What They Do and Why Your Setup Matters
If you're running an online store, your payment gateway is one of the most important parts of your site—yet it’s often the most overlooked.
Recently, a client reached out after discovering that all payments on their site were being declined. The issue? Their payment provider had emailed them months earlier asking for a simple update:
- Install a new security certificate
- Add their hosting server’s IP to their merchant portal
Unfortunately, the email was missed. As a result, payments stopped processing—and sales were lost.
What Is a Payment Gateway?
A payment gateway is the secure technology that processes credit card or digital wallet transactions on your site. It acts as the middleman between your website, your customer, and the bank, ensuring the payment is valid and encrypted.
Popular gateways include:
- Stripe
- PayPal
- Square
- eWAY
- Braintree
- SecurePay
Most e-commerce platforms (like WooCommerce or Shopify) use plugins or extensions to connect your gateway to your website.
Common Issues with Gateways and Plugins
While payment gateways are typically reliable, they can fail due to configuration issues or expired settings. Some common causes include:
- Expired SSL certificates
- Outdated plugins or integrations
- IP restrictions not updated after hosting changes
- API keys changed but not reconnected
- Email alerts from the provider being missed or ignored
The result? Failed transactions, frustrated customers, and lost revenue.
What You Can Do to Stay Ahead
- Keep an eye on gateway-related emails – they may look dry, but they often include important updates or action items.
- Ensure your plugins and certificates are kept up to date.
- Verify that any IP address changes (e.g. after a migration or server upgrade) are reflected in your payment provider’s settings.
- Check in on test transactions periodically – especially if you haven’t had many sales lately.
Not Sure About Your Setup? Let’s Review It
If you're unsure whether your gateway is working correctly or you've recently ignored a techy-looking email from your payment provider—it might be time for a quick review.
Contact me today and I’ll check your integration, plugin status, certificate validity, and more to ensure everything is set up correctly. It’s better to catch it before your customers do.