What a fees page is really up against in 2026
Unbiased research published in March 2026 put a number on something most adviser firms suspected. Seven in ten UK financial advisers do not publish their fees on their website, and one in five clients who already use an adviser cannot fully explain how they are being charged. The gap is not a value problem. It is a communication problem, and it is now visible in plain sight under Consumer Duty.
The cost of advice itself has not stood still either. NextWealth's 2026 benchmarking puts the average ongoing advice fee at zero point eight three percent a year, up from zero point seven seven in 2025. Initial advice fees average around one point eight percent. Fixed fees for one-off pieces of work, like a pension consolidation or an IHT planning review, typically run from fifteen hundred to five thousand pounds. Hourly rates sit between one hundred and three hundred and fifty pounds.
The pages currently winning the cost-of-advice search query are not adviser sites. They are Unbiased, MoneyHelper, Hargreaves Lansdown, and Which?, all giving specific numbers, fee bands, and worked examples in the first 200 words. Most adviser fees pages lead with a value pitch and bury the figures, or worse, resolve the page to "fees are agreed at our initial consultation" and lose the visitor on the spot.
A fees page that wins both Google rankings and AI Overview citations does three structural things: it states a clear range with worked totals, it cites named UK sources with a year, and it links out to the FCA Adviser Charging Rules in COBS 6.1A. Those signals also map onto how a prospect at nine in the evening makes a decision in 60 seconds before bed.
Key takeaways
- Seven in ten UK financial advisers do not publish their fees online (Unbiased, March 2026), even though prospects compare two or three sites in a single sitting before enquiring.
- The 2026 UK averages: about one point eight percent for initial advice, zero point eight three percent a year ongoing, and £1,500 to £5,000 for fixed pieces of work (NextWealth, 2026).
- One in five clients with an adviser still cannot explain how they are being charged. That is a Consumer Duty fair-value risk and a conversion risk in the same sentence.
- A fees page that wins citations does three things: a stated range, a named source, and a worked example. AI engines and prospects both extract those signals.
Read the full breakdown
The companion blog post, Cost of Financial Advice UK: An IFA Website Guide, covers the FCA Adviser Charging Rules in detail, shows the structure that beats the consumer pages currently dominating Google, and explains why a chat widget on a fees page surfaces the FAQ section your competitors do not yet have. ChatIFA answers visitor cost questions in real time using your own website content, captures lead details when intent is clear, and works around the clock. The free tier covers 25 messages a month with no payment details required at chatifa.co.uk.