The Consumer Duty is not just about advice. It is about every client touchpoint.
When the FCA introduced the Consumer Duty, most advisers focused on their advice processes, suitability reports, and fee structures. That is understandable. Those are the areas where regulatory risk feels most acute.
But the Consumer Duty is broader than that. It covers every interaction a firm has with its customers, including your website. The FCA has been clear: the duty applies to "the design of products and services, the price and value they represent, how they are communicated to customers, and the support provided."
Your website is how you communicate with prospective clients. It is often the first touchpoint in the customer journey. If it does not meet Consumer Duty standards, you have a problem before the advice process even begins.
What does the Consumer Duty actually require from your website?
The duty rests on four outcomes. Three of them apply directly to your website.
Relevance to your website %
Consumer understanding. Your website must communicate in a way that enables consumers to make informed decisions. That means clear language, not jargon. It means explaining your services in terms the reader understands, not terms the regulator requires. If a visitor cannot understand what you do and whether it is relevant to them after reading your site, you are failing this outcome.
Consumer support. Firms must provide support that meets the needs of their customers. On your website, this means making it easy for visitors to get answers, ask questions, and take the next step. A website that only offers a contact form during office hours is providing a lower standard of support than one that can answer questions at any time.
Products and services. Your website describes your services. If those descriptions are misleading, incomplete, or designed to confuse rather than inform, you have a Consumer Duty problem. The emphasis is on services being designed to meet the needs of the target market, and your website is where prospects assess whether your services meet their needs.
Where do most IFA websites fall short?
Most IFA websites were built before Consumer Duty existed. They were designed to look professional and generate enquiries, not to deliver good outcomes for visitors. The gaps are predictable.
| Feature | Common practice | Consumer Duty standard |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Industry jargon and acronyms | Plain English a non-specialist understands |
| Service descriptions | Generic list of everything offered | Clear explanation of who benefits and how |
| Fees | Hidden or "contact us to discuss" | Transparent indication of typical costs |
| Support outside hours | Contact form only | Meaningful way to get answers at any time |
| Vulnerable clients | No specific consideration | Accessible content, clear signposting |
Jargon and complexity. "We provide holistic financial planning encompassing wealth accumulation, decumulation strategies, and intergenerational wealth transfer." That sentence means nothing to most website visitors. It is the opposite of consumer understanding. Plain English is not optional under Consumer Duty. It is a requirement.
Hidden pricing. The FCA has been increasingly clear that consumers should be able to understand the cost of advice before committing. A website that says nothing about fees, or hides behind "every situation is different," is making it harder for consumers to make informed decisions. You do not need to publish a full fee schedule. But a clear indication of typical costs helps visitors assess value.
No out-of-hours support. If your website cannot answer basic questions outside office hours, you are providing a lower standard of consumer support to anyone who visits in the evening or at weekends. Given that the majority of website visits happen outside 9 to 5, this affects most of your potential clients.
Vulnerable clients and your website
Consumer Duty places particular emphasis on outcomes for vulnerable clients. The FCA defines vulnerability broadly: it includes people dealing with bereavement, health issues, low financial literacy, or significant life events.
47%
of UK adults show characteristics of vulnerability
Source: FCA Financial Lives Survey 2024
These visitors are on your website right now. They may be recently bereaved and trying to understand what happens to a pension. They may have a health condition that makes phone calls difficult. They may struggle with dense financial language.
Your website needs to work for these visitors, not just for the confident, financially literate ones.
A practical Consumer Duty audit for your website
You do not need a consultant for this. You can assess your own website against the key Consumer Duty requirements in an afternoon.
Step 1
Read your site as a non-expert
Ask a friend or family member with no financial knowledge to read your homepage and services page. Can they explain what you do and who you help? If not, your consumer understanding outcome is weak.
Step 2
Check your fee transparency
Can a visitor get a reasonable idea of what your services cost without picking up the phone? If not, add a typical fees section or a pricing guide.
Step 3
Test your out-of-hours experience
Visit your own website at 9pm. What can a visitor actually do? If the answer is read static content and fill in a form, your consumer support outcome needs work.
Step 4
Review for jargon
Search your site for terms like decumulation, holistic, bespoke, wrapper, drawdown. Each one is a barrier for non-specialist visitors. Replace with plain English.
Step 5
Check accessibility basics
Is your font size at least 16px? Does your colour contrast pass WCAG AA? Can someone navigate with a keyboard? These are not just good practice, they are Consumer Duty relevant for vulnerable clients.
How a chat widget supports Consumer Duty compliance
A chat widget on your website directly supports two of the four Consumer Duty outcomes.
Consumer understanding. When a visitor does not understand something on your site, they can ask. The widget answers using your own published content, in conversational language. This is a demonstrable improvement in how you help consumers understand your services.
Consumer support. The widget is available around the clock. A visitor at 10pm gets the same quality of support as one at 10am. This is exactly the kind of consistent, accessible support the FCA expects, and as we covered in The 5-Minute Response Rule, immediate responses also lead to better client outcomes.
It also creates a record. Every chat interaction is logged, giving you evidence that you provided support and information to prospective clients. That audit trail is valuable if the FCA ever asks how you ensure good outcomes across your customer journey.
Want to see how it works? Try the demo at chatifa.co.uk and enter any IFA website. Free trial, 25 messages, no payment details.