Who Determines Browser Routing?

[NP41215]

When you type in some character string in the FireFox or IE URL input, you're always directed to some site that may have little to do with the character string.

Obviously the receiving website gets your traffic and benefits from your visit. The question is who determines which website you'll end up visiting?

For example, using FireFox, if I type the word "Poker", I am taken to http://www.pokerroom.com/ But if I check on Poker.Com, I find it is a valid, non-parking website that apparently is just as active.

In fairness, chances are the person who types "poker" expects to see Poker.com more than PokerRoom.Com, as both are active websites. But that's not to be.

Does PokerRoom.Com pay Mozilla.Org or some third party to get priority over Poker.Com? How does this work?

Using IE, however, typing in "Poker" does bring a list of hits, with Poker.Com being the first one, followed by PokerRoom.Com behind it. This seems more reasonable.

I suspect there must be a market for brower type-in market where the domain extension is not specified. How does that market work?

 

[NP41215]

OK. Guess nobody knows the answer.

But it is an interesting and important topic, methinks.

 

[alanchau]

It goes to the first result on Google.
Equivalent to the "I'm Feeling Lucky" feature ...

Not suprising, since they'll earn revenue this way if people click on sponsored link(s).

 

[NP41215]

It goes to the first result on Google.
Equivalent to the "I'm Feeling Lucky" feature ...

Not suprising, since they'll earn revenue this way if people click on sponsored link(s).

That means FireFox or IE will have to set it up that way, which their companies are not obligated to do.

I presume there is money exchanged or some sort of quid pro quo between the parties.

Still, it's all reasonable speculation at this point, seemingly, without conclusive proof as to the exact and true conditions and circumstances of the setup or arrangement of the parties involved.