July 01, 2007

Do web sites need Standardized URLs?

Alex Iskold has an interesting post on Read/Write Web that is proposing a standardized URL schema and directory structure for web sites.

The basic idea behind standard URLs is simple - given a type of object, like a book or a movie or a music album, create a URL schema that can be used by any site. Here are some basic examples to get us started:

/books/michael-pollan/the-omnivores-dilemma-a-natural-history-of-four-meals
/music/jack-johnson/in-between-dreams
/movies/alejandro-inarritu/babel

First, the objects are divided into categories such as books, music and movies. The category is followed by a major attribute such as author, artist or director. Finally there is the title of the object. So for example, if this scheme worked, we could type
in:

http://www.netflix.com/movies/alejandro-inarritu/babel

...to get to that movie on Netflix. Or:

http://www.blockbuster.com/movies/alejandro-inarritu/babel

...to get to the movie on Blockbuster.com.

It's an interesting idea and would be "nice to have" but is it really needed? Will developers take the time to implement it?

How often do users type URLs in the address bar? It's far more common for users to enter a web site name in their search toolbar or on the search box on their home page rather than even going up to the address bar. Some even believe that the address bars on browsers should be hidden and replaced with just the [preferred search engine] search toolbar.

Sure it would be very convenient for price comparison shopping but is making that easier in the online store's interest?

I don't see this happing anytime soon.

Posted in Google , Web Design by usrbingeek at 2007-07-01 12:05 ET (GMT-5) | 0 Comments | Permalink

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