Bookmarkable

Bookmarkable is a term used in web design and user experience to describe pages or resources whose URLs can be saved as browser bookmarks and revisited to retrieve the same content without requiring a prior session or interaction. Bookmarkable pages have stable, descriptive URLs that uniquely identify the resource and can be accessed directly, even when a user is not logged in.

Key characteristics include: a stable URL that remains constant over time; content that loads without relying on ephemeral session state or POST-based actions; a sufficient amount of information in the URL to identify the resource; and appropriate titles and metadata that remain meaningful when shared.

Techniques to improve bookmarkability include using clear, RESTful or otherwise clean URLs, placing resource identifiers in the path (for example /articles/123) rather than as hidden session parameters, and keeping filters or query parameters predictable (for example /search?query=lamp&color=brass). For dynamic single-page apps, bookmarkability can be achieved by client-side routing that maps a URL to a specific view or by server-side rendering that exposes stable URLs.

Challenges arise when content is personalized or gated behind authentication, or when pages require form submissions or stateful interactions to display content. In such cases, designers can provide a default public state or use GET requests to expose shareable views.

From an accessibility and SEO perspective, bookmarkable pages are easier to index and share, so supplying meaningful titles and canonical URLs is beneficial.