Blogs
have evolved to become e-commerce fronts for many online entrepreneurs.
We’ve come a long way from the time when blogs merely served as online
journals for those willing to share details of their daily lives to
others. Bloggers don’t just rely on ad words anymore to monetise their
work and people are using their blogs to sell products that help them
earn extra on the side.
Importance of Payment Processing Systems for Bloggers
Some bloggers still accept payments through bank deposits
but the problem with this system is that it’s really time consuming. It
takes plenty of time to check the account online for funds that have
come through and you’ve to double check it with the customer’s orders
and their account details first. While this is not bad per-se (hey, it’s
still money coming in), it really takes up more than a bit of time.
Having a payment processing system can help automate this for bloggers.
It’ll free them from this task and help them give more of their time and
attention to other parts of running a blog, like writing and fulfilling
orders.
Security
is another issue that payment processing systems can help bloggers
with. Bloggers can reassure their customers that their financial
information is safe when they purchase something from the site if they
have a payment processing system in place.
Payment Processing System Options for Bloggers
Bloggers
have several options to choose from when deciding to integrate a
payment processing system on their blog. Here are a few of them:
PayPal
One
of the most popular ways of getting paid online is through PayPal.
Merchants can sign up for a PayPal account so they could accept payments
from customers with a credit card,
a debit card or another PayPal account. PayPal reassures merchants
through their Seller Protection program that they will cover the full
amount of the payment when the seller receives an unauthorised payment
or when the buyer claims they never received the item. Merchants only
have to follow postage requirements and this can be done by choosing a
reputable shipper that provides proof of delivery.
Online Banking
Online
banking is one option for getting paid for bloggers, especially in
areas where a large portion of the population may not have a credit card
or debit card. This is popular in India and this system works by
putting a gateway on the blog to the customer’s bank where they can
authenticate and approve the payment themselves.
Third Party Merchants
Third
party merchants are another way for bloggers to start accepting credit
cards. Like PayPal, merchants have to pay a fee or a percentage of the
transaction to avail of this service.
Payment Processing Systems Make it Easier to Monetise a Blog
Bloggers
are making money on their blogs not just through ad words or by
offering space to advertisers anymore and are also using their blogs as a
way to sell products to the public. Bloggers have several options to
choose from when they do decide to get a payment processing system for
their site. They can even choose a combination of all of these options
so they can offer a wider array of payment options to their customers.
However, this may complicate the processing of orders so it could also
be best to stick to one form of payment especially if the vast majority
of customers prefer one type of system over the other.
When
making the choice, it should be noted that over 90% of online B2C
transactions in North America are made with a credit card. Bloggers who
get the bulk of their customers or audience from this region should
therefore make sure that the payment processing system they choose
should accept credit cards.
With
a payment processing system in place, bloggers are now free to work on
other tasks for their blog. They can also reassure their customers that
their credit card information is safe even if they use it to purchase
stuff from the blog. Payment processing systems helps make it easier for
bloggers to monetize their blogs. Many of these systems have made it
easy for bloggers to integrate their systems into blogs and websites so
that even bloggers without a lot of technical know-how can take
advantage of the many benefits of having a payment processing system in
place.
