[mixonic]

I'd debate the phrase "step back". If you replace all your references to PAGE with URL, you get closer to a real meaning.

URLs for single-page applications are a serialization of application state. The fact that we now have an application platform (JavaScript/HTTP) providing sharable, mostly-human-readable state sharing (URLs) and is also indexed and searchable is nothing short of incredible.

Yes, the basic abstractions we use are the same. We will have URLs that address content in our applications. But now these are applications running on Google's own servers. Google is running my application (and hundreds of thousands more), and trying to understand what they mean to humans. This is a pretty amazing step forward.

Imagine Apple announcing it would run all iOS applications, interacting like a user to build a search index. IMO, this parallel shows what makes Google's commitment to running JavaScript apps exciting.

[andrenotgiant]

The point I was trying to make is this:

With every new capability from Googlebot comes new opportunities for us to screw it up as developers.

If we were to replace PAGE with URL, and URL is simply a serialization of application STATE, we could easily end up with infinite URLs that lead to STATES that are not really that different, unique or appealing as answers to queries users type into Google.

When deciding how to build Search-accessible Web Apps, and specifically what to expose to Google, we need to keep in mind that Google likes PAGES that follow the requirements I detailed above.

[Flenser]

> these are applications running on Google's own servers. Google is running my application (and hundreds of thousands more)

Which is also very beneficial for Google as they'll likely be the only company doing that for a while, and the one able to do it for the most sites for a long time to come, maintaining Google's search index lead.