Adding a Checkout to Your Website: Getting more from your content priced under £20

If you're a musician, artist, or photographer selling digital content under £20, you already know the problem: traditional payment platforms devour your profits with fees that can reach 15-30% per transaction. Fourdotpay changes the game with just a 1% transaction fee. In this article, we'll show you exactly what an SDK is and how to deploy it on your website in 10 minutes—so you can finally keep what you earn.

The world of microtransactions

Traditional payment processors weren’t built for small transactions. They were designed for £50+ purchases where a £1 fee feels negligible. But when you’re selling a guitar tab for £2 or a photo editing preset for £6, those same fee structures can consume a third of your earnings. A £5 sale might net you just £4.00 after fees—that’s up to 20% gone before you’ve even seen the money. This percentage depends on the platform, but if you check pricing on popular creator platforms, you can see that these percentages are real.

You can read more on transaction and platform fees and how much creators are losing on feed in the article Why there’s currently a movement from platform-dependent creators to independent creators.

The Creator’s Dilemma: Great Content, How to Charge for It

Building a payment system seems technically complicated:

You don’t want to spend thousands on a developer
Other platforms take 12-18% of your earnings in fees
You’re not sure how to turn your content into a revenue stream

What if you could add a simple “Buy” button to your website that lets readers purchase individual articles or videos? And what if setting this up took just minutes instead of days?

That’s exactly what Fourdotpay’s website integration tools do. And you don’t need to be technical to use them.

What the Fourdotpay Payment System Does

The Fourdotpay SDK is a payment integration solution that is suitable for any website. Whether you have your website built on Wix, Joomla, Squarespace, Webflow or any other CMS, the SDK from Fourdotpay will provide a simple and reliable payment solution for your content monetisation. For Wordpress we have even more simple solution (read on for more inforation).

The Fourdotpay SDK is a complete content monetisation system that handles:

Payment Processing: Multiple payment methods through the Fourdotpay wallet, including credit cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and bank transfers.
Licence Management: Automatic tracking of who purchased what, ensuring only paying customers access your content.
Cross-Device Access: Customers can redeem their purchases on any device using a simple verification flow.
Content Security: Your content stays locked until purchased, with licence verification on every page load.
Transaction History: Export sales data in CSV format for your own analysis and record-keeping.

How the SDK Works: Three Simple Components

The Fourdotpay SDK is designed to be simple . Just copy and paste three code components and you’re live.

The SDK consists of three simple components:

Component 1: The Checkout Container

This creates the payment interface where your buy buttons will live. You customise it with your content title and description, giving customers context about what they’re purchasing.

Component 2: The Buy Button

This is where you define what you’re selling and for how much. Each piece of content gets a unique ID (easily generated with free online tools), a price you set, and a title. You can add multiple buy buttons to the same checkout container if you’re selling several items.

Component 3: The Content Container

This is your actual content—a video, PDF, or other digital file. It stays locked until someone purchases it through your buy button. Once they pay, it unlocks automatically. If they return on a different device, they can easily regain access using the redeem function.

The SDK handles everything else: payment processing, licence verification, cross-device access, and security. You focus on creating content. The system handles the monetisation.

Step-by-Step Implementation Guide

Step 1: Set Up Your Fourdotpay Account

Visit wallet.fourdotpay.io and create your account. You’ll receive a unique Account ID—this tells the system where to send your earnings. The process takes about three minutes and requires basic information: email, phone verification, and whether you’re using the account for personal or business purposes.

Step 2: Add the Setup Code to Your Website Header

Fourdotpay provides ready-made code snippets that you copy from our documentation and paste into your website. Copy the SDK script into the head section of your webpage. You’ll customise a few fields:

siteName: Your website or creator name
siteAddress: Your domain (e.g., yoursite.com)
siteUrl: Your full website URL
contentPrefix: A unique identifier for your content
accountId: Your Fourdotpay Account ID
accountType: “PERSONAL” or “BUSINESS”

This configuration connects your website to the Fourdotpay payment system.

Step 3: Add Your Buy Button and Content

In your webpage body, add the checkout container, buy button, and content container code snippets. Customise them with your content details, pricing, and file locations. Generate a unique UUID for each piece of content (free online tools make this instant).

Step 4: Go Live

Once your code is in place, your payment system is active. Customers click “Buy,” complete payment through the Fourdotpay wallet (supporting credit cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and bank transfers), and instantly access your content.

For implementing this SDK you can find more detailed information on Developers documentation.

Other options to monetise with Fourdotpay

SDK is not the only available integration option from Fourdotpay. We have several others and if SDK seems too technical, here are other options:

Wordpress plugin

If you have Wordpress website than a Fourdotpay Wordpress plugin is the right solution for you to monetise your content. It has all the features of SDK, but the installation is even easier than SDK and can be done in a few clicks. For the installation, contact us and we can talk to you through the installation.

Creator Gems

As an alternative if you don’t have your own website, you could start monetizing your written content also with Creator Gems. This is a Fourdotpay’s ready-made marketplace where you can publish and monetise content with 1% transaction fees. It’s perfect for creators who want to start earning immediately without any technical setup.

Creator Gems provides a professional creator portal where you can showcase your content catalog, set individual prices, and start selling within minutes. Your audience discovers your work through the platform or via links you share. Learn more in our complete guide to Creator Gems.

API for more sophisticated users

We also have API integration solutions for more sophisticated users that would like to implement more custom solutions. The API solution enables advanced features to facilitate bespoke workflows. To learn more about API check our developer’s documentation.

What if I don’t have my own website?

If you have your own content which you have monetised on the so-called rented land through platforms, and you are looking to start monetising on your own terms, we also have a solution for you. Our partnering company Portridge can build a custom-built website for you.

Get a demo

Start building your micropayment monetisation system today. Visit the developer documentation at fourdotpay.io/creator-businesses/developer-docs/ to implement your first buy button in under 10 minutes.

In case SDK might not be the right solution for you, book a call with our team that will help you find the right solution for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What content types can I sell using the Fourdotpay SDK?

A: The SDK currently supports video and PDF content, making it ideal for tutorials, sheet music, photo presets guides, digital art files, educational content, and any digital product that fits these formats. More content types may be added as the platform evolves.

Q: Do I need coding experience to implement the SDK?

A: No programming expertise is required. If you can copy and paste text into your website’s HTML, you can implement the Fourdotpay SDK. The setup involves adding three code snippets—one in your page header and two in your page body. Most creators complete implementation in under 10 minutes.

Q: How much does the Fourdotpay SDK cost?

A: The SDK itself is free to implement. Fourdotpay charges just 1% per transaction, meaning you keep 99% of every sale. There are no monthly fees, setup costs, or hidden charges—you only pay when you earn.

Q: What happens if a customer wants to access content on multiple devices?

A: The SDK includes a built-in redeem function. Customers who purchased content on one device can easily regain access on another device by verifying their Fourdotpay wallet credentials. The system automatically recognises their previous purchase and unlocks the content.

Q: Can I use the Fourdotpay SDK alongside other monetisation methods?

A: Absolutely. Many creators use the SDK for small-value content (under £20) on their website whilst also maintaining subscription services, online courses, or other revenue streams. The SDK complements existing monetisation strategies rather than replacing them.