PayPal has just introduced one of the first major changes to its checkout process in years.  Shiny new branding and checkout page styling options are being rolled out for merchants to take advantage of.

The new checkout pages have been rated faster in usability testing by PayPal which helps tremendously to reduce shopping cart abandonment.

Also introduced with the update are custom payment page styles which allow PayPal members to include two branded logo images and surrounding border colors displayed as a gradient.

New page styles can be applied to all of PayPal’s eCommerce options:

• Buy Now button
• Checkout button
• Donation button
• PayPal Shopping Carts
• PayPal Website Payments

Follow these simple steps to create a custom style for your PayPal checkout.

Step 1. Navigate to Profile Summary

Step 2. Navigate to Custom Payment Pages

Step 3. Add New Page Style

Step 4. Enter Your Logo Image URLs

Your logo should be resized to 190×60 pixels. It’s a pretty small space, so be sure to eliminate any whitespace in your logo by cropping it first.

The large 750×90 pixel banner image and additional border color options are also available, but are optional.

Step 5. Enter Color Code

You may find the Colorzilla addon for Firefox or EyeDropper extension for Chrome helpful for this step.

Do not include the # sign when pasting your hex color code here.

Step 6. Set Default OR Add Page Style Variable to Code

Once saved, you have the option to make your new custom page style the default for your account.

If you accept payments for more than one business or service, I recommend you add the “page_style” variable to define the name of a style for each of your checkout buttons or shopping cart code.

page_style=”AQDN”

Your PayPal checkout should now feature your logo and accompanying colors. Here’s to a better branded, more seamless checkout experience for your customers!

Are you happy with these improvements? Are you planning on using all of the new page style options or just some? Please leave a comment below with your thoughts or consider sharing this how-to guide with a fellow PayPal merchant.

This article is from DotSauce Magazine.

One of the most well-respected Usability publications on the web, UX Magazine recently made an affront against the URL bar. The article author, Devin Coldewey illustrates a bold proposal for replacing URLs with website navigation.

The article sparked a lot of intrigue and caught a bit of heat. In this post I’ll share my take and observations on the matter.

Replacing Your Location Bar

The proposed system would move URL data to a standardized meta tag within website code, which would look something like this:

<nav order=”1″>http://www.amazon.com/</nav>

And could generate breadcrumb-style navigation and other dynamic data as shown in this example:

The idea is intriguing and would definitely be beneficial to users navigating websites internally. It could even spark the rise of some new unified layer of the web for website navigation. Though I doubt it will be seen in your browser anytime soon.

Public Speaks Out In Defense of URLs

What I would like you to take away from this post is that  domain names and URLs are a much needed, useful and valuable part of both the infrastructure of the web and the browsing experience.

The proposal sparked a lot of conversation and positive remarks, though many more people opened up to respectfully disagree.

I’d like to share these interesting quotes from public comments in response to the UX Magazine article.

The URL…is the single greatest innovation of the web. A simple string can pass through literally any human communication system. Speech, print, text messaging, anything. – neilk

…the URL bar, if used properly by the website, can be extremely useful. – Sunny Singh

There is also the matter of phishing which a transparent URL scheme, and better user awareness, can help in. We don’t want to hide the URL. – Paul M. Watson

They’re simple strings. You can bookmark them, copy them and send them to people. – []

The URL bar has a useful, standardized, documented purpose. Please don’t try to turn a hammer into a screwdriver. – Bernadette

URLs are the definitive indication of location on the net, and any obfuscation of them would be detrimental to location awareness. – telic

URLs are brilliant because they are separate from navigation; that’s a feature, not a bug. – neilk

The Url is the foundation of the hyperlink, and the hyperlink is the innovation that glues the entire WWW together. – brc

How About a Compromise?

A few other commentators and another UX Magazine author proposed adding dynamic functionality to the URL itself.

The example given is that sub-folders could be clickable and function as alternate means of navigation. I think this is a better concept. A useful Firefox plugin called Locationbar2 (shown left) is already moving in that direction.

In fact, I wouldn’t mind having the full unified navigation, so long as it was placed below my URL bar.

Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the website owner to optimize their domain name, URLs and navigation.

What side of the fence are you on? Do you think browser developers should change how we browse the web or will URLs be the standard for years to come? I’m interested to read your comments.

This article is from DotSauce Magazine.

I’ve recently come across new web apps and plugins that can save bloggers a lot of time and maybe a bit of sanity.

These all come highly recommended for the serious blogger, but are sure to get a new comer excited about the possibilities of customizing and improving the blogging experience.

Featured below are new ways to snap the web, edit your code, curate tweets, organize upcoming posts and even get more readers. Enjoy!

1. Pixlr Grabber

Capture the web quickly and easily. Pixlr Grabber is a browser extension for both Firefox and Google Chrome developed by Pixlr, a slick web based image editing solution.

The Pixlr Grabber extension helps you take screenshots of selected portions or entire webpages. You can then save to your computer, upload to the web or immediately share your screenshots with friends.

2. Code ‘n’ Run

This simple web application enables you to connect to your own server via a secure FTP connection and edit your website code.

The interface is extremely minimal and user friendly, perfect for use on an iPad. Code syntax is properly highlighted and multiple files can be worked on quickly and efficiently.

3. KeepStream

The Twitter app I’ve been waiting for is finally being developed. KeepStream is a new startup that aims to help you organize your favorite twitter updates. You may have noticed it in the latest DotSauce Link Roundup.

You can select tweets from your public timelines, your own stream, a search, a Twitter list or your starred favorites. Tweets with links in them can optionally feature full titles and short descriptions of the destination pages.

Tweets are saved within a nicely formatted list that is shareable and embeddable. Here is a live example:

4. Editorial Calendar

This new WordPress plugin provides a clean calendar view of your posting activity. Browse your live posts and quickly create drafts for posts you’d like to schedule at a later date.

Using this plugin definitely beats selecting dates manually from the new post page.

Get in a rhythm and manage your posting schedule with this great plugin. I’m sure it’s going to be one of the next best essential plugins for all blogs.

5. Sharedaddy

Hot off the presses! Automattic has just announced this exciting social sharing plugin today.

Sharedaddy is for both WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress blogs. The plugin places buttons below your post that enable readers to quickly share posts on social networks, bookmarking services or directly to a friend’s email. The option is also available to add additional services.

View this video for a quick walk-through of the Sharedaddy administration or see the plugin in action below this post.

Stay Tuned For More

I hope you found these new apps and plugins for bloggers as useful as I did. Stay tuned to DotSauce for upcoming collections of useful new apps for social media and business soon.

If you have friends who are fellow bloggers, consider being one of the first to put the new Sharedaddy plugin to good use. Thanks!

This article is from DotSauce Magazine.