smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

As a small business owner, an online presence is becoming increasingly vital to generate sales and sustain return business. With the advent of search engines like Google, consumers can easily find the service they need using keywords and tend to go for companies high up the search rankings.

For Small to Medium-sized enterprise owners, this means that the market is that much more competitive. A user-friendly website is essential to make sure that your customers can search for products easily and just as vital is an easy method of payment. Google has launched Google Checkout, a new way to accept card payments for your online store aimed to help retailers streamline the shopping process for their customers.

Shoppers can find stores that accept Google Checkout by looking for the Google Checkout icon on AdWords advertisements or whenever they come across the option on a retailer's site.

If they want to use the service, they simply create a Google Checkout login right from the retailer's site with a single username and password by entering basic information - their contact details, payment preferences and shipping information - and they only have to do it once. Customers can use a variety of cards to process their payment, including Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, Switch, Solo, Delta, and Electron.

Until the end of 2007, Google is offering free processing to retailers for each sale. Thereafter, there will be a charge, but for every £1 you spend on AdWords you can process £10 in sales for free through Google Checkout.

To find out more about Google Checkout and how to integrate the service onto your site, click here.

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