A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the web address that tells your browser which page to load. URLs consist of a protocol (http or https), a domain name, and a path. The 'https' protocol with a padlock icon indicates a secure connection. Understanding URL structure helps you identify legitimate websites, spot phishing attempts, and navigate the web more effectively.
Visit several websites and examine the URLs in the address bar. Notice the difference between http and https. Try typing a URL directly instead of using search.
Now that you know how to navigate with a browser, it's worth understanding exactly what you're typing into the address bar and what each piece means. A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a structured address that tells your browser three things: what communication method to use, which server to contact, and where on that server the specific page lives. Breaking down a URL like `https://www.bbc.com/news/world` reveals: `https` is the protocol, `www.bbc.com` is the domain, and `/news/world` is the path to a specific page within that domain.
The protocol — `http` or `https` — specifies how your browser and the website communicate. The `s` in `https` stands for "secure": it means all data traveling between your browser and the website is encrypted, so no one watching the network connection can read it. Your browser signals this with a padlock icon in the address bar. This matters enormously when you're entering passwords, payment information, or any sensitive data — always verify the padlock is present before submitting a form. On an `http` site, that information travels as readable text.
The domain name is the most important piece for evaluating trust. Domains are hierarchical: reading from right to left, you move from general to specific. In `bbc.com`, `.com` is the top-level domain (TLD), and `bbc` is the registered name. The critical rule is that the real owner of a site is identified by the name directly to the left of the TLD. Scammers exploit this by creating addresses like `bbc.com.account-update.net` — where the actual domain is `account-update.net`, not `bbc.com`. The `bbc.com` part is just a subdirectory name designed to fool you. Always check what appears just before `.com`, `.org`, `.net`, or the country code at the end.
The path is everything after the domain — it tells the server which specific page, image, or file you want. Paths look like file folders on a computer because they work the same way: `/news/world` means "go into the `news` folder and find the `world` page." You rarely need to type paths manually; clicking links fills them in automatically. But reading a path can tell you a lot about a page's structure — a URL ending in `/login` or `/checkout` tells you exactly where you are in a website's flow, which is useful for catching redirects to unexpected locations.