How to accept payments on a simple website
For a simple site, the easiest way to take money is a hosted payment link: your provider builds and runs the checkout page, and your Buy button opens it. You avoid handling card details entirely. An on-site pay page looks more integrated but brings more setup and responsibility. Here's how to choose and set up either.
The two approaches
- Hosted payment link
- A URL from your payment provider (Stripe, PayPal, Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Shopify, Whop and others) that opens a checkout page they host. You create it in their dashboard with a product, price and options. Your site just links to it.
- On-site pay page
- A checkout that appears to live on your own site, usually using the provider's embedded components or an account connected to your site's platform. Card details still go to the provider, but the flow is styled and controlled by your site.
| Payment link | On-site pay page | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Minutes in the provider's dashboard | Integration work, or a platform that offers it |
| Card data on your site | None | None if built properly; the provider's fields handle it |
| Look | The provider's checkout, with your logo and colours where allowed | Matches your site more closely |
| Multiple items in one order | Usually one product per link, sometimes with quantity | Depends on the cart behind it |
| Taxes, receipts, refunds | Handled in the provider's dashboard | Same, plus whatever your platform adds |
For a service business selling a deposit, a class pass, a consultation or a handful of products, payment links cover most needs. They're also the lowest-risk route for card security: because the payment page belongs to the provider, card numbers never pass through your site. The PCI Security Standards Council sets the rules for anyone handling card data, and keeping card entry entirely on the provider's page is the usual way small sellers keep that burden light. Check with your provider which self-assessment, if any, applies to you.
Set up a payment link, step by step
- Pick a provider you can get paid by in your country. Compare their fees, payout timing and refund handling on their own pricing pages.
- Create the product in the provider's dashboard: name, price, currency, and whether it's one-off or recurring. Write the description the buyer will see on the checkout page.
- Set the options. Collect a billing address only if you need it, add a quantity selector if people may buy several, and set the page buyers land on after paying, ideally a thank-you page on your own site.
- Copy the link. With Stripe this is a Payment Link, an address starting
https://buy.stripe.com/. Other providers have their own equivalent. - Point your button at it. The button text should say what happens and how much: "Book the assessment" next to the price, not a vague "Get started".
- Test it. Use the provider's test mode if it has one, or buy your cheapest item and refund it. Check the receipt email, the payout record and the page the buyer returns to.
Using payment links with Anticode
In Anticode, payments on a published site go through payment links from your own provider. Add the link once under Connectors as a Payment link (from Stripe Payment Links, PayPal, Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Shopify or Whop), and the build points the site's pricing and Buy buttons at your checkout. There's one payment link per account, so every button on every site opens the same page; if you sell more than one thing, make that link a product list or a checkout where buyers pick the item. A site needs a rebuild or republish for its buttons to pick up a changed link. The money, receipts and refunds stay in your provider's account.
Anticode also has on-site pay pages through Stripe Connect built into the product, but they are switched off for now, so don't plan a launch around them. Payment links are the supported route. If you need a full checkout with several products in a cart, a dedicated shop platform or a developer working from the Next.js export is the better fit.
Mistakes to avoid
- Different prices on the page and the checkout. Update both at once, or show the price only on the checkout.
- Pasting a test-mode link on the live site. Test links take no real money. Buy something once after launch to be sure.
- No refund or cancellation terms. Say on the page, near the button, what happens if someone changes their mind.
- Asking for card details by email or a form. Never. Send people to the provider's checkout.
- Forgetting the confirmation step. If payment is for a booking, tell people how the booking is confirmed, since the provider's receipt won't say.
Limits
Anticode's design-engine stores don't include a shopping cart or checkout flow beyond payment links, and they don't handle stock levels, shipping or tax. Bookings can't take deposits. Site payments built on Stripe Connect exist in the code but aren't available in production. For subscriptions, multi-item orders or inventory, use your provider's own tools behind the link, or a platform built for selling.
Questions people ask
Can I take payments without a shopping cart?
Yes. A payment link is enough for many small businesses. In Anticode there's one payment link per account and every Buy button opens it, so if you sell several things, link to a product list or a multi-item checkout at your provider.
Do payment links look unprofessional?
Not to most buyers. Hosted checkouts from well-known providers are familiar, and many let you add your logo and brand colour.
Can one link take different amounts?
Some providers support customer-chosen amounts for tips or donations. Check your provider's settings. For several fixed prices on an Anticode site, remember every button opens the same link, so point it at a page at your provider that lists each option.
Sources
- Stripe Docs: Payment Links, checked
- PCI Security Standards Council, checked