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In this article:\nDo I need a restaurant feedback system?\n3 easy ways to get restaurant customer feedback\nTexting simplifies immediate feedback process\nThe importance of online reviews\nRestaurant customer satisfaction survey\nHow to get useful restaurant customer feedback is an age-old problem for restaurateurs. The operative word here is “useful.” Every restaurant will have some grumpy customers who love to complain and make their opinions heard, and today these diners trumpet their criticisms through reviews on Yelp, Google, TripAdvisor, and OpenTable.\nWhile you can’t (and shouldn’t) ignore these detractors, you need a more comprehensive view of how patrons are experiencing your restaurant. So, how can you get inside your customers’ heads to know what’s working and what isn’t?\nYou don’t really need a specific “restaurant feedback tool.” Here are three easy steps you can implement to know what your customers are thinking.\n1. \nAsk restaurant customers to text you their feedback\nYour customers have opinions about what you’re serving up, and they want to be heard. But, are you getting the message?\nReceiving feedback via text is one of the lowest-lift, simplest ways to interact with your patrons. Consider this: Research shows that 92% of people will stop visiting a restaurant after just one bad dining experience, but 90% say they’ll return to that restaurant if they are able to speak with management.\nToday, most people prefer to communicate via text, particularly if they have anything that might be somewhat negative to say.\nThat’s why texting is a great way to get more restaurant feedback. It gives your patrons the unique opportunity to converse with you directly, which means they’re more likely to tell you exactly how they feel—the good and the bad—so you can improve the customer experience and keep more customers loyal.\nafrican american woman texting customer satisfaction review restaurant\n\n2. \nRemind restaurant customers to post online reviews via Google My Business, TripAdvisor, etc.\nOnline reviews can make or break a restaurant. In fact, research shows that 95% of people look at review sites when choosing a place to dine.\nBasically, online review sites are your new homepage if you run a local restaurant.\nOnline reviews are great sources of customer feedback, and the more you have the more likely it is that new diners will find your business.\nAnd, getting regular reviews is vital, so you need to find a way to encourage customers to share their feedback about your restaurant online. If you don’t have reviews, start taking matters into your own hands. Research shows that 70% of people will leave an online review if asked — so, ask!\nYou might also like: \n4 steps of an effective marketing strategy for your restaurant\n3. \nAsk restaurant customers to complete a feedback/satisfaction survey\nIf you want to delve a little deeper inside of your customers’ minds, creating a restaurant feedback survey is the way to go. Conducting a survey gives you the opportunity to pick a specific area that you want to examine—your customer service, your menu, etc.—and ask your customers questions about it.\nSurveys are also a great way to discover customer trends that you can use in marketing material and to help you make strategic changes. But, it’s not always easy getting customers to complete surveys. Here are a three keys to consider:\nMake it short and sweet.\n No one wants to spend more than a couple minutes responding, so make the survey short and easy to complete.\nMake it accessible.\n Provide a link to the survey on receipts, the menu, your website—put it everywhere. You can also send out an email or include a “leave us feedback” box on your website or app.\nOffer incentives. \nEveryone likes a free drink or dessert. Offer your customers a special reward if they complete the survey, and they’ll be more likely to do it.\nIn the end, customers want to be heard. If you pay attention to what they’re saying, you can improve your business and build a loyal customer base. 

3 easy ways to get restaurant customer feedback

In this 6-minute read:\n4 advantages (for vendors) of accepting card payments\n5 advantages (for businesses) of paying vendors and suppliers with a credit card\nHow you can pay nearly anyone using a credit card\nThough consumer credit card use is growing by leaps and bounds, business-to-business credit card payments are still not as widely adopted. In fact most businesses still pay at least half of their bills using paper checks.\nThe reasons some vendors and suppliers don’t accept credit card payments are varied, but primarily the concern is the added fees associated with credit card processing.\n\nCredit card processors\n and \nthird-party payments facilitators\n generally charge between 2% and 5% to businesses that accept these payments, and for some vendors, these fees can eat up a significant portion of their profit—or all of it. \nHowever, there are several advantages to both payer and payee when you source your business bill payments using a credit card.\nLet’s go over a few perks (for the vendor) if they accept card payments, and then we’ll talk about why paying vendors and suppliers using a credit card can provide more than just convenience for you and your business.\nAdvantages (for vendors) of accepting digital payments\nSo why should vendors and suppliers consider accepting credit card payments? Here are just a few benefits: \n1. Credit card payments are much faster than mailing a check\nCredit card payments are reconciled nearly instantly, so vendors get their money much faster than when you mail them a check. This means they can balance their accounts faster and more accurately. \n(Image)\n\n2. Credit card payments are more secure\nThere are multiple levels of validation and identity confirmation happening behind the scenes whenever your vendors accept a credit card, particularly if they use EMV chip validation. The risks associated with accepting a check include insufficient funds, identity fraud, etc. \nCredit card processors help assume the risks (which is part of why they charge a fee), so vendors can be more confident of the funds arriving in full when they accept digital payments.\n3. It can help make a vendor’s business more “legitimate”\nCredit card processing companies generally have a robust underwriting process as a part of approval, so when a vendor accepts credit cards, it can give their business more legitimacy and credibility than if they only accept cash or checks. Some consumers will only do business with companies that accept credit cards, and this feeling can translate over when those consumers start businesses of their own.\nAlso, vendors and suppliers are in constant fear of being outbid and outperformed by their competition. If the competition is accepting credit cards and you aren’t, and prices are similar, the vendor that accepts digital payments may attract more business.\n4. Accepting cards can improve cash flow and save valuable time\nAs we discussed above, credit card payments arrive much quicker than by check—most processors can get your funds deposited into your account within a couple of days max, versus 4-6 business days for the mail to arrive, plus a few days or even a week for the check to clear a bank. And that’s AFTER whatever delay there is in getting the payer to write and mail the check in the first place, which can take weeks.\nSince your funding is available much sooner, this frees up cash flow and all the time spent preparing and sending out invoices, and processing paper checks.\nYou may also like: \nWhat’s the cheapest way to accept credit cards?\n \nAdvantages (to businesses) of paying vendors and suppliers via credit card rather than by check\nNow let’s talk about some of the benefits to businesses who pay vendors using a credit card, rather than sending paper checks.\n1. Credit card payments save time and improve cash flow for businesses\nAs noted in the section above, sending a check can take quite a few days or even weeks to complete the process and clear a bank. When you pay vendors using a credit card, you speed up the process and free up cash for other business expenses.\n2. Increased purchasing power and business credit\nSince you don’t have to pay off your card balance for at least 21 days (and often longer, if your account is in good standing), you can effectively borrow business funding at 0% (plus you get perks and rewards) to pay vendors and suppliers. \nIf you need to spend a little more than you currently have in your bank account to order supplies for a large order you’re working on fulfilling, a business credit card with an appropriate limit can make that easy. (Just be sure to pay it off once you sell the widgets you make using the supplies.)\nIn addition, as you regularly pay your credit card statement on time and use much of your available credit, you can increase the credit limit available to your business and improve your business credit rating, which can lower your interest rate for business loans and other expenses.\n3. Perks, miles, rewards, cashback, discounts\nNearly all credit cards offer perks and advantages to members, and for small businesses this can be a huge asset. You might get a price break or increased cashback for using your business card to pay vendors and suppliers.\nBusiness owners who rack up lots of airline miles using one of these cards can pay for a significant portion or even all of their business travel expenses, get discounts for business expos, enjoy free concierge service, get free car rental insurance and discounts, and much, much more.\n(Image)\n\nSome businesses use their cashback bonuses to improve their business, buy equipment, pay for employee team-building events, pay for company car maintenance, or even pay utilities. The uses for rewards points/cashback bonuses are almost limitless.\n4. Paying all your vendors, suppliers, and bills with one card vastly streamlines your accounting process\nWhen you have to keep track of expenses and bills for your business, the simpler the better. If you can move all of your monthly business expenses and vendor payments to a single card, it’s much easier to keep track of, plus you get the benefit of your credit card statement to help you keep things accurate.\n5. It’s more secure than writing a check\nWhen you pay with a credit card, your issuer and processor help absorb the risk of fraud. (This is one reason they charge fees for the service.) When you mail someone a check, you are giving them your bank account (via the routing number and account number) and your signature. \nSolo makes it easy to pay and get paid\nSolo is not a bank, but is a financial super-app for small businesses, freelancers, sole proprietors, contractors, and more. Solo is the easy way to pay and get paid. Your customers don't have to sign up to pay you, and can use several payment methods, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and cards. QR codes make it easy to get paid, and you can easily cashout your Solo account balance for free, or spend it using your Solo Cash Card anywhere Visa is accepted. Learn more at\n \nSolo.co\n.


Advantages of paying vendors and suppliers with a credit card

In this article:\nWhat is credit card processing?\nSteps and parties involved with credit card processing\nHow can credit card processing help your business?\nMost businesses are familiar with the concept of credit card processing. It allows customers to purchase items or services with their credit or debit cards in person and online. But what you might not know is that this process is much more complex behind the scenes. \nThroughout this article, we’ll walk you through how credit card processing works and why it’s important for pretty much any business. \nWhat is credit card processing?\nThe basic concept of credit card processing is that a customer swipes, “dips,” or taps their card on a terminal or enters their card information online, the payment is authorized, and the transaction is complete. However, that’s only what happens on the surface. This process is much more intricate than it seems, and it can be helpful for business owners to understand how this works. \nHow does credit card processing work?\nSo, what are the steps involved in credit card processing? It can help to understand all of the parties that are involved first. \nOf course, you have the cardholder, or customer, and the merchant (your business). Other participants include:\nThe merchant’s bank: The bank that is receiving the payment from the purchase\nThe processor: This is usually a POS (point of sale) service provider that is used for to process the payment. It may be a traditional payments processor, a third-party payments facilitator, or some extension of your bank that provides the ability to process credit cards\nCredit card network: The provider of the card itself, like Visa or Mastercard. They act kind of as a liaison between the payment processor and the banks involved\nIssuing bank: The customer’s bank that issued the credit card and where the payment is being pulled from\nKnowing each party’s involvement in the process will help us to explain exactly how this works behind the scenes. \nThere are three main steps that take place in processing a credit card transaction:\nAuthorization\nAuthentication\nClearing and settlement\nWhile it seems that everything happens immediately and the payment goes through with ease at the counter or online, the entire process can take 24-48 hours. \n(Image)\n\nLet’s start with step 1: Authorization. \nThis is the part the most of us are pretty familiar with. In this phase, the issuing bank as to give approval to the merchant to proceed with the transaction. \nThe customer gives their card to the merchant to swipe on a terminal provided by the processor, or provides their credit card number into a field online. Then an internet connection or phone line is used to send the credit card information to the merchant’s bank. \nThe merchant’s bank then passes those details along to the credit card network, and the credit card network requests authorization from the issuing bank. The authorization request includes the following information:\nCredit card number\nExpiration date\nBilling address\nCVV or security code\nTransaction amount\nStep 2: Authentication\nAuthentication is the final step that takes place in the store or online as the transaction is completed, but it isn’t the final step of the entire process. This just allows the customer to go through with their purchase and accept their goods or service. \nIn this phase, the issuing bank uses fraud protection tools like Address Verification Service (AVS) and the card’s security code to verify the credit card. \nThe issuing bank gets the authorization request from the credit card network and validates the card details and checks to see if the customer has any funds available in their account. The issuing bank then approves or declines the transaction and sends this back through the credit card network, which then passes that information onto the processor or merchant bank. \nWhen the merchant receives approval to move forward with the transaction, a hold is placed on the purchase amount in the customer’s bank account. \nThen the customer receives their receipt and continues on their day.\nThese first two steps take place in a matter of seconds, but it’s good to know how much is going on behind the scenes so that is something does go wrong, you can assess the situation from a point of knowledge and understanding. \nStep 3: Clearing and settlement\nThe final stages of the credit card process occur at the same time and over the course of the next 24-48 hours. \nAt the end of each business day, the merchant will send all approved transactions to their payment processor or bank. The processor then sends the approved transactions back to the credit card network, where the forward each approved transaction onto the issuing bank. \nThis is where the customer might see a hold or “pending” amount in the bank account until the transaction is finalized. Within 24-48 hours the issuing bank will send the funds back through the credit card network and to the processor and merchant’s bank. \nAny fees that are owed to the credit card network or payment processor will come out of these funds, and the merchant will receive the remaining amount. \nOnce everything goes through, the hold will be removed from the customer’s account and they’ll see their transaction information posted on their account. \nHow can credit card processing help your business?\nCredit card processing isn’t a new concept for small businesses. Most businesses offer some form of credit card processing, whether online, via a terminal, or even over the phone. Because it isn’t common practice to carry cash around and fewer people even have checkbooks anymore, customers expect businesses to accept credit cards. \nHaving some form of credit card processing will allow your business to have more opportunities for sales, whether you’re in retail or the service industry. \nOne thing that prevents some business owners from getting a credit card processor is the fees that are associated with it. These fees can vary a lot and may be a percentage of each transaction or a flat rate per transaction required by your service provider. While these can add up and be intimidating, the increased sales that you are likely to get from offering credit card transactions will more than make up for the increased cost. \nYou may also like: \nWhat are alternative payment methods and why should your business consider them?\n


Small business guide: What is credit card processing?

In this article:\nAccepting credit card payments without a merchant account\nPros and cons of using a third-party payment facilitator\nAdditional resources for credit card processing\nIn this day and age, it is absolutely essential for your business to have the ability to process credit card payments, no matter what type of business you have or how small it is. Customers expect the ability to just swipe their cards or run their credit card numbers to easily pay for your products or services. \nThe traditional method of running credit card payments is to apply for a merchant account through a bank, and/or get set up for accepting credit cards via a merchant processor. This can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to get the account approved and have the ability to start processing payments. However, you can possibly get better rates and  more personalized service via a traditional merchant processor, so keep that in mind.\nIf you choose not to get set up with your own merchant account and/or processor in order to accept credit card payments, today’s third-party payment facilitators are good option, particularly for truly small, one-person businesses.\n \n\nHow to accept credit card payments without a merchant account\nThird-party payment facilitators or “aggregators” (like Square, Stripe, etc.), allow you to get set up to accept credit cards quickly and usually will give you a basic card reader for free. These third-party companies generally offer simple, flat-rate processing, which some businesses prefer, though you should be aware that you’ll generally pay about 20% more for flat-rate processing than if you go throught the hassle of getting set up with a traditional payments processor and use “interchange plus” pricing.\nOne reason that you don’t need a merchant account to use a third-party payment facilitator is that each facilitator has their own large merchant account that all of the funds go through. \nSo, funds from your customers’ credit cards go through your payment facilitator, into your payment facilitator’s large merchant account, and then into your bank account. \nOne of the largest problems that business owners face with third-party services is deciding which one to use. There are dozens of options out there to choose from, so narrowing it down can quickly become overwhelming. \nNot sure if a third-party service is right for you? We’ll go over some of the pros and cons to help you make an informed decision. \nPros of using a third-party payments facilitator\nThird-party payment processors have gained popularity with new business owners in particular because of the following:\nQuick and simple set-up process that doesn’t require extensive documentation\nEasy-to-understand, flat-rate transaction fees (but remember, you may be paying more for this convenience)\nCapabilities for customers to pay online or in person\nUsually no long-term contracts\nCons of using a third-party payments facilitator\nWhile third-party solutions are simpler to set up and understand than some merchant processor accounts, there are several drawbacks to the third-party facilitators:\nThere is little to no flexibility on rates, and you will probably pay a little more for processing. Traditional merchant processors will often negotiate their rates and fees, while third-party services keep it simple with one rate system for everyone (but again, you may pay more for the convenience)\nService interruptions or cancellations can occur for businesses in specific industries (For example, some third-party facilitators don’t allow clients to sell firearms or related products—they may even let you set up an account but then cancel it when the first order goes through)\nLimited customer service; not all third-party providers offer free customer support or 24/7 support which can be a problem if your system has a malfunction late in the day. In addition, you may prefer interacting with a real person, such as your processor’s merchant-level service agent, who can talk you through the process, explain and modify your processing agreement, help with any issues, and become a trusted business advisor\nJust be sure to do your research and find the payment processor or facilitator that best suits your needs. \nCheck out this articles for more information about credit card processing fees: \nCredit card processing fees: what small businesses need to know\n\nWith almost too many credit card payment processing solutions to choose from, this task can quickly become a burden on any small business owner. We want to help make that process a little easier for you.\nSolo makes it easy to pay and get paid\nSolo is not a bank, but is a financial super-app for small businesses, freelancers, sole proprietors, contractors, and more. Solo is the easy way to pay and get paid. Your customers don't have to sign up to pay you, and can use several payment methods, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and cards. QR codes make it easy to get paid, and you can easily cashout your Solo account balance for free, or spend it using your Solo Cash Card anywhere Visa is accepted. Learn more at \nSolo.co\n.

Do I need a merchant bank account to accept credit card payments?

In this article:\nWhat things affect credit card processing fees?\nWhat types of fees and rates are available to small businesses?\nWhat are some add-on fees you need to be aware of?\nAs a small business owner, you obviously need to get paid for your offerings, whether you own a small retail business, hair salon, pet services business, or something else entirely. Credit cards have grown to become and will continue to be (in some form) the most common form of payment from your customers, so it’s important to have the right tools to be able to accept credit cards. \nWith credit card processing providers and platforms, you can offer this payment method to your customers and use it to your advantage in gaining new customers. But credit card processing can be complex (and expensive), and there are many little things that you should know and understand before committing to one processor or payments provider over another. \nWe want to walk you through the complexities of credit card processing fees, including what you should be paying, and some things you should watch out for. \nWhat are credit card processing fees?\nCredit card processing fees generally refer to the transaction fees associated with accepting a credit card or debit for payment. Many popular processing companies that cater to smaller businesses charged a fixed dollar amount plus a small percentage of the total transaction each time a credit card is processed. \nThis fee will typically vary depending on how the card is processed (in person, swiped, hand entered, online, via the phone, etc.) and other factors, which we’ll discuss below.\nThere are other fees that come into play when you decide to start processing credit cards too. We’ll go over each of these fees so that you know what to expect as you start shopping for the best credit card processing solution for your business. \nLearn more: \nSmall business guide: What is credit card processing?\nWhat things impact credit card processing fees and rates?\nBefore we dive into each type of processing fee, we want to cover some of the basic things that can impact your fees. Be thinking about these as you try to determine which platform to use. \nMethod of processing\nThe processing method of the credit card can impact your fees. Swiping or inserting a chipped credit card in-person has a lower risk of fraud and chargebacks, which allows your process or or payments provider to offer you lower processing fees. \nWhen a card isn’t physically processed—like if your customer enters their information online or pays over the phone, or if the magnetic strip or EMV chip isn’t working correctly with your point of sale (POS) hardware and the cashier has to enter the number manually—there is a higher risk for fraud since it is more difficult to protect the information, resulting in higher fees. \n(Image)\nSize of your average transaction\nMost credit card processors require a small fee to be paid with each purchase, on top of the percentage that they require. If your average purchase size is low, then you might be paying a lot more in transaction fees. \nFor example: Let’s say you have 100 $5 transactions and 5 $100 transactions and your service provider charges $0.10 for every transaction. You’d pay that $0.10 fee 100 times for the smaller transaction, but only and five times for the larger transaction. This is one reason some retailers have a minimum purchase amount required for credit card purchases. For very small purchases, it might actually cost you money to sell those items! \nConsider what your average transaction size is as you look at fees from different companies. \nBusiness type\nEvery business has a Standard Industrial Classification Code and a Merchant Category Code. These codes help card providers and processors see what kind of business their customers are involved with. Riskier businesses generally have higher fees associated with their transactions. \nThere can also be a certain amount of social pressure for processing companies to charge higher fees (or avoid providing service altogether) for some types of businesses. Firearms-related companies or shooting ranges, adult entertainment companies, and cannabis businesses are only some that have had issues getting credit card processing services at various times.\nWhat types of fees are associated with credit card processing?\nWhen it comes to credit card processing, the fees can really start to add up, which is why we encourage you to shop around and look at several different options before signing a contract. It’s important to understand what types of fees exist and how your individual business can be impacted by them. \nRemember the things that can impact your fees as you explore what types of fees generally come with credit card processing. \nMerchant account fees\nIf you are using a merchant account, there are generally two types of fees you’ll have to pay in order to process credit cards. \nInterchange fees\nInterchange fees are non-negotiable fees determined by the issuing bank and card network (like Visa or Mastercard). Whenever a customer uses their credit card, an interchange fee is charged. It’s usually a fixed dollar amount plus a small percentage, like 2% + $0.15. So, on a $10 transaction, the interchange fee would be $0.35. \nMarkup fees\nMarkup fees are the negotiable fees that your provider adds on top of their interchange fees. This is the “markup” they get for providing you this service. Again, this is generally a small percentage and fixed dollar amount on top of the interchange fee. \nOne-time fees\nSome fees are unavoidable, like transaction fees and equipment fees. But if you read the fine print, you can make sure you don’t have any hefty termination fees to pay later down the road. \nSetup fees\nSome providers charge fees for a technician to help you get set up on their payment processing software and equipment. These vary by provider, and some providers don’t require any setup fees. \nTermination fees\nTermination fees come when you cancel a contract or end your service with a provider. This is one where you’ll want to read the fine print. Make sure you understand the terms of your contract and termination fees before committing to anything. \nEquipment fees\nEquipment fees come into play when you need a terminal, phone add-on, or tablet for running credit cards in-person. Sometimes you can buy the equipment outright, and sometimes you may need to finance or lease the equipment, depending on the cost. \nRecurring fees\nBe aware of the different recurring fees you may see on your statements from credit card processing providers. Some of these may be completely unnecessary for your desired level of service, so make sure you understand exactly what you need to be paying for. \nMonthly subscription fees\nMany service providers require a monthly subscription fee for customer support and PCI compliance. If you don’t see this fee on your bill, make sure that you’ll still have access to some kind of customer support in case you run into problems. \nMonthly minimum fees\nSome providers require monthly minimum fees to ensure that they get their “cut” even when you are having a slow sales month. \nStatement fees\nIf you receive paper or online statements, your provider may require a service fee for each statement you receive. It may be called a “processing fee” or “miscellaneous fee.” Sometimes you can save this fee by opting out of mailed, paper statements.\nIRS fees\nSome providers might charge an “IRS reporting fee,” where they charge a fee to report your transactions to the IRS and provide you with the necessary documentation. This is a spammy practice that should be disputed. Most providers should do this for you at no cost. \nPCI fees\nIf your provider offers PCI compliance and support, then they may require a fee to help with this. This may be included in your monthly subscription fees. But sometimes this fee is charged when there is no benefit to the customer, so make sure you’re getting what you pay for. \nPayment gateway provider fee \nWhen you sell products/services online, those payments go through a payment gateway provider to ensure the information is encrypted and secure. Some of these providers may require fees, but several don’t have fees. Your payment processor may even have a preferred payment gateway provider that comes with their service.\nBe sure to ask if there are any additional fees for this service.\nProcessing fees\nThese fees are the general “credit card processing fees” that you may be somewhat familiar with, and they can encompass some of the fees we’ve already discussed. \nTransaction fees\nTransaction fees are the fees that occur each time a credit card is processed. They generally have a fixed dollar amount and a small percentage, similar to interchange and markup fees. Depending on the type of provider you are using, your transaction fees may be the interchange and markup fees. Some providers only charge one fixed rate per transaction.\nFlat fees\nFlat fees will vary between each type of payment processor. These are your monthly fees, equipment costs, and any other recurring fees that have the same rate each time you pay it. \nIncidental fees\nIncidental fees happen on a case-by-case basis. Generally, you’ll have an incidental fee if there is a chargeback or insufficient funds to cover the transaction. Card not present (CNP) fees may be considered incidental fees as well, if your processor charges an additional fee or a special rate for this type of transaction. \nBe sure to discuss the fee structure with your merchant services provider or processor representative so you have a very good idea of what to expect for all fees related to accepting credit cards so there are no surprises.\n(Image)\nTraditional vs. “new age” credit card processors\nTraditionally, every brick and mortar business would need to work through a merchant account and their bank to have the ability to process credit cards. It was a time-consuming and often expensive proposition to get a card reader hard-wired into the system, terminals set up at your place of business, approvals, etc. \nThis is where a lot of the fine-print (and potentially unnecessary) fees we’ve referred to can sometimes come into play. \nMerchant accounts generally have an interchange fee that is required with each transaction, and then on top of that you are required to pay the markup from your provider. \nYou can often negotiate with your merchant services provider to get preferred or lower rates, and sometimes salespeople will offer very low rates in order to sign your business. This can be to your advantage, so be sure to ask around and talk to several companies, and be sure to get the full details and read the fine print for whatever company you’re considering.\nSources:\n
\nhttps://www.creditdonkey.com/credit-card-processing-fees.html\n
\nhttps://www.fundera.com/blog/credit-card-processing-fees\n
\nhttps://www.merchantmaverick.com/clover-pos-cost\n

Credit card processing fees: what small businesses need to know

In this article:\nBefore you start: what do you need to know about designing a website?\nHow to build your website\nBest practices for designing an effective business website\nAdditional resources for your online marketing strategy\nDesigning and building a website is an essential part of marketing your business online, even for super-small, one-person concerns. Think of your business website as an extension of your business or a 24/7 sales representative that is constantly feeding your information to potential customers. \nIf you don’t have a business website yet or want to create a new one, you’re in luck. We’re going to walk you through the basic steps of planning and designing your website. We’ll also provide additional resources to help along the way. \nBefore you start designing your website\nThe planning process is almost more important than actually building the website. Before you ever start designing your site, you should have a good idea of what you want it to look like, how you want your pages laid out, and what kind of content your site will have. \nWhat pages do you want on your website?\nContent is king. You can’t have a good or useful website if you don’t have relevant content that helps guide your visitors down the sales funnel. So what kind of content do you need? What pages will you have?\nThe kind of content that you have can really help guide the design of your site, too.\nCommon pages for a basic business website might include the following:\nHome \nAbout\nServices or products\nFAQ\nContact\nLocations\nBlog\nDetermine what kind of content you want on your website and start writing it up before you start designing your site. This will make the design process go much smoother if you have content to actually place on your site as you build it. \nYou may also like: \nImportant market research questions to ask your customers\nAs you think about the pages that you want, also be thinking about how to organize your site. What pages will you place in the main navigation? Will you have interlinking between pages for customers to have multiple ways to access a page?\nIf you’re not sure what to put on your website, check out other websites for businesses within your industry. \nWhat do you want your website to look like? \nIt’s always a good idea to think about what you want for the layout of your website before you start building it. This will guide you in the process and make it easier, rather than testing out every different option that your website builder has available (there are likely tens if not hundreds of different configurations to choose from). \nLook at other websites to see what elements you like. Do you want a big home page banner with a large image or video background? Do you like the accordion layout for an FAQ page? Do you want a contact form on your contact page? Do you prefer rounded pictures or straight edges? All of this will play into the look of your website. \nOne key thing to consider here: always keep your brand at the forefront of your design. Your website should feel like an extension of your business, so make sure it looks that way too. \nThink about the color scheme that you want that matches your brand. \nWhat materials/assets should you gather before putting your site together?\nBesides your written content, there are several other assets you may need to get together before you start building your website. \nThese include:\nLogo\nHigh-quality images\nProduct information\nVideos\nPDFs and other resource-type documents\nForms\nInfographics\nCharts\nAny other media you might want\nPick out your domain name\nIt’s always a good idea to at least have some domain names picked out for your website before you get started, even if you haven’t purchased them yet. \nSome website builders will let your purchase a domain through their platform with a subscription to their hosting fees. Or you may want to go through a third-party domain registrar like GoDaddy or BlueHost. \nTo see what domains are available, visit one of these third-party registrars or the website builder you intend to use and search for the domains that you want. They will show you what is available and provide alternatives if your first pick is not available. \nHow to design your simple business website\nOnce you have your site planned out, it’s time to start the design process. \nFirst, you’ll want to find a website builder that fits the needs of your business. There are several different options available here, but some of the easier (and cheaper) options are \nSquarespace\n and Wix. \nWant more options? Check this out: \n5 best DIY websites for small businesses on a budget\nA website builder is a platform that generally has prebuilt templates that you can choose from to build your website. Most templates are easy to customize to fit the design that you are looking to create. \nFor most website building platforms, you don’t even have to call anyone to get started. You just sign up on the platform you want, choose your template, and start designing. You’ll be able to easily add the sections that you want into your website and create new pages. \nWant a deeper look? Go here: \nHow to build your own business website (step-by-step walkthrough)\n  \nWhen you are done putting together your website on the platform that you choose, you may need to sign up for a subscription or pay for the web hosting and domain fees. So be sure to have your credit card handy in order to get your site launched quickly. \nBest practices for designing your own website\nWe have a few best practices to help guide you along your web design journey.\nKeep your domain name simple\nA long and hard-to-spell domain name is not going to provide a very friendly experience for your customers. Try to find something simple and easy to remember. This will also be useful for your business emails. \nMake sure your brand is prominent\nYou want your customers to recognize this new website as your business, your brand. Make sure your logo is loud and proud on your home page (it doesn’t have to be huge, but keep it prominent). \nAlso make sure that the colors, fonts, and other styles on your website are reminiscent of your brand. If you don’t have branding guidelines, now might be a good time to implement some. \nWrite unique content\nDon’t copy and paste content from other websites. You wouldn’t think we should have to say this, but you’d be surprised how often this happens. Unique content will help you develop the tone that you want to set with your customers. \nGoogle can also detect when you have content copied from other websites, and that could hurt your search engine visibility. If you’re not comfortable writing your own content, find a freelance writer or employee to help you out. \nUse high-quality images (and other media)\nMedia will help diversify your website and keep your audience engaged with your content. Images to click through and videos to watch help increase the engagement on your site. \nThat being said, make sure that you are using high-quality images. Blurry images and slow-loading videos are a sure way to lose some credibility with potential customers. You might want to make sure to have your site reviewed by a competent web developer to make sure it’s loading as quickly as possible.\nIf you can’t afford a professional photographer, that’s okay. Most phones can take images that have good quality for websites. And you can also look through free stock photo sites like \nUnsplash\n to find beautiful images. \nCheck these articles out for more info:\n7 free stock image sites for small businesses\n3 ways to get (and use) professional photos for your business\nKeep it clean and simple\nRemember that less is more. A busy website with too much information, or flashy images and videos, or—Zeus forbid—\nsounds\n on one page can quickly become overwhelming for your visitors. \nKeep your website well-organized so that your visitors can quickly find the information they are looking for. \nPay close attention to how you set up your navigation bar. Ask several people to try to find a particular part of your site during the design process. Pay attention to any hiccups or anything people find counterintuitive. \nMany times, website designers create great-looking sites but the user experience is so confusing as to make the entire website pointless from a business perspective.\nInclude a prominent CTA (call to action)\nWhy do you have a website in the first place? To provide more information for your customers, sure, but also to get more sales!\nMake sure that you have call-to-action prominently placed on your home page and contact page (at the very least) to help guide new customers down the sales funnel. \nThis could be a phone number in your header, a “call now” button, or a “book appointment” link that points to the contact page or your online scheduling app, or even “order now” if you have taken the time to \nset up your online store\n.\nAdditional resources for your online marketing strategy\nA website is just the first step (and a very important step at that) towards improving your online visibility. \nThere are several other things that you can and should be doing to help grow your reputation online and show up in the search engines. \nHere are a few resources that can help you get started:\n\nLocal SEO: 15 free tips for better search rankings\n\n\nHow to get more reviews\n\n

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