Bank of America tops a new Forrester ranking of US bank websites, based on user experience, research content, and application functionality. “Over the last few years, digital banking teams have worked hard on redesigning their sites to improve the online sales process, despite a heavy burden on regulatory compliance,” notes Principal Analyst Tiffani Montez in the report.

Although Bank of America took the top spot, Citibank, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo were hot on its heels. Both U.S. Bank’s and Wells Fargo’s sites scored two points less than Bank of America, with Citibank just one point further behind. “The best sites make it easy for prospects to achieve their goals — to find an account that meets their needs, apply in the channel of their choice, and have immediate access to their account. Over the last few years, US banks have chiseled away at the digital sales basics, steadily optimizing their customer journey — but they still have room to improve,” writes Montez. In order to do so, Montez provides a road map for digital banking teams to: turn merchandizing into a discipline, use view to help explain product features, build great multichannel experiences, think strategically about mobile, and use context to make sites more relevant.

Learn more about 2013 US Bank Online Sales Rankings here. Montez also blogs about key findings here.