Ecommerce Dos and Don’ts for High Risk Merchant Accounts

 Many high risk merchants enjoy great success with their ecommerce businesses because they are able to take advantage of the convenience and speed of the Internet to attract customers and drive business. There are many business operating methods that work well for ecommerce businesses, and many that do not. One of the most important steps new merchants need to take when they begin their ecommerce business is to develop a relationship with a high quality high risk merchant services company, because high risk processing is a vital part of running a successful business in this industry. 

Other important Do’s and Don’ts include some of the following: 

Do’s:

1.      Do create a website that compliments your business and is easy to use. Most of your customers will first come into contact with your business by viewing your website. High risk merchants need to ensure that their site is clear, informative and easy to use. This usually means that they will need to hire a professional to create the website—particularly if you do not want the site to appear amateurish. The web company should register your site using a .com name if possible, and the name should be descriptive of what it is your business provides clients.

2.      Do learn ways to improve your search engine rankings. Merchants can keep an eye on their competitors’ rankings themselves and try to learn how they are able to rank so highly. Consider utilizing the SEO services of a professional company to assist along the way.

3.      Do hire a top quality high risk merchant services company to perform payment processing. You will want to hire a high risk processor who understands the changing needs of today’s ecommerce merchants. The company you choose should be able to accept a range of credit cards and become a partner with you as you grow your business. Because today’s ecommerce merchants deal with customers all over the world, your processor needs to have the capability to handle transactions at all hours of the day and night, and they should also be skilled with reducing the number of fraudulent transactions your business has to deal with on a monthly basis. 

Don’ts

1.      Don’t turn customers off with a misleading or confusing website. Since the first impression your customers will have of your business will more than likely be your website, make sure that it is reflective of your ethics. Clearly post all product or service prices, and make the checkout process as smooth as possible. Your customers should be reminded to carefully enter all card information only once in order to make sure the high risk merchant services company does not inadvertently charge them repeatedly.

2.      Don’t assume your high risk processor will catch all credit card fraud attempts. It’s best to not only institute your own security measures, but also to clearly state that you will prosecute all fraudulent transactions under the full extent of the law. You may also want to implement additional measures such as shipping to only physical addresses and making calls to some of your customers.

3.      Don’t take delineation as high risk merchants as an excuse to become lax on security measures. Even though there are many industries that are classified as high risk, merchants who are working in these areas can still take very positive measures towards reducing chargebacks and improving their business credit history. Merchants in high risk ecommerce businesses have a great opportunity to show their merchant account providers that they are committed to good business practices.

High Risk Processor specializes in High Risk Merchant Accounts, High Volume Merchant Accounts and Offshore Merchant Accounts. High Risk Merchant Accounts include such industries as mail order, telephone orders, adult entertainment industry, direct marketing industry, dating, online dating and escort services, outcall services, travel, telecom, timeshares industry, herbal supplements, diet companies, subscription services, membership services and clubs, ticket sales, MLM merchant accounts, multi-level marketing businesses, bail bonds, pawn shops, water filtration systems merchants, collection agencies, auto rental companies, rare coin and collectible shops, computers, custom design products, software sales and service, detective services, door to door sales, massage parlors, gun shops, hair restoration services, cosmetic surgery, high-end ticket sales, high volume merchant accounts, home based and telecommuting businesses, fortune tellers, infomercial merchant accounts, insurance products, investment products, custom jewelry sales, multi level marketing, MLM organizations, phone sales, internet businesses, seminars, educational institutions, sports collectibles, used auto sales, water purifier sales, weight loss centers, vitamin and herbal supplement stores, international merchants, companies facing high chargebacks, etc.