How to Set Up Stripe on Your Website

What you need before you set up Stripe

Stripe is usually the fastest way to start taking card payments, and most of the setup is done inside your own site rather than on the Stripe dashboard. Below is the full process for WordPress and WooCommerce, plus what changes if you are on Shopify, and the two settings people most often miss before going live.

There used to be an advert for Ronseal, a paint provider, with the tagline: “Does what it says on the tin.” Irish people of a certain age will have it ingrained in their minds—and Stripe is just like that. It does exactly what it says it does (and, of course, much more). It has saved me and my customers countless hours and avoided the back-and-forth emails typical of the more traditional methods available.

Stripe is incredibly simple to set up and ideal for eCommerce sites. I’ve never encountered a problem with it. Once my clients create their accounts, they can start accepting payments online very quickly.

Stripe offers a range of valuable features, such as payment links and rapid invoicing. For busy small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), these tools save a significant amount of time, making Stripe an essential solution. The steps below are also outlined on the Stripe website, but I’ve created this post to help direct people there more quickly. Of course, for all official setups and related tasks, be sure to visit the Stripe website directly.

Sign Up for a Stripe Account

1. Go to the Stripe website: Visit https://stripe.com.
2. Create an account:
   • Click on “Sign Up.”
   • Enter your email, full name, and create a secure password.
   • Confirm your email address.

Verify Your Account

1. Log in to your Stripe account.
2. Complete the onboarding process:
   • Provide business information, including your legal business name, website, and description.
   • Add your bank account for payouts.
   • Submit personal identification (such as a government ID or proof of address).

Get Your API Keys

API keys are needed to integrate Stripe into your eCommerce platform.  These are what I need to set up the account on your new eCommerce site so once I get these I can get started at my end

1. Access the Dashboard:
   • Log in and go to the Dashboard.
2. Navigate to the API Keys:
   • Click on Developers in the left menu.
   • Select API Keys.
3. Locate the Keys:
   • You’ll see two keys:
     • Publishable Key: For client-side operations.
     • Secret Key: For server-side operations (keep this secure!).
   • Use the test keys for development and testing purposes. Switch to live keys when you’re ready to accept real payments.
4. Copy the keys and store them securely.

Integrate Stripe into Your eCommerce System

This step varies depending on your platform or custom setup. Here are two common scenarios:

a) Using an eCommerce Platform (e.g., Shopify, WooCommerce)

• Install the Stripe payment gateway plugin or app from your platform’s marketplace.
• Go to the plugin settings and paste your Publishable and Secret keys.
• Test the integration using Stripe’s test mode.

b) For Custom Integrations

• Use Stripe’s official libraries (available for popular programming languages like PHP, Python, and JavaScript).
• Add the Publishable Key to your front-end code.
• Use the Secret Key in your back-end code to handle secure transactions.
• Refer to Stripe’s documentation for detailed guidance.

Test Your Integration

1. Enable Test Mode:
   • In your Stripe Dashboard, toggle to Test Mode.
2. Simulate Payments:
   • Use Stripe’s provided test card numbers (e.g., 4242 4242 4242 4242 for successful transactions).
3. Check Logs:
   • Review the test transactions in the dashboard to ensure everything is working.

Go Live

1. Switch to Live Keys:
   • Replace your test keys with live keys in your system.
2. Run a Real Transaction:
   • Process a small real payment to ensure everything works in production.

7. Start Accepting Payments

Your Stripe payment system is now ready! Monitor transactions and payouts from the Dashboard.

Thinking about your online store?

Tell us what you are selling and what platform you are on now. We will give you a straight answer on whether to fix what you have, migrate, or start again, and what each option would cost.

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Related reading.

• Which payment providers work with Shopify in Ireland.
• Shopify development.