Firstly, it is important to note that a proprietor is not legally obliged to open a business account when starting their business. Many do for a number of reasons though, chief among which is the business manager; appointed to oversee the wellbeing of the newly opened account, he or she is a particularly attractive prospect, especially for new owners who often look for help and support in borrowing when they first set out. In addition, having both personal and business accounts open allows proprietors to differentiate far more easily between their personal and professional finances.

However, it is also very possible to use an existing personal account for business matters should arranging an actual business account be too expensive (although some banks may not allow this anyway and often for the simple reason that they are allowed to charge more should a large sum be paid into the latter). This is also a significant detail in that it always used to be the case that a business account was required to open a merchant account, which businesses may also want to consider (and must if they hope to accept credit and debit cards as a form of payment).

It is set up for the prime purpose of allowing transactions made via card, be they made face-to-face, over the phone or online. It also enables the merchant to keep easy track of all transactions that are made on any given day; any money transferred into a merchant account cannot be accessed by the retailer though until typically 3 days after a transaction is made.

So, if you’re thinking of joining thousands of businesses across the country in accepting card payments then speak to Seymour Direct; not only can we organise you a merchant account through one of several leading acquiring banks, but, should you wish, also arrange for it to be opened using a personal account, helping you save the cost of dealing through that of the business.

Call today to watch your return on investment flourish!

Stef Lenza

22nd May 2012

Trying to Market Your Business Online?

So you have hired a Web Designer but you don’t know how to market your online business and attract customers to your site, you may have read a little about SEO and seen many sites offering backlink services but the reality is that promoting yourself online should be done naturally through Social Media efforts and a User Friendly Website.

Regularly creating quality blog posts/pages on your website can provide visitors with valuable information, whereas website owners who only produce content with the intent of trying to manipulate Google’s search results will eventually be caught by their sophisticated algorithms. ‘Googlebot’ can detect if you are buying links or purposely ‘stuffing’ important words in the title’s, descriptions and content of your pages and this is seen as cheating, the search algorithm is designed to only value natural links which are created by people who have used your services and want to recommend it.

Producing articles on your site that are well thought out and original content will be enjoyed and shared on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter and you could receive what is known ‘Viral Traffic’ when lots of people visit the link through friends. Try to make your blog posts over 400 words in length and get an RSS Feed at Feedburner which visitors can subscribe to and be notified every time you publish new content. There are lots of services which you can link your RSS Feed to and automatically post to your social profiles such as Google Plus, StumbleUpon, Reddit and LinkedIn.

Don’t fall into the hype of gaining backlinks from High PR websites, Pagerank is only a small part of how Google now determines the quality of a backlink, social signals, outbound links coming from that site and relevant content are all contributing factors.  Setting up a blog on Web 2.0 sites such as Blogspot, Tumblr and Posterous can be another great way of receiving followers who will recommend you on their posts and spread the useful information you provide.

Creating articles on quality writing communities such as Hubpages, EzineArticles and Squidoo is also a ‘Whitehat’ method of gaining backlinks to your site because these communities have strict moderation to ensure that no spam content is posted. After you have written your quality article on these sites you can include a link back to your website as a reference but do not create excessive links with anchor text for specific keywords you are trying to rank for because this is against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. For example, if you were linking to a page about Gardening Tools you might use the word ‘Gardening tools’ on one article and ‘Garden Tools’ on another.

‘Blackhat’ SEO’s use software’s which automatically create profile’s on social sites or directories and include a hyperlink back to their site, using these tools can be like playing with fire and excessive linking using these methods instantly raises a red flag on your website. Other methods which try to take shortcuts include ‘spinning’ articles using scripting language and result in a poor user experience because it often produces content which people can’t make sense of.

Instead of wasting time with these techniques, why not research sites which are related to your niche and inquire about a banner ad, this is different from the traditional link exchanges which are now very in-affective and frowned upon by Google. Exchanging links was popular during the early years of 2000 but it became apparent that sites were simply exchanging links in resources sections regardless of whether the information was relevant for their users.  Be sure that if you approach a site about a banner ad that they include the ‘NoFollow’ attribute which Matt Cutts(Google Engineer) recommends, this tells search engines that the Ad should not pass Pagerank.

There are lots of ways to make your site more interactive for visitors, technology is constantly advancing to make purchasing more convenient for consumers, for example, many people are using their iPhone’s, Blackberry’s and Android devices now to research during their busy working schedule’s.

If you notice that you are receiving a large amount of traffic from these handset’s on your Google Analytic’s account you should make sure that you optimize your site to be more user friendly for this purpose. How many times have you visited a site on your mobile phone and given up because the site’s navigation is too small for you to click on the touchscreen? or worse still you can only see a partial area of the site because the dimensions are set for a computer monitor.

Many website owners are now creating scaled down versions of their site or ‘Apps’ which make it easier to view information on iPhone’s or iPad’s. Users who find you on Google can be redirected to a mobile version of your site at a different URL such as ‘m.yoursite.com’, this is achieved by placing code on your original site that detects what device the visitor is using.

Remember that the more you keep your users attention, the more likely they are to remember your site or make contact, it is reported that Youtube is in fact the second biggest search engine because people are visual creatures and prefer videos to long pages of text. Why not create an introduction to your site like the one below and this may also appear in Google search results:

Remember that Seymour Direct specializes in Card Processing and can help you obtain excellent payment gateway facilities for handling e-Commerce transactions for your online store.

It is vital to obtain a internet merchant account through a trusted payment service provider that incorporates security measures to combat fraud, contact us today using the button below or call 0800 980 4007

Over the last decade interest in PDQ Machines has risen rapidly, since these streamlined devices began to appear in retail outlets more and more people became accustom with them and they began to appear in many other types of business.

Before the PDQ machine was in widespread use credit card payment was processed in a few ways, cash registers were designed with the ability of swiping a customers card, reading the data stored on the magnetic strip and then transmitting the credit card information. Nowadays most businesses have a PDQ Machine but a small few still own a cash register which might be linked up to a PDQ terminal.

Every PDQ terminal has fees involved with each transaction but the investment can be compared against the return you will see from the increase in customers who prefer to pay by card. Convenience is the name of the game and cashless transactions are becoming more frequent as consumers enjoy paying for services in situations where they might not have had chance to visit the ATM. For example, that emergency call out to the plumber who happened to carry a mobile credit card terminal with him such as the one pictured above.

Seymour Direct is committed to helping businesses achieve this convenience for their customers whilst also getting the best package to suit their own needs, since we can provide the latest mobile terminals with very low rates on rental and transaction fees.

The PDQ machine offers great ease of payment whether you are on the move with a mobile card terminal or even if you have a static desktop card machine plugged into the landline at your premises. At Seymour Direct with have a long history of helping our clients choose the payment solution that is best for them, our friendly support team will advise you on whether your business would be best suited to using a wireless or Bluetooth terminal.

You can speak to one of our staff via our Freephone 0800 980 4007 from a landline or call 01923 773 355 from a mobile. 

When requesting a quote to accept card payments we will take into account the type of business you operate and the value of the products or services that you supply to your customers, this is necessary in order to estimate the potential risk factor that is involved in the unlikely event that you may be targeted by fraudulent transactions.

Many types of business would like to accept card payments from people who purchase products from them or use their service, a merchant account in the UK can be tailored to suit any type of business if you contact a provider such as Seymour Direct.

A number of UK banks called ‘Acquirers’ or ‘Acquiring Banks’ can set up a merchant account for you but contacting them directly is far from the cheapest option, it can also be difficult to get approved with some of them if your risk assessment is estimated as high.

This is where a merchant account provider such as Seymour Direct comes in useful, we will handle the application process on your behalf and you will benefit from our experience and reputation with acquiring banks, and point you into the right direction.  Seymour Direct have been in the payments industry for over 20 years and you can use their long established expertise to obtain extremely low transaction charges and the use of a PCI compliant machines. Just simply send us the relevant documentation and we will do the rest!

As explained in previous blog posts we have written, a merchant account allows a retailer to accept card payments via a machine or e-commerce web site and have the funds deposited into one nominated bank account. This relieves the security worries of having too much cash on the premises.

You can also be assured of security when you obtain a merchant account because a card transaction  needs to be authorized by a bank before the transaction is approved. This is achieved via the Chip and Pin Terminal ( sometimes referred to as PDQ Machine )  which checks the information of a particular card holder on the electronic chip of the card when inserted into the Chip and PIN card reader. It also matches against a pin-code typed in by the person.

As you can see in the diagram above, a call is made to the acquiring bank by the Chip and Pin Terminal, who then check the details with the card network to ensure it is the genuine card holder and this information is relayed back to the Chip and Pin Terminal informing the merchant whether the transaction has been approved or not.

Since many different types of business can utilize a merchant account to accept payments, the right card machine must also be decided upon because there are many different types such as Desktop for onsite transactions, Wireless Machines which rely on Bluetooth connectivity close to your premises or you could even have Fully Mobile Devices if your business involves being on the move away from your base.

With Seymour Direct you can choose to hire any of the above types of credit card terminals and are supplied on various terms with guaranteed fixed pricing. Contact us now and we will advise what low cost plans are available to suit your business needs.

If you want to hire a mobile terminal you will need a merchant processing account, if you don’t already have one of these Seymour Direct can get you set up with one of their acquiring banks. This account is required in order for credit and debit card payments to be accepted and transferred into your assigned business account.

You could save money on merchant service charges but you would need to provide certain information about your business that would be passed on to the acquirer. You should supply Seymour Direct with the average cost of your products or services so they can look at your annual turnover, the acquiring bank would also want to know your business account information, the type of business and any guarantees/warranties offered to customers.

If you decide on mobile PDQ terminal hire then you can expect it to come ‘ready to use’, this means you get sim card hire, full customer service and warranty, you can also be assured that you will only be sent one invoice for merchant processing fees and airtime.

Seymour Direct handle both the setting up of your merchant account and the supplying of your portable credit card terminal, many other providers in the payment processing industry use a third party to supply the terminals but Seymour Direct are on hand if you have any queries or problems operating your device.

One of the great things about applying for mobile credit card terminals with a merchant processing provider like this is that you will see a fast turn around for your business, you will not be wasting time phoning around different service providers regarding the airtime or fees on your terminals since it is handled by one company.

With Seymour Direct you can choose between a variety of mobile networks since all of the Ingenico mobile terminals provided use GSM/GPRS, this means you can use the network provider that you have had good experience with in the past.  The terminals all have the highest degree of security in line with PCI compliance and can ensure you quick bank authorization on transactions, if there are any other questions or requirements you might have then don’t hesitate to fill out the simple contact form onsite.

There are several types of portable machines that enable you to accept credit or debit cards on the move. In this blog I will concentrate on the two most commonly used which are Bluetooth and Mobile GPRS versions. The Bluetooth Portable card machines, sometimes referred to as a Wireless Credit Card Machine, is very often used by restaurants who want to take the card payment at the table ensuring that the diner is in full control of their card and does not end up in the wrong hands. During recent years Bluetooth portable machines are also being used by other types of businesses such as hair salons, builders merchants, garden centres etc who want to provide a better shopping experience plus be able to close a sale quickly, such within a large garden centre, before customers talk themselves out of the purchase.

Electronic payment methods are now standard at almost every small business or retail store that wants to capitalize on credit card processing, this is due to the fact that 64% of the UK adult population own a card shown in the official report here.

As with any new technology, Chip and PIN is a challenge to get used to at first and you will have to calculate your budget to allow for card transaction fees but it will help your business compete with rivals and it will open you up to a whole new revenue stream.

Whether you want to accept payments face-to-face in a store environment or if it is an eCommerce shop, you must pay a small percentage towards the ‘payment processor’ or ‘payment service provider’ for verifying the card holders details with the card issuer and notifying the merchant bank that the funds will be deposited in your account.

The first step to taking payments from customers by card is to apply for a merchant account through a provider such as Seymour Direct, they are particularly helpful towards business owners who might not be very familiar with how merchant services are handled. After you have been assessed for risk factors and your documentation has been sent off and approved by the acquiring bank, you will be sent a PDQ machine that reads customers credit cards.

As this blog post is intended to explain, there are many ways to accept card payments and this also includes telephone and online payment methods. They work in a similar manner to face-to-face payments in the fact that you require a merchant account and the usual payment processing checks are carried out, however, they are also known as ‘Card Not Present’ transactions and because of this are considered higher risk.

Seymour Direct will provide you with a virtual terminal for processing a customers card details whilst you speak with them on the phone, all you need is an internet connection and no website is required because they send you a specific address where the interface can be accessed.

It is also interesting to note that online business now accounts for a huge percentage of a card transactions, in fact over 70% of the UK adult population has purchased goods online according statistics in 2010. Before you can accept a large amount card payments online you will need an internet merchant account, Seymour Direct can get you approved and set up since we are official business partners with Sagepay.

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Credit Card Purchases:

As a small business if you do not accept cards from your customers you are probably loosing valuable sales from customers who prefer to use credit cards instead of cash or cheques because they know their rights under Section 75 should something go wrong with the purchase

What is Section 75?