I read a fascinating article on Mashable this morning about how more and more web users are sidestepping a visit to Google.com in favor of the built-in Google search bar found in most browsers. When I thought about it, I realized that I very seldom visit Google.com – yet I use their search engine almost exclusively to find things online.

What this suggests is that browsers are becomingly vastly more versatile as a vehicle for exploring the web. As a Firefox user, I rely on extensions and plugins to expedite and enhance my browsing experience – but it hadn’t occurred to me that I had stopped visiting certain homepages altogether.

Take YouTube, for example.

I never type in www.youtube.com – not when I can just select the YouTube button in Firefox’s search bar and plug my query straight in. That takes me directly to the videos that I want to see. Thus, I never glimpse YouTube’s selection of “Most Popular Videos,” which are placed on the homepage.

Am I missing out on great content? Are external search widgets fair to websites, who see fewer pageviews (and ad impressions, as a result)?

Or do browser shortcuts give users more control, a development that is surely welcome?