Having a smooth payment process can be key in keeping your customers happy. By producing a good and secure online payment page, you are likely to increase long-term revenue and customer retention rates. This is why we've compiled this short guide to online payment pages.

Payment pages - explained

Payment pages refer to forms allowing for customers to undertake online payments. Good payment forms are focused on simplicity and security. To streamline the customer experience, it is advisable to have a few fields for a client to fill out. Important fields include name, email address, address, card number, expiration date, and CVV. Of course, it is crucial that your payment page is secure to ensure a safe customer experience when accepting payments online.

Creating a simple online payment page

If possible, avoid having users create an account for signup. This just slows down the payment process and makes it more likely for customers to stop halfway through. Also, by prepopulating as many fields as possible for the customer, you streamline their experience and make it less likely for people to abandon their cart. It also helps to provide real-time validation and ensure that errors are communicated clearly through error messages.

Another way to improve customer experience is to offer multiple payment options. Different people will have different preferences when it comes to their favorite payment form. If you have international customers, it can be useful to localize your payment page. Have a set of languages to view the payment page in and ensure you support multiple currencies.

Creating a secure online payment page

Firstly, it is important to ensure you have a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate for your page to ensure secure payment. SSL is online payment security technology, encrypting communications to ensure eg credit card data is inaccessible to third parties. This is crucial in establishing a secure payment page. Another key part of safe payment processing is PCI DSS requirements. These ensure that all card data is stored, handled, and transmitted safely. Also, integrating PCI DSS compliance is mandatory for any business that takes card payments or financial information. You can also improve payment security by sticking to asking for minimum information.

There are more steps you can take to make it safer to accept payments done online. You can eg include a CAPTCHA code verifier field. As a minimum, you should identify clients by asking them to enter an email and password.

How to create an online payment page

The options are to outsource the creation of the payment page or build on yourself. Both options have advantages - outsourced payment pages are simple, secure, and relatively inexpensive. However, developing a page in-house comes with a greater degree of control and flexibility. Choosing one option over the other is best done by looking at the state of your company.