While both the online hosting and SEO services industries are very crowded these days, it's still possible for new companies to start and do well. With good customer service, competitive prices, and skills, it's possible to do quite well. One area where a lot of businesses just starting out fumble and fail centers around merchant accounts. Finding the right one is essential to do business online these days.

Merchant Service for an SEO or Hosting Startup Business

Here are some things to keep in mind if you run a web based business that offers hosting or SEO services. As you're going to see, this type of business has to deal with issues similar to many other industries.

• Ecommerce - At the core of any SEO or hosting business online is the fact that they're primarily ecommerce businesses. While they sell services rather than products, they're going to typically be set-up with a shopping cart and other ecommerce software. A merchant account needs to be able to easily hook into the sales system seamlessly.

• Recurring Billing - For both types of businesses - SEO services and web hosting - being able to accept payments month after month automatically is essential. This is especially true if you want to scale your startup quickly. The right merchant account will give you this ability.

• Rates and Fees - If you're just starting out, the last thing you want is a lot of your revenue being used on fees for accepting payments online. With the right merchant account, you can keep your rates and fees low.

Online Business Merchant Accounts

Starting an online business in the SEO or hosting industries can be stressful enough without having to worry about how you're going to accept payments. Some people use PayPal or another service, but if you want to be taken seriously, you need to have a merchant account that allows you to accept payments from customers easily.

Startup vs History: Rates will Vary

One of the first things you need to think about when it comes to a merchant account for your online service based business is that your rates and fees will vary depending on whether you're a startup with no track record or you have a solid history behind your business.

Different Types of Payment Methods

As most of your transactions are going to be virtual and based online, you want to make sure your merchant account can easily handle gateway payments where neither a card nor signature is present for the transaction.

IBI Merchant Services Can Help

If you are a startup that deals with SEO services or web hosting, IBI Merchant Services can help make getting a merchant account easier. Additionally, we have very affordable rates that are competitive in the industry, even for businesses that are considered "high risk" by other providers. Give us a call to learn more about what we can do for you.