This JUST in: the internet is not “stealing” readership from traditional newspapers!

Ad revenue, yes, but readers, no.

And if your business is online - and please tell me your business is online, at least in some shape or form - you know what a fresh and exciting challenge it can be to manage revenue via the internet.

Security is of prime concern, and recently fraud has also become an issue of major import, as well.

And before we get too far ahead of ourselves, by chance do you have the time and skills to build a proprietary web system that is reliable, trustworthy and fast, too?

The answer may very well be “No,” in which case online payment resources can make it easier for you to process online sales and collect payment.

Now, I say “resources” plural, but honestly, other than PayPal and now Google Checkout, that’s it.

No doubt you have used or at least have a passing familiarity with PayPal. But having personally utilized PayPal to receive payment for goods and been frustrated with this eBay system more than once, I welcome Google’s entry into the online payment fray.

While I have yet to use Checkout, I am excited by the potential. Why? For the same reasons that I was excited when Google Maps and Gmail showed up. Better online productivity products, now. Yes, please.

Need a second opinion?

(And, no, the sky isn’t falling after all…)

The fact that Checkout is also cheaper percentage-wise and per transaction out of the gate than PayPal’s structure is a big bonus, the size of which is limited only by the amount of business you do online.

Plus, Checkout works with AdWords to help you generate even more marketing value! Take advantage of the most internet’s most revolutionary development in advertising while simultaneously streamlining your online payment processing? Pinch me, it’s the small business owner’s dream.

With more and more people choosing to start new businesses every day, doing anything but equipping yourself with the best possible tools is akin to being asleep at the wheel. Google, once again, has developed a tool that looks to be a smash success, and it falls right in the crosshairs of small business need.

What do you think? Have you used Checkout (or PayPal) with any success or failure? Share your input and ask your questions at the Grow My Business Forums, intended to make it easier for entrepreneurs to share ideas and opinions about what it takes to succeed in today’s markets.

On that note, you do have your own blog already, right??

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