In Part 1, I said that Firefox was my preferred browser and listed some extensions that I like. They’re cool and useful, but pale in comparison to my favorite and most indispensable feature – smart keywords.

Firefox Logo Again!

I used Firefox for a long time before discovering smart keywords. After I did, it has been a monumental shift in how I use the browser and search for information.

Keywords

Let’s start with keywords in general – not the smart kind. Keywords can be assigned to any of your existing internet bookmarks. Here’s how:

1. Show the bookmarks sidebar by pressing Control+B (Command+B on a Mac)
2. Search for or navigate to a bookmark, right-click and choose Properties
3. Add a keyword that describes the bookmark (e.g. ‘goog’ for Google), press Save
4. Type the keyword into the address bar and hit return

In step 4, you should have gone straight to your bookmarked page. For commonly used bookmarks this saves you time – you don’t have to go hunting for the bookmark in a menu, you just type the keyword and it goes straight there. Continue reading »