I go a step further and use FF's nifty "Add a Keyword for this Search..." feature (Right click in the Google search box and pick that option).
The keyword that I pick is usually a single letter - G for Google, A for Amazon, I for IMDB, W for wikipedia.
I completely remove the search field from FF's toolbar. To search Google, its Alt (or Apple) + L (focus shifts to search box) type g followed by search terms. Similar for every other keyword I have defined
Unless you find yourself short on screen space, or frequently have to type really long URLs, the Ctrl+K combination to get straight to the keyword box is equally useful for those who use one search engine (Google in my case) significantly more than the others. I don't know what the Mac equivalent would be.
> ...the Ctrl+K combination to get straight to the keyword box is equally useful for those who use one search engine...
It's actually not. When typing in either the keyword box or the URL box, it shows similar previous searches in a dropdown. The URL box's method is superior:
For suggestions, the keyword box does a "StartsWith" query against your previous searches. The URL box does a "Contains" query.
The keyword box has a delay between when you stop typing and when previous searches are displayed. The URL box does not.
The keyword that I pick is usually a single letter - G for Google, A for Amazon, I for IMDB, W for wikipedia.
I completely remove the search field from FF's toolbar. To search Google, its Alt (or Apple) + L (focus shifts to search box) type g followed by search terms. Similar for every other keyword I have defined