Do people still type in full URL's?

by Vince Runza Online

Posted: 16 years ago 16 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

In olden days, people used to type in URL's to their browsers directly. Now, with the advent of groovy browsers that autocomplete what you're typing, search engines that serve up links you can click, etc., does that still happen?

I'm asking because there are still those who are concerned about the right TLD for a given set of keywords, .com versus .net/.info, and all the other possibilities one can have if regular folks are typing in URL's.

Of course, even you IM types can chime in about how YOU use that field in your browser window. I use it to find stuff I've forgotten (Firefox 3.0.1) via autocomplete...

#.com #people #tld #type #url

Mark Brian 16 years ago

Well, I only type the sites I frequently visit like WF, which autocompletes when I type "W". But when it does not autocomplete, I type the domain w/o the TLD and hit CTRL+enter which in all browsers, directs to the .com version.

I've heard and seen many non-tech people type the domain name not in the address bar but in Google search, which are usually .coms.

So I still think .com is a better choice.
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Stanley Tang 16 years ago

yeah, google.com, twitter.com, facebook.com

I just have to type "goo" and the thing automatically drops down and I can select google.com
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Monetize 16 years ago

My browser autocompletes for sites I've visited recently.
I use Opera which features visual bookmarks where I've
saved the sites I visit most often.

I include a short "add to favorites folder" script on most
of my webs, it's easy to do and makes it convenient for
my visitors to fav me with a couple of clicks.
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sparrow 16 years ago

Why - no need to anymore, the browsers compensate for this now

if you are on the internet all day long like I am a few less keystrokes here and there at the end of the day, must save me thousands of keystrokes daily

Ed
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Neil Morgan 16 years ago

I do find myself occasionally typing the full URL to sites like PayPal and my bank just to make sure I'm going to the site I think I'm going to.

Cheers,

Neil
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tecHead 16 years ago

iono, y'all...

Seems to me that the more rampant and advanced hackers get and the more educated consumers get, the more security conscious the surfing public will become.

The browser pulls auto-complete data from the "cache" of the browser. When you use one of those "spyware killer" apps... more than a few of them will clear out the browser cache, as well. Then there's the regular maintenance that is needed after a while; due to your computer (Windows based systems) slowing down when your cache (and Internet history) is overloaded.

IMHO, me thinks the "bookmark" feature is a more reliable gauge.

Just my 2¢
PLP,
tecHead
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thatgirlJ

16 years ago

LOL, my husband insists on typing everything out down to the WWW

I tease him about it.

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Steven Wagenheim

16 years ago

Vince, here are my personal browsing habits.

If it's a domain that's short, like about.com, I'll type it in. Sometimes I get
autocomplete and sometimes I don't.

If it's a long domain, no way. I copy and past the link or click on it if I can.

I can't speak for the rest of the world, but that's what I do.

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Vince Runza Online

16 years ago

Thanks to autocomplete, most of my URL typing is just a few characters. That doesn't help those who would buy a .net or .info domain -- .com still wins!

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Ouroboros

16 years ago

Damn, You mean you don't have to type it all and save it on your cassette tape drive anymore?

Vince, you're dating us man, I feel old!

Seriously though, I think with the capabilities of the browsers now, once someone has visited your site, they're not likely to have to type the URL anymore.

Steve

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Jill Carpenter

16 years ago

Originally Posted by Ouroboros

What's a cassette? I actually have 8 tracks and records.

I actually was looking up a domain the other day, and ASSumed it would just come up right - but the dot com came up automatically and that was not what I was looking for. weird huh?

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seasoned 16 years ago

Originally Posted by Jenn Dize

LOL, my husband insists on typing everything out down to the WWW

I tease him about it.

It is AMAZING how many STUPID companies don't honor the www! I would LOVE even a small portion of the possibly MILLIONS of page misses caused by that STUPID error! So SOMETIMES, you NEED the www!!!!!

Steve
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Rich Muir 16 years ago

I use the auto format for sure. Anything to save some time
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- zephyrwriting 16 years ago
  
  Sometimes I do, but mostly it is out of force of habit rather than anything else. To be honest, I find that predominantly I end up typing out the URLs of websites that I've been visiting for a long time and have gotten so used to it that I barely even notice.
  
  -Vish.
  
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  jhongren 16 years ago
  
  If it is a domain I frequent, it is stored as history.
  
  If it is long domain (or sometimes even a short new domain), I copy and paste the url.
  
  John
  
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Dave777 16 years ago

They do if you give them a reason to type in your full URL's...

Don't rule out Offline and other misc. online advertising campaigns...

Give some thought to finding a certain word to add on to your existing URL domain names or use a sub domain that just might intrigue consumers in your particular niche to visit your URL!

Short and to the point using domain name forwarding or a sub domain...

Quick example... 2009 is right around the corner! So adding a special year on, Freeinfo, Freeadvice, Freetips, Freeideas etc. etc...

And Think about applying your URL to a few or more of Sam Decker's list of 193 Creative Marketing Ideas and checkout scribd dot com if it's new to you...
193 Creative Marketing Ideas
Scribd

Dave
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Do people still type in full URL's?

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