Setting up a straightforward payment system on your WordPress site doesn’t require an extensive e-commerce store. I’m here to guide you through using WP Simple Pay to easily start accepting payments online.
This tool allows businesses, especially those offering services or a limited range of products, to bypass the complexities of larger plugins.
Imagine establishing a streamlined payment process for services or products such as a cleaning bundle, directly from a regular WordPress page with images, text, and a purchase button.
With WP Simple Pay, the process is seamless. Clicking a purchase button opens a pop-up payment form, where customers can enter their details.
You can integrate options for recurring payments, which is ideal for subscriptions or ongoing services. It simplifies payment management, eliminating the need for creating extensive checkout processes.
I’ll walk you through setting it up on your website and demonstrate how flexible and efficient this solution can be.
Key Takeaways
- Online payments can be set up on WordPress without complex plugins.
- WP Simple Pay allows creation of simple payment forms on your site.
- Recurring payment options can be easily included in forms.
Summary of Digital Payment Options
Payments Without a Full Online Shop
Many believe a complete e-commerce platform is needed to start accepting online payments, but that’s not true. I’ve found that you can easily begin taking payments through a WordPress website without extra plugins like WooCommerce.
For businesses offering services or a few products, this method is ideal. Let me explain with a cleaning company example.
They wanted to sell a single product—the “Ultimate Home Cleaning Bundle”—through their site. They created a new page with images, text, and a purchase button, all using WP Simple Pay.
When clicked, this button opens a payment form. Customers can add their name, email, and address and can choose recurring payments if needed. This straightforward process makes it easy for businesses to sell services or products online.
Best Solutions for Small Enterprises
For small businesses eager to start online sales, WP Simple Pay offers an efficient solution. Setting it up is straightforward. You can easily choose a pricing plan—from personal to professional—depending on your needs, like recurring payments or additional payment options.
Once installed, you connect it to Stripe, allowing the creation of various payment forms. These forms can be customised for different services, like weekly or monthly cleaning, with clear payment options displayed to minimise confusion.
You also have the flexibility to add multiple pricing options in one form, simplifying service selection for customers.
Showing WP Simple Pay in Action
Making a Product Page
Creating a product page is straightforward. I start by making a regular WordPress page. I include images, descriptions, and a payment button. In this example, I set up a page for a “Home Cleaning Bundle.” It’s clean and effective without the need for a full online store.
Adding the Payment Button
After the product page is ready, I use WP Simple Pay to add a purchase button to it. This plugin is great because it allows for quick payments.
Users can just click the button, and it displays a form without needing a complex checkout process. This is perfect for businesses offering services or a small number of products.
Pop-up for Payment
When someone clicks the purchase button, a payment form pops up. This form allows customers to enter their details like name, email, and address directly.
It’s easy for customers to complete the payment, and the setup is user-friendly and efficient for service-based or product sales.
Subscription Payment Choices
If a business wants to offer subscriptions, it can do so with WP Simple Pay. The form can have a checkbox for recurring payments.
Customers can choose options like weekly, fortnightly, or monthly services. This feature is handy for businesses looking to offer ongoing services without manual intervention.
Sample Applications of WP Simple Pay
Payment Forms for Service Providers
I often come across businesses that provide services and occasionally want to sell a few products. For these businesses, WP Simple Pay offers a seamless way to create payment forms instead of setting up a full e-commerce store.
For example, a cleaning company can create a webpage for an ultimate home cleaning bundle with just a few images, text, and a purchase button.
This button, powered by WP Simple Pay, opens a payment form directly on their site. Customers simply fill in their details and can opt for single or subscription payments. This makes it simple and straightforward for both the business and the customer.
Varied Pricing Choices
One of my favourite features is the ability to offer several pricing options within the same form. Take a cleaning service: the forms can list different recurring services such as weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cleaning.
There’s also an option for a one-time payment. Customers simply choose an option, and the payment button will show the total, eliminating confusion over pricing. This approach is user-friendly and ensures transparency for customers when selecting a service plan.
Preparing WP Simple Pay
Installing the Add-On
To get started, I first add WP Simple Pay to my website. This can be done in a couple of ways.
If testing the lighter version with fewer features is enough, I can install WP Simple Pay directly through my WordPress site for free. I simply head over to the plugins area, select “Add New”, and search for WP Simple Pay in the repository.
In this video, I opt for downloading the full version through WP Simple Pay’s official site. I click the “Get WP Simple Pay Now” button and follow the prompts on the pricing page.
Activating the Add-On and Key
After downloading, I log in to my account on WP Simple Pay’s website. I download the add-on by visiting the “Downloads” tab and copy the key associated with the product.
Back in my WordPress dashboard, I navigate to plugins, click “Add New”, and then “Upload Plugin”. I select the downloaded file and hit “Install Now”, followed by “Activate”.
I then see the WP Simple Pay setup wizard, where I paste the key I copied earlier and then click “Activate and Continue”.
Linking to Stripe in Test Mode
WP Simple Pay uses Stripe for payment handling. Connecting to Stripe is simple, even for those without an existing Stripe account.
I click the “Connect with Stripe” button, which takes me to the Stripe setup page. For initial setup, I opt to operate in test mode.
This means connecting to Stripe without actual payments being processed, allowing full testing of my payment forms. I skip the form setup during this stage since I’m in test mode.
Setting Up Payment Forms
I started by adding WP Simple Pay to my WordPress site. There are two ways to do this.
If you’re just trying it out, you can use the free light version directly from WordPress. Just go to plugins, add new, and search for WP Simple Pay. I wanted more features, so I downloaded it from the official site.
After selecting the plan that suited my requirements, I logged in and downloaded the plugin. I copied the license key and moved to the WordPress dashboard.
To install and activate the plugin, I went to plugins, clicked ‘add new’, chose to upload a plugin, and selected the file I downloaded. Installing and activating took just a few clicks.
The setup wizard launched automatically. First, I entered the license key, activating the plugin. Then, I connected it to Stripe.
Even if you don’t have a Stripe account, it’s easy to set up during this process. Initially, I worked in test mode, allowing me to set up payment forms without processing real transactions.
Checking Payment Forms
Creating payment forms on a WordPress site is quite simple with the help of WP Simple Pay. With this tool, setting up these forms is much easier than using larger plugins.
I decided to start by using a cleaning company website as an example. The company wanted to sell an ultimate home cleaning bundle without the full complexity of an e-commerce store.
On the product page, I included images, text, and a purchase button created by WP Simple Pay. When clicked, this button opens a popup with a payment form.
Customers can then enter their name, email, and address. If the service is recurring, they can opt for a subscription with a straightforward checkbox.
This approach works well for service-based businesses too. I set up a form offering different levels of cleaning services: weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly. Each service can be a recurring payment, ensuring customers are billed according to their selection.
The cost of each option is clearly displayed to avoid confusion.
Launching Your Payment Forms
Once I’m ready to start taking payments on my site, I can begin with WP Simple Pay. The process is straightforward, even if I’m not running a full e-commerce store.
The first step is to add the plugin to my WordPress dashboard. I have the option to test the plugin with its light version for free, which is perfect if I want to try things out.
After setting up and activating the plugin, the next step involves connecting it to Stripe, which handles the payment processing. If I don’t have a Stripe account, I can easily create one during the setup.
I must ensure I begin in test mode. This allows me to create and test my payment forms without charging customers. It’s a great way to troubleshoot and ensure everything runs smoothly before going live.
Setting up Payment Forms:
- Begin by adding WP Simple Pay to the plugin section in WordPress.
- Connect to Stripe through the setup wizard, starting in test mode.
- Explore creating payment forms without a checkout process.
I can create forms that suit my business needs perfectly. There’s the flexibility to include various pricing options and recurring payments if needed.
When I’m ready for customers to start making real transactions, I switch from test mode to live mode, ensuring everything is set up correctly. This simple setup is ideal for offering services or selling products without unnecessary complexity.