What is URL? Learn Parts, Types, & Parameters

Hello, and welcome to the world of URLs! If you’ve ever wondered about those web addresses you see in your browser, you’re in the right place. 

URLs, or Uniform Resource Locators, are like digital addresses for websites. They help us find our way to different places on the internet. In this article, we’ll explore what is URL together. We’ll learn about their different parts, look at various types of URLs, and find out what makes a URL special or not so great.

Get ready to dive into the world of URLs and discover what makes them tick!

What Is the URL? 

A URL, which stands for “Uniform Resource Locator,” is the unique address of an online site. It acts as a digital map that helps you find web pages, images, videos, articles, and much more. Think of it as the exact directions you need to get to your preferred online destination.

Just like physical addresses help us find specific locations in the real world, URLs guide us to specific locations in the digital world. 

A normal URL has different parts that tell you the protocol to use, the domain or server where the resource is stored, the path to the resource, and any other parameters or queries. 

Here is the best example of a URL:  https://smseo.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-niche-research-in-seo/

Now, your mind is popping up with questions about why these dashes are present in the URL, what they mean, and what they stand for. Are there different parts of the URL that make it look good? 

Don’t worry, my explorer. In the next section, I will teach you about URL parts in detail.

Parts of URL 

Guys, basically, the URL is made up of seven different parts, and understanding these various parts of a URL can help us find the web effectively. So, the list of all  the parts is: 

1. Transfer Protocol 
2. Subdomain
3. Domain Name
4. Top Level Domain (TLD)
5. Directory
6. Slug
7. File Extension 

Let’s analyze an example URL to learn its parts in detail. 

URL Example: https://www.example.com/seo-tools/da-checker.php

Transfer Protocol

• The protocol is the first part of a URL and specifies how data is exchanged between a web browser and a web server. 
• When deciding between the “http” and “https” protocols, it is strongly advised to utilize “https” whenever possible.
• “https://” stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure and is used in this example. It is a secure version of HTTP that encrypts data sent between the web server and the browser to provide privacy and security.
• Google and other search engines prioritize websites that employ “https” in their rankings. 
• Adopting “https” can improve your website’s visibility and SEO efforts, potentially increasing organic visitors.

Subdomain

• The “www” in a URL is the subdomain.
• The subdomain comes before the domain name, but it’s optional. 
• A subdomain typically represents a specific section or subdivision of a website. 
• In this case, “www” is a popular subdomain that refers to the World Wide Web.

Domain Name

• The main part of a URL is the domain name, which identifies a specific website. 
• Usually, it represents a brand, company, or entity.
• For instance, in “www.example.com,” “example” is the domain name, and “com” is the Top-Level Domain (TLD).

Top Level Domain (TLD)

• In a domain name, the TLD comes at the end.
• It indicates the type or category of the website or the country to which it is associated.
• In this example, “com” TLD is used. 
• There are different types of TLDs. They can be generic (Global TLDs), such as “.com” (commercial), “.org” (organization), “.net” (network), “.info” (information), “.io” (input/output), etc.
• Some TLDs are country-specific (local TLDs), such as “.uk” (United Kingdom) or “.ca” (Canada).

Directory

• The “/seo-tools/” segment of the URL represents a directory.
• It specifies a particular folder or subfolder on the web server where the resource is located.
•  It helps organize and structure the website’s content.

Slug

• The URL’s ” da-checker ” part is often called a slug.
• It is a human-readable text that provides additional information about the page or resource.
• Slugs are typically used in content management systems or for search engine optimization to improve readability and SEO.

File Extension 

• The “.php” extension at the end of a URL indicates the type of the resource’s file. 
• This indicates that the page is generated dynamically using PHP scripting.
• However, it’s important to note that using file extensions alone to determine the technology behind a web page is not a good idea because it can be confusing.

So, guys, we are done with the detailed URL parts. 

Now, let’s move on to the next part of our journey because there is a lot of information still pending, as there are many things to guide us regarding URLs.

URL Types 

URLs play a crucial role in facilitating the navigation and retrieval of information online. They’re like street addresses for the Internet; using them, we can find our way to certain locations online.  

There are different types of URLs, including: 

1. Dynamic URL 
2. Static URL 

Using examples, let’s learn more about these two basic URL formats. 

Dynamic URL

• Dynamic URLs contain parameters or variables produced automatically based on user input or other factors.
• They often include characters such as question marks, equal signs, and ampersands to separate the parameters.
• Dynamic URLs are often used in e-commerce websites, search engine results pages, and content management systems.
• The parameters in a dynamic URL can tell the server things like search terms, user preferences, or session IDs.
• Dynamic URLs are flexible and can create various content or results based on the values of the parameters.
• They are dynamically generated and may not reflect the website’s actual structure or organization.
• Dynamic URLs are generally less SEO-friendly than static URLs because they frequently lack descriptive keywords and can result in duplicate content concerns.
• They are not as user-friendly as static URLs because they are longer, more complex, and difficult to remember or distribute.

Example 1

URL: https://dgaps.com/search?q=internet

In this example, the dynamic parameter is “q”, and its value is “internet”. The website or application can use this parameter to search for the term “internet” and display relevant results.

Example 2

URL: http://www.alibaba.com/?page_id=1457

In this example, the dynamic parameter is “page_id”, and its value is set to “1457”. The website or application can use this parameter to retrieve the specific page with the ID “1457” and display its content.

Static URL

• A static URL is a straightforward URL containing no parameters or variables in the query string. 
• It typically consists of a single path or a set of paths separated by hyphens or dashes. 
• Static URLs are often human-readable and provide clear page content details.
• They are frequently more user-friendly and easily recalled or shared.
• Static URLs help with search engine optimization (SEO) since they include main keywords. 
• These URLs are usually used for static web pages that don’t need to change often or have changing content.
• Since static URLs don’t use server-side processing or parameters, they are thought to be more secure and reliable.
• They are less likely to encounter issues with broken links or redirection errors.

Example 1 

URL: https://dgaps.com/advantages-disadvantages-of-internet-53

In this example, the URL represents a specific page about the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet. The “advantages-disadvantages-of-internet-53” portion is a descriptive and SEO-friendly URL slug that helps identify the page’s content. 

The number “53” at the end could be an identifier for the specific page in a database or content management system.

Example 2 

URL: https://smseo.com/types-of-seo-niches/

The URL “https://smseo.com/types-of-seo-niches/” represents a specific page on the website “smseo.com” that discusses different types of niches. 

The URL is structured in a descriptive manner, using the words “types-of-seo-niches” to indicate the topic of the page. 

This kind of URL is often considered SEO-friendly because it includes relevant keywords that can help search engines understand the content of the page.

Parameters of Good URL

A good URL plays a crucial role in enhancing the user experience, search engine optimization, and overall accessibility of a website. Several parameters contribute to the quality of a URL. Some of them are mentioned below: 

1. Short 
2. Unique 
3. Easily Understandable
4. Relevant to Content 
5. Keyword-Rich 
6. Avoid Using Dates 
7. Avoid Using Years 
8. Avoid Using Discrete Values 

By adhering to these parameters, website owners can create user-friendly, SEO-friendly URLs that effectively represent their content.

1. Short 

The slug, the part of the URL that indicates the individual page, must be kept short and shouldn’t exceed 50 characters. This helps maintain an organized and aesthetically pleasing structure for the URL.

2. Unique

Every URL on your site ought to be one-of-a-kind and distinguishable from the rest. It is best to avoid creating URLs that are too alike for several pages, as this might lead to confusion for people and search engines.

3. Easily Understandable

It is important that the URL’s slug accurately represents the page’s actual content. It needs to be simple to comprehend and offer an overview of the content the visitor may look forward to discovering on the page.

4. Relevant to Content

It is important that the URL be relevant to the website’s content. It should represent the theme or primary keywords of the page, making it simpler for users and search engines to assess whether or not the information is relevant to their needs.

5. Keyword-Rich

For search engine optimization purposes, it is helpful to incorporate relevant keywords within the URL. Including relevant keywords in a page’s slug can improve its visibility in search results, helping search engines better grasp the page’s subject matter.

6. Avoid Using Dates in Case of Blogging

Avoiding putting dates in the URL of blog articles is typically advised to be done. Instead of being bound to a particular date, this makes it possible for the content to continue to be useful and up-to-current over time.

7. Avoid Using Years in Case of Blogging

Like avoiding using dates in the URL of blog articles, avoiding using years is another way to prevent the information from becoming outdated as time passes. It is recommended that more effort be put into creating URLs that are not bound to a single year. 

8. Avoid Using Discrete Values

It’s best to avoid using discrete values, such as IDs or specific numbers, in the URL. Instead, choose clear slugs and tell what the page is about. This makes the text easier to read and understand.

Parameters of Bad URL

In this part, I will explain five standard parameters associated with bad URLs:

1. Too Lengthy
2. Similar Slugs
3. Use of IDs instead of Keywords
4. Not Relevant
5. Generic URLs

Let’s learn these bad URL parameters in detail. 

1. Too Lengthy

A bad URL is too long and hard for people to remember or pass on. Long URLs are also more likely to have mistakes when typed in by hand, and they can be harder to use. Most of the time, it’s best to keep URLs short and clear, focusing on the page’s main buzzwords or topics.

2. Similar Slugs

URL slugs are the parts of a URL that identify a particular web page or resource. Visitors and search engines may become confused when numerous URLs have similar or identical slugs. The use of distinct and descriptive slugs improves the clarity and usability of a website’s URL structure.

3. Use of IDs instead of Keywords

When IDs are used in URLs instead of descriptive terms, they become less meaningful to both users and search engines. IDs are often auto-generated integers or alphanumeric codes that serve as internal database identifiers. Instead, using relevant keywords in the URL can boost a webpage’s visibility and search engine optimization (SEO).

4. Not Relevant

A good URL should accurately represent the content of the website to which it refers. When a URL is irrelevant to a page’s content, it can mislead users and confound search engines. Relevant URLs give users a clear indicator of what they may expect to discover on a page, which enhances both the user experience and SEO.

5. Generic URLs

Generic URLs that lack specificity or uniqueness can degrade the user experience and make it more difficult for search engines to grasp the page’s purpose. It is critical to create descriptive and distinct URLs that accurately represent the content and context of the webpage.

Conclusion

 In this article, we’ve explored the interesting world of URLs, answering the question, “What is a URL?” in great depth. We’ve also examined its definition, examined its components, and discovered the characteristics of both good and bad URLs.

By now, you should know what makes a URL useful and easy to use. Remember that a good URL is like a signpost that helps users easily get to their desired online places. By keeping URLs short, detailed, and relevant, you can give your website the power of accessibility and improve its appearance in search engines.

So go ahead and create URLs that are easy to remember, informative, and appropriate for your content. Happy URL making!

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