Why Use Dirty URLs?
Given the numerous problems with dirty URLs, one might wonder why they are used at all. The most obvious reason is simply convention — using them has been, and so far still is, an accepted practice in Web development. This fact aside, dirty URLs do have a few real benefits, including: • They are portable. A dirty URL generally contains all the information necessary to reconstruct a particular dynamic query. For example, consider how a query for “web server software” appears in Google — http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Web+server+software. Given this URL, you can rerun the query at any time in the future. Though difficult to type, it is easily bookmarked. • They can discourage unwanted reuse. The negative aspects of a dirty URL can be regarded as positive when the intent is to discourage the user from typing a URL, remembering it, or saving it as a bookmark. The intimidating look and length of a dirty URL can be a signal to both user and search engine to stay awa
