Wouldn’t it be great if you could set up a website for your business to accept credit cards from your customers for purchases? It certainly would make it much easier for them to make purchases from your business website if they couldn’t come into your store.

Let me ask you a question: Are your salespeople still accepting checks and cash as the primary method for customers to pay for their purchases? Then it is time to look toward more profitable and streamlined ways of processing your business transactions. Businesses who’ve set up an online presence and who’ve incorporated credit card processing systems for purchases are reporting substantially higher bottom line profits.

For a business website to be effective for increasing sales on a consistent schedule three areas of importance must be considered at all times. These three areas are the core of a websites ability to consistently produce income as expected.

Three Areas of Importance:

1. Your Website Performance
2. Your Product Payment System
3. Your Money

As with every other kind of business your online business must be running smooth and effective all the time. You wouldn’t expect your customers to enjoy their experience with your business if they can into the store and found the heat and lights not working. The customers would probably turn around and walk out the door. A website is the same as your business in this respect. Customers visiting your online store will expect things to be working properly and if they have a good experience they will return again in the future. Just like when you do a walk through of your business to make sure things are clean, working and in order an online store requires the same attention to detail. If the online store is not up to expectations it must be restored as soon as possible. Let’s consider the following components of your online store.

-Your Website Performance:

1. Web Pages: Your web pages are really your sales pages and need to be simple and uncluttered with external advertisements for faster loading. Make a periodic review of each of your web pages to be certain they are loading properly.
2. Product Page Links: Links from you web pages to your product pages need to be working if customers are to purchase those products. Check links to be certain they are not broken.
3. Shopping Cart: This is the hub of purchasing activity. Test the shopping cart on a regular basis to be certain that links from product pages to the shopping cart are functioning. Also check to be sure the checkout process is performing as expected as well.

-Your Product Payment System:

When customers come into your store you want them to have as many options for purchasing products from you as they can. An online store should offer alternatives for customers as well. If you want to give customers the advantage and convenience of paying with credit cards you will need to set up your own account with a credit card processing service.


There is a lot of competition among credit card processing services so do some homework. Many companies will charge a set up fee to establish a credit card processing system and many do not charge a set up fee. But all do charge fees that are a percentage of each sale posted through the credit card processing system.

There are some elements of transacting business that will affect your credit card processing fees also: average dollar amount of each purchase and sales volume per month. The fees associated with your credit card processing account will vary from company to company but companies are very competitive and want your business. Make contact with credit card processing services and get some basic price information. If you do some comparisons you should be able to find a credit card processing service to fit your budget.

The steps we have been talking about up to now have been to obtain a credit card processing system of your own, that you control and manage. Still yet there are options for those who’d rather have someone else steer the course of credit card processing.

Now instead of having your own credit card processing account you could enter into a credit card processing agreement with a third party. But some disadvantages exist in taking this route. Here are three:

1. Control of the Checkout process is lost to another entity with third part credit card processing. If systems aren’t functioning or down altogether your hands are tied until they get their act together.
2. Profits from your sales are not readily available. You’ll have to wait for the third party to pay you the proceeds. This usually entails a designated holding period of funds.
3. Fees are higher. You are going to pay higher transaction fees for a third party provider who handles your credit card processing. The higher fees are to pay for their infrastructure and service.

-Your Money:

To accept credit cards as payment for your products a merchant bank account will need to be set up in your business name. A merchant bank account is the center of activity where your business credits, refunds, fees and debits are transacted and reported. Proceeds from your sales have to be deposited somewhere and the merchant bank account is the place they are deposited. Fees associated with credit card processing are also debited from the merchant bank account. You can withdraw profits from your merchant bank account to pay employees, buy inventory or expand your business.

The real advantage of having your own merchant bank account and credit card processing system is the level of control you can exert over the future of your business. If you need funds to purchase more business inventory then you can allocate funds from your merchant bank account. There is no delay in receiving funds from your merchant bank account as is the case with third party services.

Another advantage for setting up your own merchant bank account is access to customer information. If you decide to market some new products or have inventory clearance specials or sales you will have access to information through your merchant bank account about customers who previously purchased from you which can be used for marketing campaigns. Some third party credit card processing services limit the amount of information available to you about customers that have purchased from you.

You’ve built a successful business offline and now it’s time to build one online. The school of hard knocks will give you the instincts necessary to take you company to the next level of success. Don’t forget the lesson you’ve already learned about good customer service, quality products and purchasing options because you are going online. Many business owners forget the valuable lessons they have already learned and it shows both in the websites they produce and the results they produce. Things can be different for you if you transfer you knowledge to your website. You’ve given customers an enjoyable buying experience offline and now you can do it online as well.