The URL Is Dead, Long Live Search

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_url_is_dead_long_live_search.php

by naish • 18 years ago

5 6 18 years ago

GavinB• 18 years ago

There are two text boxes at the top of my screen--URL and Google. They function almost interchangeably. If I type a search phrase into the URL, it redirects to google. If I type a URL into the google box I am one click from the site I want to be at. I guess I'm just sloppy, but I use one for the other all the time.

It almost seems as though the two could be combined with some clever rules.

mynameishere• 18 years ago

I read somewhere that the #1 search phrase on google is "google". (They publish a different list that filters out that and similar.)

I've definitely seen people get to google by searching for "google" on yahoo as well.

ken• 18 years ago

Not surprising; I'm guilty of this, too. It's mostly because I can no longer figure out what the long white boxes at the top of my web browser do.

For example, with FF3b5, if I type "google" in the URL box, it shows me google.com search results for the string "google". But if I type in "amazon", it goes straight to <http://www.amazon.com>;. What's the pattern? I have no idea.

(Reads the docs...) Apparently the URL bar first goes to a "keyword search service" (default, google), which will automatically redirect, or show search results. If you disable this, it does "domain guessing" (adding ".com", etc.).

Geez, I'm a web developer, and I had to read the docs to find out what the URL box does these days. I feel old.

ldenman• 18 years ago

AOL Keyword: E!

delano• 18 years ago

I think he meant domain names are dead. URIs are still very much alive and well.

neovive• 18 years ago

Using a search also helps to avoid potential typo domain versions of a website.

The URL Is Dead, Long Live Search

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