Accepting Credit Card Payments Through Your Web Site

If you're selling a product on the Internet, accepting credit card payments and enabling your customers to purchase your products through your web site is a must. However, if you're just starting out, you may not be sure where to start.

Sure, you'll need a web site and product, but how will you accept credit card payments through your web site? Will you need a merchant account? How much will it cost? Are there monthly fees? If you have a digital product, how will you deliver your product to your customer? The process can be very intimidating. However, after reading this article, you will see just how simple it really is.

When the Internet first began, there weren't many choices when it came to accepting payment through your web site. You either had a merchant account, which was usually quite costly, or you had to provide a mailing address for your customers to 'snail' mail you checks and money orders. Eventually, online business owners were able to accept checks online, which made things a little easier.

Today, however, there are many options when it comes to accepting credit card payments through your web site. Online payment processors will enable you to begin accepting payments - in a matter of days - without a merchant account or monthly fees. You are usually only charged a fee when and if you make a sale.

Credit Card Payment Processing Companies

The two most popular payment processors for online businesses are ClickBank and PayPal:

ClickBank http://www.clickbank.com

ClickBank is a payment processing service that will enable you to sell digital products. They will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Eurocard, Visa-Debit, MasterCard-Debit, Novus credit cards, electronic checks and PayPal. Services are available for US and non-US merchants.

They charge a small one-time activation fee and a small fee per sale. However, they do not charge a monthly fee. If you don't make any sales, there are no additional fees.

ClickBank also enables you to have your own affiliate program, which will enable you to increase the sales of your product. They provide a market place where you can advertise your products and affiliate marketers can learn how they can sell your products for a commission of the sales.

One of the best benefits of using ClickBank is that they handle everything for you. Not only do they take care of all the money and pay your affiliates, but they also send you a check twice a month for the sales that have been made.

PayPal http://www.paypal.com

PayPal will enable any business or consumer with an email address to securely send and receive payments online. You can also accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover credit cards and electronic checks. You can sell with PayPal through an online auction, on your own web site, or as part of an online marketplace. They also offer recurring billing. There are no setup fees. However, they charge a small fee per transaction. Services are available for US and non-US merchants.

Like ClickBank, PayPal has a market place where you can list your product; however, there is a fee. Unlike ClickBank, affiliates cannot sign up to sell your product through PayPal. Instead, if you want an affiliate program, you must set up your own affiliate system.

One of the best benefits of opening a PayPal account is that it is basically an online paperless bank account. You can deposit and withdraw money, use a PayPal debit card at any store that accepts Mastercard, and even get a PayPal charge card if you'd like.

Integrating Your Payment Processor with Your Web Site

When you sign up with either ClickBank or PayPal, you will be provided with a snippet of HTML code to place within your web page. Simply paste the code into the HTML portion of your web page where you would like your button to appear. Once the button appears, your visitors can click on it to purchase your product. It's that simple.

Delivering Your Digital Product to Your Customer

When using either ClickBank or PayPal to process your payments, they will ask you to provide them with the web address of your 'Thank you' page, also known as a 'Download' page. This is the web page your customers will be sent to once they complete their purchase. This page should be used to thank your customer for purchasing your product and tell them how much their credit card has been charged and by whom. In addition, you will need to provide instructions on this page to assist your customer in downloading your product.

To create a download link on your 'Thank you' page, most servers will allow you to simply link to the file on your web server. When your customer clicks on your download link, a download window will load and enable them to save your product to their computer. If this method of linking doesn't work for you, contact your server administrator for assistance.

Online payment processing services will enable you to quickly and easily accept credit card payments through your web site. They provide a quality service for Internet marketers at a reasonable price. Visit these great sites and start accepting payment through your web site in just a matter of days. You'll be glad you did.

Copyright © Shelley Lowery

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the owner of .Web-Source.net. Join Shelley and many others who work from home. Find out how you can launch 6 automated income streams in just 24 hours. Visit: .BoardYourShip.com/workfromhome/

Developing a Profitable Internet Business

The Internet has brought opportunities that most of us never even imagined were possible. This includes the ability to quickly start a business with very little investment. The Internet has created many self-made millionaires. Many of these new millionaires made their money from the comfort of their own home. Although there are many business opportunities available online, the truth is that making money from hyped up opportunities rarely works out well. With that said, however, it really is possible to make a lot of money online, if you are willing to work for it. You must have the vision, the personal drive, and the determination to succeed.

Determination is the key word here. Without a burning determination, you will not succeed. Making money online is hard work, and many people who are on the brink of success fail simply because they give up.

So, what are the true secrets of online success? Here are some things that most successful online business people possess:

True Passion

If you are not truly passionate about your niche, and the products or services that you sell, you probably won't succeed, simply because you can't sincerely put your heart into it.

A Real Domain Name

Using free web hosting is highly unprofessional, and should be avoided. You need your own domain name for your business, along with a quality web hosting service. Anything less sends up red flags to your potential customers.

A Great Web Site

Your web site is the first impression that your potential customers have of you, so you have to make it good. Creating such a web site does take time, and if you aren't sure about what you're doing, you should hire someone to create your web site for you.

Outstanding Content

People need a reason to visit your web site. They're looking for quality content about a topic that is important or interesting to them. If you don't know how to create your own content, hire a ghostwriter to do this for you. Furthermore, if you want visitors to return time and again, you must continually provide fresh content.

Targeted Traffic

In all of your advertising endeavors, you must target the right people. If you receive hundreds or thousands of non-targeted visitors, it won't do you a bit of good, as they're not interested in what you're offering. You must ensure that you are directing your advertising dollars to the right people - the people who will want to buy your product or service.

Your Own Opt-In List

Anyone who is successful on the Internet has an opt-in list. This is true for the smallest of business owners and major corporations alike. With an opt-in list, you have the ability to bring potential customers back to your site over and over again - as long as they remain a subscriber on your opt-in list.

A Great Product or Service

You have to believe in the products or services that you are selling. Whether it is your own product or an affiliate product, your belief in that product is what matters, as you will be able to inspire others to make a purchase.

Outstanding Sales Copy

Sales copy has always been tricky, but there really is a formula that works. You should take a course in writing sales copy, or hire a professional copywriter to develop your sales copy for you. Sales copy should reflect your passion and excitement, as well as the benefit that the customer will receive from the product or service being offered.

A Strategic Marketing Plan

Developing a successful Internet marketing strategy will play a major role in your success. You must use both short-term and long-term marketing strategies to drive continuous targeted traffic to your web site. Short term marketing strategies, such as purchasing advertising, bring a temporary increase in traffic. Long-term marketing strategies, such as an opt-in list, continue to produce results for years.

Trust and Credibility

Trust and credibility is also an important part of your success. People want to know that you are a human being - not a corporation. They want to hear from you personally, and this can be accomplished with your opt-in list. You have to let your potential customers know that you are indeed an expert in your field, and that you can be trusted. This is done through the words that you say, the products that you offer, and how you conduct yourself online.

The Ability to Accept Numerous Types of Payment

You must have the ability to accept credit cards, but you should also be able to accept electronic checks, payments via PayPal, and even offer your customers the ability to pay by mail. The more payment options you have available, the more sales you will make.

Overall, you must have the right attitude for success. Keep a positive outlook, figure out what it is that you need to do, and get it done with full force and determination.

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is a successful well-known Internet Marketer and owner of several successful sites, including http://www.Web-Source.net. Would you like an easier way to make money online without designing your own site or product? Learn how to easily generate thousands of dollars every month with this secret residual income system on complete autopilot. Visit http://www.boardyourship.com/workfromhome/

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Ebook Marketing: How to Drive Traffic to Your Site With Ebooks

If you're looking for a great way to drive traffic to your web site, creating and distributing free ebooks may be your answer.

Although there are several different types of ebooks, this article will focus on HTML compiled ebooks.

Ebooks or electronic books are compressed files of HTML that are distributed and presented within one downloadable file. This file does not require any installation and will open on your readers desktop simply by clicking on it.

Ebooks are completely interactive with the Internet and can contain just about everything a standard web page contains, such s live links, graphics, forms, JavaScript, and video. They can also be protected with a username and password and can be prevented from being passed around by only displaying on one computer.

What's more, you can even create a shareware version of your ebook that will either expire at a specified time, or only allow your potential customers to view certain pages and prompt them to purchase the full version.

Another great feature ebooks provide is the ability to create special fields within your ebook that can be changed by your readers if you so choose. This provides a great way to create promotional ebooks for your affiliates and allow them to include their own affiliate ID.

The possibilities are endless!

Please note: If you would like to create an ebook with any of the above features, not all ebook software programs offer these features. Please ensure you select an ebook software that will meet your needs.

Creating an Ebook to Use as a Viral Marketing Tool

Although ebooks make great products that you can sell online, they also make great marketing tools.

Offering a quality free ebook on your web site is a great way to get your visitors to come back to your web site and obtain repeat traffic.

This can be accomplished by including links to further information on your web site within your ebook and providing your readers with special offers.

Writing Your Ebook

The key to writing an effective free ebook is to select a subject that will be of interest to your target market. If your web site focuses on web site traffic, you may want to write an ebook on generating traffic.

For example, you could write an ebook, such as, "A Complete 'How To' Guide to Generating Massive Traffic to Your Site." Include several references to your site throughout your ebook, such as 'For even more great traffic generating tips, visit 'Traffic Tips' - Your complete source for generating massive traffic to your web site.

Increasing the Distribution of Your Ebook

Although giving your ebook to your visitors and obtaining repeat traffic is a good marketing strategy, allowing your visitors to distribute your ebook is a great strategy.

If your ebook is good, here is an example of how powerful your ebook can be:

10 of your visitors download your ebook. Your 10 visitors each give away 10 ebooks - 100 Those 100 each give away 10 ebooks - 1000 Those 1000 each give away 10 ebooks - 10,000 Those 10,000 each give away 10 ebooks - 100,000 Those 100,000 each give away 10 ebooks - 1,000,000

For massive distribution, make sure you include a short paragraph on your main page in regard to your copyrights and distribution. For example, if you're allowing your ebook to be freely distributed, let your readers know by giving them permission. Your text might look something like this:

This ebook may be freely distributed, used as a free bonus with any products you may be selling, included within membership sites and packages, and used as an incentive to gain new subscribers to your publication.

The key to using this technique effectively is to create a quality ebook that contains powerful information that will be of interest to your target market - not just any information, but information that your target market will be absolutely passionate about. Information that they would pay for and are just dying to get their hands on!

Please keep in mind, you can't write a cheap little ebook of little or no value, filled with ads, and expect it to be successful. Your ebook must be good enough to actually sell to be good enough to use as a viral marketing tool.

Ebooks can provide Internet marketers with one of the best viral marketing tools online. By creating a small, quality ebook that contains in-demand information, you can produce an on going promotional tool that will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week for years to come. Your ebook will have the potential to be viewed by millions of Internet users simply by giving it away.

If you would like to see an example of a powerful free ebook, visit http://ebookstarter.com/download/es_ebook.zip to download eBooks: A Complete Guide to Publishing. Note: You must have the ability to view windows files.

Copyright © 2007 Shelley Lowery

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the creator of eBook Starter - Give your ebooks the look and feel of a real book, notebook, manual or report with the first ebook software that includes an editor and built in templates. Simply select your template, type or paste in your text & compile. http://www.eBookStarter.com