Examples of poorly designed URLs

http://www.dept.qld.gov.au/dds
/search/openSeminar.do;jsessio
nid=G3J0DLxbVqpRJhbVpP
ST3xh3YLbpRz31Tyy7Wdd
hr3GYdT1vTCLT!21007406
19?placeID=0&keyword=fas
hion&call_centre_mode=false
&externalCallMode=false&br
eadCrumbsBase=%3Ca+href
%3D%22%2F%22+title%3D
%22Home%22%3EHome%
3C%2Fa%3E&accredited=tr
ue&seminar_id=14442&semi
narType Filter=0&ins_spec=f
alse

• Too long
• Extremely unclear
• Not truncatable
• Clearly shows underlying technology
• Session ID present
• Not easily addressable
• Mixed case
• Contains numerous instances of punctuation, special characters, underscores
• Contains query phrases

• Principle 1: Brevity
• Principle 2: Clarity
• Principle 3: Truncatable
• Principle 4: Technology independence
• Principle 5: Persistent
• Principle 6: Addressable
• Principle 8: Case
• Principle 9: Structure
• Principle 11: System identifiers
• Principle 12: Query strings

http://www.dept.qld.gov.au/DO
CUMENTS/CURRENT/D/Do
cumentAbcA67.pdf

• Use of numbers instead of descriptive title
• Mixed case
• Temporal nature 'CURRENT'

• Principle 2: Clarity
• Principle 5: Persistence
• Principle 8: Case

http://www.qld.gov.au/dept/job
s/pathways/index.jsp?group=gr
oup&type= typea&title=job

• Not clear
• Contains query phrases

• Principle 2: Clarity
• Principle 12: Query strings

http://www.jobs.qld.gov.au/sea
rch/joblist.asp

• Not persistent
• Not addressable

• Principle 5: Persistent
• Principle 6: Addressable

http://seek.com.au/users/apply/
index.ascx?Sequence=60&Pa
geNumber =1&JobID=10124
560

• Not clear
• Mixed case
• Contains temporary identifiers

• Principle 2: Clarity
• Principle 5: Persistent
• Principle 8: Case
• Principle 11: System identifiers

http://www.qld.gov.au/resources_
for_queenslanders/one_thing_or_
another/

• Contains underscores

• Principle 9: Structure

http://networks.silicon.com/web
watch/0,39024667,39161662,
00.htm

• Too long
• Use of numbers instead of descriptive title
• Shows underlying technology

• Principle 1: Brevity
• Principle 2: Clarity
• Principle 4: Technology independence
• Principle 11: System identifiers

http://www.support.department
.qld.gov.au/qt/FORMSDAT.ns
f/FORMS/QF2367/$file/F236
7_es.pdf

• Too long
• Use of numbers instead of descriptive title
• Mixed case

• Principle 1: Brevity
• Principle 2: Clarity
• Principle 4: Technology independence
• Principle 8: Case
• Principle 11: System identifiers

http://www.gamblingandracing
.somestate.gov.au/Documents/
Race%20Bookmakers%20Ag
ent%20Licence%20Renewal%
20Application%202007.rtf

• Too long
• Mixed case
• Use of spaces in filename resulting in insertion of %20

• Principle 1: Brevity
• Principle 8: Case
• Principle 9: Structure

http://www-304.ibm.com/jct0
3001c /services/learning/ites.w
ss/us/en?pageType=course_lis
t&subChapter=327&subChap
terInd=S®ion=us&subCha
pterName=Cisco+certificatio
n&country=us

• Too long
• Mixed case
• Contains query phrases

• Principle 1: Brevity
• Principle 8: Case
• Principle 11: System identifiers
• Principle 12: Query strings