Set up an Online Payment System With a Simple Payment Button

For many business owners, the incentive for creating a business website comes down to one thing: selling products or services. Typically, this is accomplished through business marketing; however, selling a product or service directly through your website can help as well. For this reason, it’s important to have an online payment system in place.

When many people think of online payment systems, the first thing that comes to mind is a full-blown ecommerce store. While this is certainly a popular option for large businesses, this type of solution can prove to be a bit overwhelming for smaller (or newer) businesses to develop themselves.

Fortunately, Jetpack developed a solution to this problem called the Simple Payment Button.

The Simple Payment Button helps you embed a payment system into your site without needing to set up a full store. This allows your customers to submit their payments with the click of a button, and you’ll receive each payment via your PayPal account.

Unsure of how to get started? Let’s review how to set up an efficient online payment system for your business using the Simple Payment Button.

How to add a Simple Payment Button to your website

As long as you have a Premium or Professional Jetpack plan, you can add a Simple Payment Button anywhere on your business website. All you have to do is navigate to the top left corner of your WordPress Visual Editor, click Add, and select Payment Button from the dropdown menu.

This directs you to a new screen where you’ll be prompted to input more details about the payment button you want to create. Provide details about what you’re selling, its price, your preferred form of currency, and the email address for your PayPal account. If you don’t yet have a PayPal account, sign up for one for free. You can also add an image of your product or service offering if you desire, plus allow more than one purchase at a time.

Some ideas for accepting payments and donations

There are dozens of ways that you can use the Simple Payment Button to collect online payments for your business venture. For example, you can choose to accept payments for digital products, like eBooks and PDF downloads. You can then email these items to your customers after they submit their payments.

You might also consider collecting charitable donations directly through your website. If you set up a Simple Payment Button, users can donate to a charity close to your heart. Maybe you run a pet supply business, and you give site visitors the option to donate to your local animal shelter. There’s no need to set up a third-party fundraising page first. Your Simple Payment Button eliminates the need for any third-party services.

Making payment collection simpler

One of the fantastic things about the Simple Payment Button is that it blends beautifully with existing WordPress websites. If your business website has been online for a while and you’re settled on its theme and layout, the button will integrate into your existing site design, so there’s no need to rebuild anything.

It’s important to note that you can place multiple Simple Payment Buttons on a page, or you can place the same button on multiple pages. This process is similar to inserting a call to action into your pages, as these buttons will encourage site visitors to make purchases no matter which page of your site they are currently looking at.

The Simple Payment Button works through PayPal, but your customers don’t need to have PayPal accounts to use it. They can pay with their credit or debit cards instead — whatever’s most convenient for them.

Going beyond Simple Payments with dedicated eCommerce

By using the Simple Payment Button, you’ll make it quick and easy for your site visitors to make purchases. This is a great option for the majority of website owners, but for those who want to take their eCommerce stores to the next level, consider looking into WooCommerce.

WooCommerce is a free plugin that allows you to sell almost anything through your WordPress website. The best part is that it was built to integrate seamlessly with WordPress.com. WooCommerce is a popular eCommerce solution that gives website owners and their developers complete control.

By using the many free and premium WordPress extensions, you can also offer bookings, memberships, and even recurring subscriptions through your website. Perhaps you’d like to sell monthly subscriptions for physical goods, or even offer your members a discount on digital downloads? Whatever your needs may be, it’s all possible with WooCommerce.

No matter the size of the store you want to build, WooCommerce will scale to meet your requirements. If you’re considering building an eCommerce website, here’s a great resource that can help you get started with WooCommerce.

Begin accepting online payments today

To recap, there are many ways that your business can start leveraging Jetpack’s Simple Payment Button. Whether you want to sell digital or physical products, accept payments for appointments, or collect donations through your website, the Simple Payment Button can help turn your dream into reality.

No matter what kind of business you run or the types of products or services you offer, the Simple Payment Button is a great tool when you’re looking to begin processing payments through your website.

Are you currently using Simple Payment Buttons on your site? If so, we’d love to hear about how you’re using them, and the positive impacts they’ve had on your website. Tell us your story in the comments section below!

Nathan Reimnitz

Nathan is a full-time freelancer working for Codeable.io, Clarity.fm, LinkedIn ProFinder & GoDaddy Pro