What is Web Address
A web address, also known as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), is like the unique "address" of a specific webpage on the internet. It allows your web browser to find and display the requested content. Just like your home address helps others find your house, a web address helps you navigate to specific information on the vast world wide web.
Here's a breakdown of the key components of a web address:
Structure
- Protocol: Defines the way information is transmitted (e.g., "http" for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, "https" for secure http).
- Domain name: The unique identifier for the website itself (e.g., "[invalid URL removed]", "wikipedia.org").
- Subdomain (optional): Further divides the website into sections (e.g., "mail.google.com").
- Path (optional): Specifies the specific page or file within the website (e.g., "/news" for the news section).
- Query string (optional): Used to send additional information to the server (e.g., "?q=cats" for a search query on a search engine).
Examples
- https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat: This URL points to the Wikipedia article about cats, using the secure https protocol, the domain name "wikipedia.org", and the subdomain "www" (common for websites but not always used).
- [invalid URL removed]: This URL points to a specific book product page on Amazon, with additional information in the query string specifying the book's ISBN code.
Importance of web addresses
- Accessibility: They provide a standardized way to access specific information online.
- Sharing and linking: Users can easily share web addresses to direct others to specific content.
- Search engines: Web addresses are crucial for search engines to understand and index websites, influencing their ranking in search results.