As small, web based, businesses grow in sales and services, there comes a time when they have to step up to the next level and start acting more like a big business. One of the milestones on that journey is the decision to start accepting credit and debit card payments on your web site.

Most merchants approach this issues with a bit of trepidation because the world of ecommerce credit card processing can be little scary and confusing. But at the end of the day, internet merchant accounts are not all that hard to figure out. The key is finding a processing service that won’t nickel and dime you with hidden fees.

When searching for a credit card processor, don’t just go with the first company you talk with. Talk with several companies and keep a running spreadsheet so that you can do a comparative analysis later. That way, if you think that eMerchant.com is the best company for your business to work with, you’ll have some strong empirical evidence to back up that thought.

Merchants should also not shy away from negotiating prices on processing fees and playing one processor against another.

As your business grows, you’ll have to take credit cards, or you’ll simply stop growing all together.