I have been writing about PCI compliance a lot recently, but it is because I have been hearing so much about the importance of becoming PCI compliant as an online business. Customers are much more cautious about shopping online because they want to be sure that their personal credit card information is safe and secure. This is a great reason that your website should be PCI compliant. Your customers will trust your site which means more sales for you. But, besides attracting more customers to your site, the number one reason you should be PCI compliant, is because it is required by law. 

If you are planning on making some serious sales on your website, you are probably going to be accepting credit cards. Any business that processes credit card transactions is required to be PCI compliant. This means there is a certain standard of security that your website will have to meet. This is known as the “Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard” (PCI DSS). Being PCI compliant involves scanning of your website by an approved PCI scanning vendor. You will also be required to fill out an SAQ (Self Assessment Questionnaire). The requirements for PCI compliance are a bit different depending on what merchant level you fall under. So if you don’t know, this is something you should find out first off. 

Ok, so you are probably feeling a bit overwhelmed by all that is required. I know exactly how you feel. The subject of PCI compliance seems so complicated and confusing. The first thing you should is check out Trust Guard. They offer a lot of great information on PCI compliance and PCI scanning. They also offer trust seals that you can post on your site confirming that you are PCI compliant. So take that first step, not only is it required by law, but you will most likely see a boost in sales, because your customers will know that they can trust your website.