Death of the Address Bar
I’m not one to make predictions, but this one has been at the back of my mind for a while and the evidence is starting to rack up. In my usual style, I shall make my point through an unnecessary number of dodgy anecdotes and opinions rather than through citations and serious research. I hope you enjoy them.
Anecdote #1 – URLs in advertising
Over the past year or so, I have noticed a trend in television advertising where the viewer is prompted to search for a phrase, rather than given a URL to remember. This week I saw a billboard (for Streetcar, a primarily web-based business) that did not display a URL at all. Obviously relying on brand recognition alone to prompt people to Google “street car“, which of course they will. And rather than their analytics showing a load of “direct hit” entries. They will have richer metrics showing how people searched and found the business.