URL

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the web address that uniquely identifies and locates a resource on the internet, such as a page, image or file. When you type an address or click a link, the browser reads the URL to determine how to connect, which server to reach and which resource to request. It is the fundamental addressing system that makes the web navigable.

The parts of a URL

A URL is made of several components. The scheme, such as https, specifies the protocol used — with HTTPS adding encryption. The domain names the site and is translated into a server address through DNS by a DNS server. The path identifies the specific resource on that server, and an optional query string carries parameters, while a fragment can point to a section within the page. Together these parts tell the browser exactly how and where to fetch what you asked for.

Why URLs matter

Beyond simply locating resources, URLs play a role in usability and search. Clean, descriptive, human-readable URLs help users understand where a link leads and are a modest but real SEO factor, since a clear path reflecting the page's topic is easier for both people and search engines to interpret. Consistency matters too: the same content should live at one canonical URL rather than several variants, to avoid duplication. URLs are also the anchor for links across the web, so keeping them stable — and redirecting when they must change — preserves accumulated value. A well-structured URL is a small detail with outsized importance: it is at once a technical address, a navigation aid and a signal of what a page is about.