For my most-frequently accessed sites, I just click the name on the Bookmarks toolbar (Firefox)/Favorites Bar (IE).
This trend is something I consider a bit of a UI abomination. From the very start, the address bar has been more overloaded than it should have been, serving dual duty as both an input field and a status display. Now we’re folding multiple search engines into the mix too, creating an awful, muddled, nondeterministic mess.
Foxmarks (or Xmarks now I think) to sync my bookmarks across my PCs at home.
If I want to access directly, typed into address bar then CTRL+ENTER to add extension.
If I’s not sure the exact site name, Google is the solution.
Typically once I’ve typed a url into Chrome’s url bar, I only need to type the first couple characters then hit enter to autocomplete. The most-accessed sites I bookmark in the toolbar, and stuff I might need later (like a link to the Haynes manual for my car) I bookmark into the pulldown menu.
In order of most to least usage: Opera speed dial, Opera personal bar, bookmarks, Google, type it in.
No kidding. I use the address bar as a last resort to type in a known URL.
Firefox speed dial for most used. in browser Bookmarks for rest.
Most of the sites I regularly visit are bookmarked, so that’s the most common approach I take. However, if I didn’t bother to bookmark something I want to revisit, I find that going to Google will sometimes be quicker and easier then trying to rely on the browser “remembering” the place I wanted to go. For example, there was a site I visited several times recently. Someone else already had the web address that seemed most logical, but that’s what the browser remembered at the top of the list, not the actual site. Googling has the advantage of giving a short descriptor, among other things, making it easier to see the site I actually want.
90% of what I need I have a bookmark to.
I use smart bookmarks bar to make the bookmarks toolbar nice and neat and anything that I regularly look at goes there, anything short term goes there. Long term storage goes in the bookmarks menu.
Everything else I can’t be quite sure enough so I type it into the handy search bar right next to my address bar. I’ve tried chrome and it’s decision to merge the two, I hate it. If I want to search I want to search, if I want to type a url I don’t want it to search. Sometimes when I search I don’t want to search google, sometimes I want to look straight in wikipedia, ebay, etc. The search toolbar lets me do that without first navigating to their site.
firefox’s awesome bar
You type in a subportion of the site title (e.g. “quarter to three” or “how do you” for this page) and press down then enter. Works on any Firefox 3+
Also with enter selects it eliminates the “down” part
It searches your previously visited websites, so I no longer need bookmarks as long as I keep my history with me
This.
For my most accessed sites I use the keyword feature of Firefox bookmarks. For example, typing g into the address bar and pressing Enter takes me to Gmail. gt + Enter for Google Tasks and so on.
Ah yes, I forgot about that. For sites such as youtube, wikipedia, amazon and a thesaurus, I use address bar searching. “y megaman” will bring up a search for megaman on youtube. “w hitler” will bring me to hitler’s wikipedia article. Insanely useful. This is a feature built in to firefox and opera.