Imagine this - you’ve spent months diving into code, learning a new language (perhaps two) and new frameworks. Only to come across a simple question:
What is a URL?
As I near the completion of Flatiron’s software engineering program, I find myself reflecting and circling back to basic concepts. More notably, understanding the breakdown of a URL can be especially important for roles that extend beyond a developer’s role, including those involved in SEO marketing.
Keeping this in mind, let’s start to breakdown a URL.
What is a URL?
A URL is a Uniform Resource Locator, or a web address. It specifies the location of a resource (or web page) on the internet. It’s designed to be human-readable text that replaces numbers (IP addresses) that computers use to communicate with servers.
Anatomy of a URL
A URL is composed of may different parts, including the protocol, subdomain, domain name, top-level domain, root domain, subfolder / path, page, and extension.
Protocol
The first part of a URL is the protocol. It’s a set method for exhanging or transferring data around a computer network. IT comes before your domain name and indicates how a browser should retrieve information. For websites, it’s often https:// (secure and preferred) or http:// .
In order to ensure that URLs are secure, you must obtain a SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate. These certificates are used to encrypt data and ensure that any data passed between the web server and browser of the searcher remains private.
Other types of protocols include mailto to open your default mail client or ftp to exchange files between computer accounts, transfer files between an account, and a desktop computer, or access online software archives
Subdomain
The subdomain comes before the domain name, such as www.
Domain Name
The domain names are second level of a domain’s hierarchy (after the top level domain). Examples of the domain name are bolded in the following: www.catherinegloria.com, https://gmail.com.
Top-Level Domain
The Top-Level Domain, or TLD, is the formal term for the ending of a domain name. Some common TLDs include .com, .org, or .edu.
Root Domain
The root domain is both the domain name and the Top-Level Domain.
Subfolder or Path
Subfolders, or subdirectories, come behind the TLD. Often, this is used when you are extending data beyond your root domain.
Similar to a subfolder, the path is an exact location of a specific file.
Page
A page is a computer file being delivered to the user
Extension
File extensions appear less frequently, but still do exist. Examples include .htm, .html, .php, or .asp,.
Beyond Code
As mentioned, understanding the breakdown of a URL is especially important for non-coders, particularly those in SEO marketing. Incorporating URLs with hyphens and clear indicatation of web content can ensure that a webpage receives relevancy when RankBrain, or Google’s algorthim, indexes pages to be shown on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
Understanding the URL anatomy and impact of URL structure provides motivation for coders and non-coders alike to understand exactly what a URL is.