Creating a Standout Online Payment Form

In theory, adding an online payment form to your website seems like a simple task. After all, more sites daily are adding web acceptance to their payment arsenal. It’s essential to keep in mind that just like everything else, your business has plenty of options when it comes to adding a secure checkout page. You need to carefully consider your target market and ensure your web form is built to obtain a high completion rate. But how do you best accomplish this? Read on to learn more.

What is an online payment form?

Online payments are popular and widespread. Nearly all services and products are represented on the web. An online payment form allows your clients to make payments at any time and on any internet-capable device. It is essential for a strong customer experience. Compared to e-commerce shopping carts, online payment forms are more limited but still robust enough to accommodate simple recurring and one-time purchases. At its core, the form collects essentials customer and payment details to submit payment authorization for approval.

How can you create an online payment form?

Third-Party Online Payment Form

As an online business, your customers expect a user-friendly web payment solution. A third payment software can offer you this and many more advantages, including:

• Secure Payments – A third-party software guarantees safe online payment form solutions. In a world surrounded by fraud, facilitating safe payments can put you a step ahead of competitors.
• Simplicity – Third-party solutions offer you a simple and proven online payment form solution.
• Affordability – Third-party solutions are outsourced and have low upfront and ongoing costs.

Setting Up an Online Payment Form Using Third-Party Software

1. Research and Analyze Your Options – There are plenty of online payment form vendors on the market. To find the best one, you will have to do some digging. Make sure you confirm the setup fees, additional charges, and the funding practices used. Don’t forget to verify if the provider will integrate with any related management software on-hand.
2. Set Up a Merchant Account – After choosing a software service provider, you should consider setting up a merchant account. This option guarantees lower fees, faster funding, and a bunch of other benefits. Your software provider can assist you in finding a fully integrated solution.
3. Create and Design Your Payment Form – Most forms provide a couple of customization tools that you can use to add your logo or other elements of your brand. You can then set up the cost for the services or products you are selling.
4. Transition to Online Payments – Having completed all these steps, you are now ready to start the online payment transition. Start by notifying your customers of this new payment option via social media and email.

In-House Online Payment Form 

On the other hand, creating your online payment solutions has its perks. They include:

• Full Customization Capabilities – The main advantage of creating your online payment form in-house is you have total control to create a fully customized tool.
• Scale with Ease – Should there come a time when you want to expand your online payment functionality, an in-house solution makes it easier to revise and update the code.

Setting up an Online Payment Form Using In-House Solutions

1. Ask for Help – If you are skilled in coding and setting up connections, you can proceed. Otherwise, hire an expert to get the task completed quickly and correctly.
2. Set Up a Hosting Platform – The second step is to set up a hosting platform. Because the online payment form will gather sensitive financial details, it is imperative that you safeguard it by applying an SSL.
3. Register with a Digital Authentication Service – The purpose of this is to certify your site is valid and confirm you will be encrypting financial data.
4. Build the Payment Form – With the help of a developer, you can build a fully-custom payment form and integrate it with your website.
5. Integrate with Payment Processor – Ensure your merchant provider can link to your custom web form. Working on an open API basis assist this.
6. Testing and Launch  – Ensure the form is fully vetted using all available payment forms in a test scenario. If all is well, you can light up the form and have customers sending online payments your way lickedy-split.

Tips to Creating a Simple Online Payment Form 

Irrespective of which option you choose, it is vital that your online payment platform is easy to use. These tips will help you create a simple yet secure online payment form.

• Ensure it is easy to read by using upfront and bold fonts and colors.
• Stick to a natural flow by using top aligned fields that have the fastest completion times.
• It is essential that you lay out the destination. For instance, buttons such as “continue” or “submit” should be visible.
• Keep your forms short and only collect essential information. This prevents customer frustration.

Which Option is Better – In-House or Third Party?

When making this decision, weigh your business needs and available resources. If you are a small enterprise and lack the necessary skills to develop an online payment form, it’s better that you go with a third-party solution. They provide the most bang for your buck. However, if you can accommodate an in-house solution, the advantages of a fully custom online payment experience are hard to beat. Ultimately, you need to research both options and make the best decision for your business goals.

At Payment Savvy, we’ve spent the last decade building custom payment solutions for each of our clients. Whether you have questions on what makes an online payment form successful or are looking for an all-in-done payment system – let our team of experts provide you with the knowledge necessary to create the ultimate payment arsenal for your business.