Accepting payment through your website is an absolute essential part of doing business on the Internet. If you're not accepting online payments and processing orders online, you're losing a massive amount of business. Studies have shown, you can increase your online sales up to 400% simply by accepting credit cards. In addition, by offering a combination of payment options, you can increase your sales even further.

With today's advanced technology, you can start accepting payment through your website almost instantly (depending on the service you select). Preparing your website to process orders online can be as simple as pasting some HTML code within your web page.

There are many professional companies online that will enable you to accept payment through your website without a merchant account. These companies are known as third party payment processing companies and provide an invaluable service for homebased businesses.

Most companies will enable you to accept all major credit cards and electronic checks. Some companies will also provide telephone billing and recurring billing for paid subscription and membership sites. There may or may not be a set up fee and there are usually no monthly fees. Some companies charge a "percentage" and a "per transaction" fee. While others simply charge a set percentage fee per transaction. They will process your orders and send you payment for all your orders processed, minus their fee and a reserve fee.

A reserve fee is withheld to cover any charge backs you may have. If you have no charge backs within a period of time, your reserve will be refunded to you. Each company has their own guidelines in regard to reserves.

Once you've applied with a company and/or have been approved and paid the setup fees, you can immediately begin accepting payment. You will then be provided with special coding to place within the HTML of your order page. When your customer clicks on your order link or image, they will be taken to the processor's secure server to process their purchase. Once their order has been processed, they will then be directed back to a page on your website that you specify. This page may be a download page, or even a "complete your purchase" page that you can use to collect your customers' name and email address and then direct them to your download page.

Once your customer places an order, you will instantly receive an email notification letting you know that you've made a sale. Your account will be instantly credited, minus the company fee, and you will be paid according to the company's payment schedule.

Third party processing companies are great for startup businesses, as if you don't make any sales, you won't be charged a fee. You are only charged a fee when and if you make a sale.

The following third party processing companies will enable you to accept payment through your website:

=> 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 and electronic checks. You can sell with PayPal through an online auction, on your own website, or as part of an online marketplace. They also offer recurring billing. There are no setup fees. They charge 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. Services available for US and non-US merchants.

=> ClickBank
http://www.clickbank.com

ClickBank will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Eurocard, Visa-Debit, MasterCard-Debit, Novus cards and electronic checks.

They charge a one-time $49.95 activation fee, and a $1 + 7.5% fee per sale. There are no monthly fees. The great thing about this company is that they'll enable you to run an affiliate program. Services available for US and non-US merchants.

=> 2Checkout.com
http://www.2checkout.com/

2Checkout.com enables you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. They also offer recurring billing and a free shopping cart. There is a $49 set up fee. There are no monthly fees. They charge 5.5% + $0.45 fee per sale. Services available for US and non-US merchants.

Accepting payment through your website is an essential part of your online success. Don't put it off another day. Take your time and select a company that will best suit your needs. It will be well worth your effort.