Google Checkout is a checkout process that you integrate with your website, enabling your customers to buy from you quickly and securely, using a single username and password. Once they do, you can use Google Checkout to charge their credit cards, process their orders, and receive payment in your bank account.

Google Checkout works with Google's search advertising program, AdWords, to increase your sales and minimize your expenses. Shoppers who see the Google Checkout badge on your AdWords ads will more easily find you when they search, and for every dollar you spend on AdWords, you can process $10 in sales for free.

Buyer Experience

The Google Checkout order process begins when the buyer puts items in the cart and is ready to check out. When you display a page that has a Google Checkout button, the page must include a shopping cart in an HTML form. When the buyer clicks the Google Checkout button, the button's code triggers the HTTP POST method and submits a new order to Google by sending XML containing the shopping cart as an HTTP POST message.

After Google receives the cart, it checks to see if the browser has a valid Google Checkout cookie. If not, Google displays the Sign In/Sign Up page. Once the buyer has signed in (or after a valid cookie is found), Google shows the Place Order page. On the Place Order page, the buyer can change the shipping address and shipping method, which can change the total cost of the order, as displayed on that page. If the buyer confirms the order by clicking Place your order now, Google starts processing the order and displays the Thank You page.