Deep linking in AJAX applications

AJAX appplications face the challenge of deep-linking because many times the page URL does not change, only the content changes using AJAX.
And without deep linking, spiders and bots may not be able to index your page.

Currently there are 2 strategies for deep-linking AJAX sites:
- Using anchors. Onload, javascript checks location.href for an anchor and then calls the existing ajax methods to add and remove the appropriate content.
- place the stateful URL ("Link to this page") somewhere within the page, at a location and using a style that will become well-known conventions. Both Google Maps and MSN Earth follow this technique.

"Neither Google Maps nor MSN Virtual Earth records the state of a particular map view on the browser’s URL-line. Google Maps hides all the parameters. MSN Virtual Earth presents only a GUID whose purpose I don’t yet understand, but which doesn’t record the map’s state. In both cases, the stateful URL is found elsewhere than on the URL-line. Google Maps presents it directly, with a link icon and a Link to this page label. MSN Virtual Earth presents it indirectly — clicking Permalink leads to a popup window containing the stateful URL."