uncertain times. Members and potential members scrutinize financial decisions more closely when budgets are tight. Don’t give them an easy way to write you off with a below average online presence.

Of course, make it a smart investment. Retain control of your website with empowerment to make your own changes and freedom over the long term. Stake your credit union’s life, fortune and sacred honor on a digital branch tailored to your brand and targeted to modern consumer tendencies.