Tables were skewed, pictures half covered up, the drop down navigation didn’t work, etc.

I actually thought this guy was playing a trick on me — no one would EVER take this site seriously.

When I commented to the client that his little joke was “very funny,” I quickly found out that this was no joke.  That was his REAL site.

After talking to him a few minutes and pulling the site up in other browsers, it didn’t take too long to figure out that he was having some serious browser compatibility problems.  He had built the site for Internet Explorer, and it was a work of art in that browser platform, but it was all messed up on nearly every other browser I tried.

Despite all the advances of internet technology, all browsers are still not created equal when it comes to how your site is viewed.  Browser incompatibility represents a huge challenge for anyone building a website.  Browser compatibility issues can affect your images, JavaScript functions, style sheets, links, navigation, and page layout.

AND it can totally kill your website profits and subscription rates!

Internet explorer, for example, tries to figure out what you meant to put in your code and fills in the blanks.  In other words, if you’ve used incorrect HTML code in your webpage, Explorer will try to make the corrections or fill in the blanks resulting in a page layout that may not be what you intended.

So obviously, you’ve got to address this issue with your website — Which can be a total pain in the rear.

Your first stop should be to check your website in a variety of browsers.  There’s three ways you can go about checking browser compatibility:

1.  Download and install all those browsers onto your computer and view your website in each browser.  This would be a total pain in the neck and totally unnecessary.

2.  Purchase browser compatibility software or a service.  There are lots of great services out there to choose from if you Google it.  I wouldn’t suggest this option unless you have a lot of websites or your build websites for your clients.

3.  Use a free service online like www.browsershots.org.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t really need to check your website in every browser in existence on the planet — that would be ridiculous!

The last time I checked, 99.2% of internet users only used seven browsers:

• Internet Explorer 6- 14.9%
• Internet Exploere 7 – 18.7%
• Internet Exploere 8 – 7.1%
• Firefox – 47.3%
• Google Chrome – 6%
• Safari – 3.1%
• Opera – 2.1%

Of course, these numbers change as new browsers come on the market, but it’s a pretty good place to start.

So I guess that I’m suggesting that even though technology continues to improve, browser compatibility STILL matters and you should definitely check your websites for compatibility!

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Well, that’s simply not true.

While there are certain circumstances where a merchant account may be necessary, for the majority of online businesses, it’s just an unnecessary expense… especially when’ you’re first starting out.  I’m going to tell you why you don’t have to have a merchant account.

1. Setup Fees:

Merchant accounts cost quite a bit of money to set up. This will often run you $150 or more. Some services will waive this fee, but they will usually hit you with a higher monthly fee or transaction fee. If you want to accept checks online, you’ll usually have a setup fee for that too.

2. Monthly Fees:

There are several monthly fees associated with having a merchant account. Gateway fees, statement fees, customer service fees, etc. If you want to take checks, you’ll also have to pay additional fees for that service.

3. Transaction Fees:

If you process payments through your own merchant account, you must also pay a percent of the transaction as an additional fee. This is called a transaction fee and usually runs you around $0.30 per transaction. Again, eCheck counts as a second service and each check you accept online also incurs a transaction fee.

4. Discount Fees:

You’ll also have to pay a discount fee which is usually about 2.5% of the transaction amount. Ditto for eCheck.

5. More Accounting:

When you have a merchant account, you have a lot more accounting responsibilities. With most systems, each transaction must be specifically added to your ledger. You can often download and import the numbers into your accounting program, but it’s still a pain to keep track of it.

6. Payment Gateways and Shopping Carts:

You have to purchase or rent additional software to process online payments, specifically a payment gateway and shopping cart.

According to one merchant account company I found online, these are the industry standards for just some of the fees:

Setup Fee: $100- $500
Payment Gateway License Fee: $199
Application Fee: $50- $295
Discount Rate: 2.0%-3.95%
Transaction Fee: $0.25-$0.50
Statement Fee: $10-$25
Internet Gateway Fee: $10-$20

So clearly a merchant account is pricey and maybe a little bit inconvenient, but is there an alternative?

Absolutely!

There are tons of third party payment processors available online.  They will process credit card, and sometimes check, payments for you and then deposit the money in your bank account or send you a check.  Of course, there is a small fee for this service, but it is usually very competitive with the cost of going through your own merchant account, there are often no setup fees, and it’s a lot more convenient.  Plus you don’t have to worry about payment gateways and shopping carts!

In the end, new online businesses and websites rarely need their own merchant accounts when they are first starting out.  Getting a merchant account proves to be too much hassle and too costly to the new online business owner.

Once you’ve been doing business online for awhile and are earning substantial revenue selling your own products and services, then it may be time to look into getting your own merchant account.

Want to know more about operating a successful online business?  Get your Free Copy of 10 Days to Smokin’ Traffic Now!

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I needed the new autoresponder for a new list building method that I’m testing out and I wanted to keep the test separate from my other lists. I’ll tell you all about the list building test that I’m doing when my testing is complete… in about three weeks.

To make a long story short, I ended up having to close the 1ShoppingCart autoresponder because it wasn’t compatible with the test… through no fault on the 1ShoppingCart side.

In order to close the account, I had to actually call them on the phone and cancel. I’m normally not crazy about having to call to cancel because I like to do everything online. It’s usually much faster and less frustrating.

Well, the customer service people at 1ShoppingCart really surprised me!

They were courteous, professional, and very friendly. In fact, I’d have to say that it was a downright pleasure to speak to them!

With good customer service at such a premium in so many businesses, I thought it was worth mentioning a pleasant encounter with 1ShoppingCart.

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