Is setting up your own e-commerce website using WordPress as hard as it seems? Well, if you stick to the rules, it’s actually very easy to use this excellent resource to create a successful online business. The key is to ensure that it’s as easy as possible for your customers to pay you, and to ensure that they can do so securely.
The shortcuts!
Normally you have to read to the end of an article to learn that all-important shortcut, but here’s ours from the start – team up with a reputable payment processor such as PayPal. Simply by having a ‘Purchase this Product’ clickable link that directs customers straight to the PayPal site to complete the transaction you instantly remove much of the hassle of setting up a payment system of your own.
But if you want to keep everything under one roof, you can arrange for the transaction to go through your site by creating your own API. This may be a little more complex, but it does keep everything ‘in-house’. So here are the four essential facts you’ll need to know for this type of payment system.
#1 – Set up a merchant account – This is a form of account that lets businesses accept payment by credit or debit card. This will be absolutely essential if you are to operate an online business. However, a merchant account is entirely separate from your normal banking account, so you will need to ensure that the details of all transactions put through a merchant account are listed in your monthly accounts. To do this it’s advisable to invest in a good quality accounting package such as QuickBooks Online accounting software.
You may be able to approach your bank for a merchant account, but it can be hard for SMEs to be successful in applying for merchant accounts if you don’t have a solid business history. So you can also go through an online system in the meantime, like PayPal, but make sure that you do as you would when choosing any financial service, and compare costs, charges and restrictions before choosing your supplier.
#2 – Set up a payment gateway – This is a system designed specifically for e-commerce sites that authorizes online payments. It’s like a POS terminal in a shop, and basically deals with the actual physical side of transaction processing. It also protects the details of the payee’s card by encrypting details such as the PIN number or security code.
Be aware though, that not all payment gateway systems offered by merchant account providers are compatible to every type of online shopping cart portal. So be prepared to check out whether your system is compatible with your cart. Go for a gateway that’s proven to be reliable and doesn’t ‘drop out’ or spend hours buffering right in the middle of a customer’s transaction.
Obviously, any gateway you choose should be one that can be linked in to your WordPress account, but the key to encouraging your customers to buy from you and use your checkout is security, particularly AVS (address verification system) protection.
#3 – Get an SSL Certificate – An SSL or Secure Socket Layer Certificate is used to ensure the identity and genuineness of a site or server. It does this encrypting the data during the transaction and is generally available from your web host for between $20-$80 a year. It’s a small price to pay to give your customers that extra level of protection and peace of mind.
#4 – Choose a WordPress plug-in – The great thing about WordPress is that it already has a great selection of plug-in shopping carts. This makes it easier to pick one that’s compatible with the gateway system you’re using to verify transactions. Free and Paid for plug-ins are on offer, but our advice is go for the best one that you can afford, as this will enable you to future-proof your online business and ensure maximum protection for your customers.
This way, the world’s most popular CMS – WordPress can double up and act as your ecommerce website.
