When we open a new tab in a modern web browser we are met with an incredibly simple prompt.
A seemingly simple prompt sits on the home page area of most web browsers and invites users to choose between a search, or a direct URL entry.
However, behind this simple request lies a complex web of user intent, browser design and cybersecurity issues.
When users conduct their search for the term “search engine” or ”URL” they are typically faced with pages containing lots of vague definition content from marketing companies — these companies treat the inquiry as a form of basic digital literacy.
Our analysis goes in a different direction.
We look beyond the fluff to show what the actual decision tree is faced with by users when they use their browsers.
We are as well looking at the technological mechanics of the Omnibox and the real world externalities involved in how we navigate the web.
This article will give you a full explanation of how your browser interprets your keystrokes.
It will also explain why it is important to decide whether to use a search engine or enter a known web address.
When you enter a question, a term, or a brand without adding a domain suffix, your web browser submits your entry through your predetermined search engine (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo) for relevant search results.
Search engines are able to provide different types of services (for finding new products/services, comparing prices/features, finding information about a company, etc.).
This is compared to URL (uniform resource locator) links that are used only to access a specific webpage using a known address.
How browsers use the address bar
In order to fully comprehend the way that today’s browsers are asking for searches or for web addresses, you have to go back to how web navigation was originally designed.
When the Internet was in its infancy, browsers had two input fields.
On the left side was an address field that could only be populated with a url.
A smaller search box was located on the right side, populated by whatever search engine the browser had chosen to partner with.
In the past, if you attempted to search using the address bar, the browser would return an error message.
It only accepted input in the form of a strict url syntax (usually starting with http://www.).
The Omnibox
When Google Chrome introduced the "Omnibox" it changed everything about browser development.
Browser developers recognised that it was a waste of time and screen space to provide two different input methods.
It made it more challenging for people to learn how to use them.
Consequently, people would frequently put a url into their search box and vice versa.
With the introduction of the Omnibox, browser developers merged the two functions into one large text field.
By doing this, it also reduced the cognitive load on the user regarding what was being requested in the inputted text.
It allowed the browser to determine what was being requested.
Initially, predictive algorithms, local history of browsing, and the recognizing of patterns were implemented to accurately send the whole string of text to its appropriate system in real-time.
Currently, all major web browsers (i.e., Safari, Edge, Firefox) use this framework for interpreting input.
How modern browsers interpret input
The moment a user begins entering text into a web browser it begins to parse that text in real-time. The modern web browser looks for triggers during the parsing process.
For example, if a user has entered text that includes a space, then the text is most likely to be a search query since a standard URL cannot contain spaces.
If the last character(s) of the string entered by the user are a known TLD such as .com, .org, or .io, the web browser assumes the user's intent is to navigate directly to the corresponding domain.
It has priority for this action.
In addition to verifying whether or not the entered string is a direct navigation, the web browser concurrently checks the text entered to see if it matches any of the user's bookmarks and/or to analyze the user's browsing history.
As these actions are performed, the web browser sends numerous requests to the search engine connected to the web browser for autocomplete suggestion results.
All of these actions will be completed in milliseconds, before the user presses Enter.
Search vs. direct navigation
The decision to perform a search instead of attempting to navigate directly to a resource reflects on both the user's lack of knowledge about what server stores the information being sought after and the possibilities for resource discovery and exploration.
Using search in ambiguous situations
One of the main reasons for performing a search is in response to uncertainty regarding the user's specific needs.
The internal temperature of a medium rare steak can be found online, by searching for this information.
Type the question into the search engine and an algorithm will display millions of pages, in order of authority, related to the answer.
Search engines are very good at understanding natural language.
They are excellent at correcting misspelled words and determining how words relate to each other semantically.
Product and service comparison
Direct navigation is completely ineffective when you're trying to find options.
For example, if you want to order some project management software, visiting asana.com to get more information would only provide you with one perspective about it.
Searching for the best project management software for small teams brings up an array of websites that have been compiled and randomized into lists, comparisons, and user reviews.
By using search, you can access multiple data points prior to selecting specific providers/services.
Confirming authenticity of websites
People will often still use Google to search for a website they know, even though they may not be sure of which URL to type into the browser's address bar.
The reason this is the case is that many people cannot remember all three URL endings.
Therefore, they will enter their brand into the search bar and select the first organic result to confirm.
Search engines downgrade unintentional websites while ranking their official web addresses as a higher source of authority.
For many users, the SERP is considered a plus whenever attempting to confirm that a link is appropriate.
When to enter a URL for direct navigation
Although Search Engines can be incredibly powerful tools, direct URL entry may often times increase efficiency.
Entering a web address in the Omnibox is similar to taking a short cut. It eliminates the intermediate search engine step.
When you enter a URL in the Omnibox and press Enter, your browser uses DNS to look up the domain name and contacts the host server directly for the web page.
Accessing secure entry points for cloud applications
For securing sensitive access points, direct navigation is the main source of access.
This includes things like accessing your company's internal applications, the secure access points of your cloud applications or logging into your bank account.
All of these are unique locations that you do not need to research. You need to access them quickly.
Employees don't typically search for Google for the link to their company's internal HR portal.
They enter the intranet address directly into their web browser, relying on the browser's ability to auto-complete the address string.
Direct navigation redirects by-passing search engine results pages
When performing a search, you are often bombarded with unnecessary distractions. Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) are intentionally created environments.
They are filled with paid advertising, Featured Snippets, algorithmically generated suggestions and competitors links.
If you want to read The New York Times, you will need to search for it and work your way through the many advertisements for other articles or news aggregators that exist above and below it.
A direct entry of the correct web address removes this clutter and provides a clear pathway from your intention to where you are trying to go.
Internet search engines often encourage web searches by updating their search index or the list of websites reflected in the search engine results.
Direct navigation is an increasingly popular means of accessing the internet.
This is thanks to a user-friendly interface that instantaneously displays frequent navigations to commonly used websites through the web browser's predictive navigation engine.
Often users will navigate to a preferred website without ever entering a full web address or even performing a search on their preferred internet search engine.
Instead, a user simply types "y" or "t" from their previous day's visits to similar sites and the predictive navigation engine will complete the full web address of the targeted site.
It is important to remember that your past browsing behavior will dictate what website or websites you will see first when using a web browser's predicted navigation feature.
Direct navigation may be one of the fastest ways to visit popular websites.
However, the direct navigation decision has several cybersecurity implications.
Most digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) guides and blogs discuss the decision between searching and entering the web address purely from the standpoint of the ease of use.
In fact, the manner in which you navigate to a certain website will determine how vulnerable you are to specific types of cyber threats.
A prime example of this cyber threat category is typo-squatting. Typo-squatting is a cyber threat that targets a user that prefers direct navigation.
Cyber criminals register web domains that are slight misspellings of well-known websites.
For instance, if you intend to visit Google.com and write "Goigle.com," the predictable navigation engine on your web browser will direct you to Goigle.com.
If Goigle.com belongs to a cyber criminal and the criminal has inserted advertisements, or the criminal has inserted malware for download or a fake virus notice, then by not utilizing a search engine, you have avoided the protection provided by the search engine's filtering system.
Another example of a cyber threat category is phishing.
Phishing occurs when a cyber criminal creates a domain name for an organization to closely mimic the domain name for that organization's legitimate website.
Phishing domains are particularly dangerous for consumers using financial institutions or financial service providers.
Users handed their login credentials to phishing attackers when typing a malicious URL into their web browsers.
Ironically, the safest method of validating a banking URL is by performing a search using the bank's name, in these situations with higher stakes.
A search engine's algorithm filters out lookalike domain names. Therefore, the top organic result will always be from an official, verified financial institution.
SSL certificates & browser warnings
To further decrease the threat of users navigating directly to a URL, browsers today enforce the use of HTTPS protocols.
When users enter a URL pointing to an unencrypted/unsecured web server, the browser will block navigation and display a full-screen warning if possible.
This serves as the last line of defence, allowing the browser to check the SSL certificate of the site before permitting the connection to proceed.
What your browser sees when you type or search
Understanding how browsers interact with text strings typed into Omnibox is essential for fully comprehending the meaning of "Type or Search for Web Address."
The browser does not perform magic in determining what to do with the text string. It has very carefully designed rules for doing this.
Predictive search & autocomplete feature
The moment your cursor enters an Omnibox, a complex background process begins. When you type in the letter "A," the browser scans multiple data levels.
First, it searches your browsing history.
Did you just visit apple.com? If so, that will be shown as the first suggestion.
The second source is your bookmarks.
Finally, it searches your default search engine.
Your search engine will analyze information that is being searched all over the world, as well as what you have been searching for personally.
It uses this to suggest an auto completion such as "Amazon", "Air Quality Index" or "American Airlines", etc.
Your web browser will generate a combined list of navigational URLs and search queries into a drop down menu.
When you press 'Enter', the browser makes a hard decision between two outcomes.
If the browser recognises what you typed as a URL, it then requests a DNS (Domain Name System) resolution.
The browser sends a request for the DNS server to translate the human-readable domain back into an actual IP address.
Once the DNS server has identified the IP address, the web browser will establish a connection with the server that has that IP address.
In contrast, if the web browser identifies your string as a 'search' string, the browser will package that string into the URL format specified by the search engine.
An example of this would be if you typed in "weather", the browser would send that query to the search engine in a URL format.
The web browser will then retrieve that dynamically created search results page from the search engine.
When you send a string to a search engine, it is the search engine's responsibility to determine the search intent of the user.
The search engine will need to determine if the user is seeking information (informational intent), looking for an exact URL (navigational intent), or looking to make a purchase (transactional intent).
Google processes billions of search strings on a daily basis using sophisticated machine learning algorithms to produce a results page that best matches the searcher's intention.
The two above cases illustrate how the "search or type" decision has an effect on how users perform their tasks, as well as on their information security and the amount of time spent performing the task.
Case #1: Logging in to a bank account
Consider a user who wants to view their balance at Chase Bank:
Typing the URL - if a user has been to Chase Bank previously and remembers the URL (in this case, chase.com), then typing "ch" and hitting enter will allow them to get to the Chase Bank login page the quickest. If a user mis-types or otherwise misspells the URL (e.g., "chaze.com"), they may inadvertently arrive at a phishing website instead.
Searching Google - if a user searches for "Chase bank login" in the Omnibox, they will receive a search engine results page (SERP) listing the websites matching that search phrase. Since Google's algorithms will only return search results based on credentialed business entities, the top result will be the official (and therefore secure) portal for accessing Chase Bank accounts.
Conclusion - although typing a bank URL is usually faster for checking sensitive business accounts like this one, searching Google adds an additional layer of trust due to having your search results filtered through the business's credentials.
Case #2: When does a local hardware store close today?
Let's consider what the average user would do to find out what time their local hardware store closed:
Typing the URL - if the user knows the URL for that store, they may guess it, wait for the store's homepage to load, then navigate to the store's "Contact Us" or "About" pages, and scroll down the page until they find the information they seek.
Searching Google - if the user searches for "hours for [name of store]," they will have several options of date and time to choose from, and will see a localized SERP result populated with that store's hours of operation. In this instance, the user receives their hours of operation via Google's Rich Snippet feature, which allows users to see this information without going to the store's website, because Google scrapes it from the store's Google Business Profile.
Conclusion - in this case, the ability to have necessary data extracted through Google by entering a few keywords or phrases is a far better solution than attempting to type a store's website URL, and then dig through the site's several pages to find the hours of operation.
Scenario three looks at how a procurement manager looks into CRM software solutions for the sales team.
By typing the URL (salesforce.com, hubspot.com), you will be directed immediately to why these solutions are great – they are heavily marketed with Blueprints (planning mechanism), and there is little or no context or comparative analysis available.
Using Google to search "Salesforce vs. HubSpot for mid-market enterprise," one receives a plethora of information including industry reports, Reddit threads, software-review sites (e.g., G2, Capterra), plus analyst breakdowns.
The learning: High-stakes research requires a full exploration of options.
The prompt (browser prompt created by the URL being visited/typed) should always be a search query.
Why "search vs. typing a URL" are important for SEO
Digital marketers and SEO specialists have placed great emphasis (the search bar) on user interactions with the address bar.
This is a critical metric when it comes to discovering the strength of the brand as well as acquiring traffic to the site.
The navigation intent for branded search traffic results in a unique traffic source every time a user searches for a business rather than typing the actual URL.
Business rank position is imperative if it is not in the number one position for its own brand name.
Thus, it opens up opportunities for competitors to acquire the same traffic at the same time by bidding on their brand keywords.
As such, it is extremely important to ensure that the company website captures the No. 1 rankings in the SERPs for brand search.
This is a vital component of protecting the brand.
The relationship between brand authority and direct traffic
Conversely, when users opt to input their domain name into their browser's address bar as opposed to using a search engine, this can be viewed as a powerful indicator of their brand authority.
Direct traffic indicates that a user did not require the assistance of a search engine to discover your URL.
They already knew your domain name by heart or utilized a bookmark to return to your website.
Search engines are able to collect data on these behaviors, while web browsers such as Google Chrome provide anonymous user behavior reports back to the digital ecosystem.
As such, websites that experience a high volume of direct traffic generated from typed URLs tend to be considered very authoritative websites and can indirectly increase their ability to rank for non-branded or broader search queries.
Conclusion: Where efficiency and security meet
When you search or type in a website address, you are actually witnessing how easy the modern internet has made your life.
You no longer have to have a complete understanding of the technical differences between a domain name and a query string in order to surf the internet.
The Omnibox allows you to handle both types of input with ease.
If you are confident where you want to go, and you trust your fingers will correctly spell out the URL, type it in.
It’s the quickest and most straightforward way to traverse the web.
If you want multiple options, need to confirm the validity of the website in order to avoid becoming the victim of a scam, or wish to receive a quick response without it taking you a long time to navigate the site, conduct a search.
Either way, the address bar is able to accommodate both methods seamlessly.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my browser prompt me to search or type in a web address?
Modern browsers provide a single input area known as the Omnibox, which allows the user to enter both direct URL navigation (often copy and pasted) and traditional search queries.
The prompt provides the user with information on how to navigate the web using one input area.
Is searching on Google safer than typing in a URL?
That depends on your level of confidence. If you are aware of the exact spelling and have visited the website in the past, it is safe to input the URL directly into your browser.
However, if you are not completely sure of your spelling or intend to ensure that it is the correct URL for the website you are seeking out, it is generally much safer to conduct searches using Google.
Algorithms utilized by Google exclude those websites that are misspelled, contain maliciously registered domain names, and prioritize websites that have been verified as authentic.
How does Chrome determine if you are entering a search or a URL?
Chrome processes your input in real-time.
If the input includes any spaces, cannot be matched to an existing domain name (like ".com" or ".org"), or can be used as part of a common question format, Chrome sends the input to the default search engine.
If the input appears to be like a standard web address format, Chrome determines to resolve through DNS and connect to the website directly.
Can I customize my default search engine in the Omnibox?
Yes, you may customize your default search engine in the Omnibox.
The default search engine for Google Chrome is Google; the default for Microsoft Edge is Bing.
You have the ability to change this functionality to alternate search engines (such as DuckDuckGo, Yahoo! and Ecosia) within the settings of the browsers based on your privacy preferences.
