Many of the elements needed in order to run a successful website can be done "in house" such as shooting, editing, formatting and uploading content. These can all easily be accomplished without the aid of any third parties and ditto for SEO and gallery submissions.
But when it comes to turning all of those bytes into bucks, webmasters often have little alternative than to entrust this most vital element of the value-chain to companies for whom processing is their core business.
The keyword here is TRUST. These processors effectively are the gate-keepers to the webmaster’s money, and as the Paymonde collapse illustrates, all too often that trust is abused by processors that were not worthy of it.
Breaking this crucial word down to its component letters reveals the key-attributes that you should look for when choosing the company to collect your money. They are:
T TRANSPARENCY
R RELIABILITY
U USER-FRIENDLINESS
S STABILITY
T TRACK-RECORD
Let us briefly examine each one of these in more detail. Transparency is important, not least since you need to know how much your processor is making – after all, chances are it’s your content and your money that is generating the other vital ‘T’ – Traffic, without which all processors would quickly perish.
Reliability is imperative. If you need tech support, it should be made available, immediately. Payments should be paid like clockwork, without question.
The importance of user-friendliness cannot be overstated. Your processor should make it as easy as possible for the surfer to pay you.
Stability in the context of the operating platform is crucial. Downtime is not an option, since you will lose both existing and potential customers.
Perhaps the most important criteria in making your decision of whether or not to use a processor is their track record. Searches on industry message boards will often quickly reveal a processor’s true colors.
A little time spent researching your potential processor is time well spent. In spirit with the self-policing nature of the online adult business, thankfully “bad eggs” are often identified at an early stage. But this is not always possible, which is why a little research now might save you cold hard cash in years to come. Trust me.
