What is a Website URL? (Complete Beginner‘s Guide)

As an experienced webmaster, I often get asked by new website owners – what exactly is a website URL?

It‘s a great question! Your website‘s URL is one of the most important decisions you‘ll make when starting a site.

In this detailed beginner‘s guide, I‘ll explain what a website URL is, the key components of a URL, how to select the right URL for your business, and tons of tips to make your URLs as user and search engine friendly as possible.

What is a Website URL Exactly?

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the unique address that points visitors to your website. It‘s what people type into their web browser to access your site, like "www.example.com".

Every single page, image, video, PDF, and file on your website has its own URL leading to that specific resource. URLs allow browsers to retrieve and display website content to users.

For example, your website‘s home page URL may be:

https://www.example.com

The URL for an individual blog post may look like:

https://www.example.com/blog/how-to-start-a-blog

And the URL for an image in that blog post could be:

https://www.example.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/image.jpg

So in summary, a website URL is the unique address that specifies the location of a resource on the internet. It tells browsers how to find and display your website‘s content.

Without a proper URL, visitors would not be able to access your site!

Key Components of a URL

There are several important components that make up the structure of a full URL:

1. Protocol

The protocol specifies the set of communication rules the browser must follow to receive the resource. It appears at the start of a URL.

For most websites, the protocol is either:

• HTTP – Hypertext Transfer Protocol is the standard for unsecured websites. Pages served over HTTP will show "Not Secure" warnings in most modern browsers.

• HTTPS – Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure is used for secured websites that implement SSL certificates. Pages served over HTTPS will show a padlock icon as secure.

For example:

http://www.example.com 

https://www.example.com

HTTPS is preferred over HTTP for most websites today because it encrypts the connection between servers and visitors. This prevents snooping of traffic and protects sensitive user information being sent over the network.

According to Google, over 90% of traffic on the web is now encrypted with HTTPS by default.

You can learn more about the difference between HTTP vs HTTPS in my guide here.

2. Domain Name

The domain name is the main identity of your website. It‘s the human-readable name that is mapped to the underlying numeric IP address of your server.

For example, "example.com" and "blog.example.com" are domain names.

Domain names must be registered and unique – no two websites can have the same domain name. You register your domain with a registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap when starting a new website.

In the URL, the domain name appears after the protocol:

https://example.com

There are different parts that make up a domain name:

• Second level domain – This is the main recognizable name that users see and remember. For example, "example" in example.com.

• Top level domain (TLD) – The TLD is the suffix at the end denoting the domain type, like .com, .org, .net, .co.uk, etc.

• Subdomain – A subdomain adds a prefix before the domain to divide it into sections, like support.example.com or blog.example.com.

According to a 2021 survey, over 143 million domain names are registered globally, with .com making up the largest share at 46% of registrations.

3. Path

The path shows the specific page, file, or resource being requested on the website.

For the home page, it‘s usually the root directory "/", like example.com/. For inner pages, the path normally shows the page URL slug, like /about, /contact, /blog/first-post, and so on.

The path comes after the domain name in the URL structure:

https://www.example.com/blog/new-article/

4. Parameters

Parameters add additional instructions to the URL query for retrieving dynamic content. They are commonly used with custom web apps.

Parameters are added after the path starting with a question mark ? symbol, like:

https://www.example.com/search?sort=desc&count=25 

This URL has 2 parameters that sort the search by descending date and return 25 results per page.

5. Anchor

The anchor scrolls the browser window to a specific heading or section on the page rather than the very top. It starts with a hash # symbol, like:

https://www.example.com/long-article#comments

This URL would scroll the page to the comments section automatically.

So in summary, the full anatomy of a URL is:

protocol://domain/path?parameters#anchor

The protocol and domain are required, while the path, parameters, and anchor are optional depending on the page being requested.

How to Choose the Right URL

Picking the right URL for your website is an very important decision. Here are some professional tips on selecting the perfect URL that is short, memorable, and optimized for users and search engines.

1. Pick a short, memorable domain name

Your domain name is the first thing visitors will see and remember about your site. It should be:

• Short – The shorter the better. Try to keep it under 15 characters if possible. Short names are easier to type and remember.

• Memorable – Pick a name that is unique and stands out in people‘s mind. Avoid overly complex or confusing names.

• Descriptive – Incorporate relevant keywords about your business or site topic into the name. This helps visitors understand what you do.

For example, "blogcadre.com" is short, unique, and contains the keyword "beginner". This is very brandable for a WordPress site teaching beginners.

On the other hand, a vague name like "mysite1234.com" is not very memorable.

Here are some great tools to help brainstorm and generate domain name ideas:

• Lean Domain Search – Searches for keyword domains and checks availability.

• Nameboy – Generates creative domain name suggestions from keywords.

I recommend testing potential names with other people before registering to get unbiased feedback. Fresh perspectives can reveal if a name is confusing or misleading.

2. Use .com TLD when available

The .com top level domain is the most popular generic extension. According to Verisign, .com accounts for over half of all registered domains.

Visitors expect and assume sites will use a .com name by default. Always check if the .com version of your preferred name is available.

For example, "awesomewebsite.com" often looks more professional than something like "awesomewebsite.info".

However, if the .com is taken, you may need to get creative with extensions like .net or .org depending on the site purpose. But .com remains the ideal when possible.

3. Include target keywords in the domain

Try working your most important keywords into the domain name itself. This can help boost your site‘s visibility and ranking in search engines.

For example:

• treecareservices.com
• smithburgdogtraining.com
• acmewebsitedesign.com

Each of these domains targets relevant keywords for the business.

But don‘t overdo it – the domain should still be simple and human-readable. Keyword stuffing will only make it look spammy.

4. Check for typos or unusual spellings

It‘s easy for typos and unique spellings to slip into a domain unnoticed. Always double check your name for errors before registering.

For example, the domain "awesomesauce.co" contains a typo of the word "awesome". Visitors may assume that incorrect spelling is right.

You can test your domain with other people to identify potential issues before launch. First impressions matter!

5. Make it brandable

The best domains become their own recognizable brand that strongly identifies the site. For example, "Reddit.com" and "ProductHunt.com".

A brandable domain name tends to be:

• Short, usually 1-3 words
• Memorable and unique sounding
• Evokes imagery related to the site topic
• Has cadence and rolls off the tongue well

Keep in mind branding potential when brainstorming your domain name.

6. Avoid hyphens and numbers

Domains with multiple hyphens, numbers, and weird character combinations can seem spammy or low quality.

For example:

✅ yoursite.com

❌ your-site-69.com

❌ your_site.com

Hyphens are sometimes necessary get .com domain or to combine words. But in general, a clean single word or phrase is best.

7. Check domain availability

Before getting attached to a domain name idea, verify it‘s available by looking it up with a WHOIS search.

The perfect name you want may already be registered even if the site is inactive. If your desired .com is taken, try alternatives like:

• Adding a location name – yoursitechicago.com

• Using a different extension – yoursite.net

• Adding a brand name – abc-yoursite.com

• Try a subdomain – blog.yoursite.com

But changing your domain later can negatively impact SEO, so choose wisely the first time!

8. Get unbiased feedback

Ask trusted friends, colleagues, and clients for honest feedback before registering your domain.

Fresh perspectives often spot issues in a name you have gone "domain blind" to after thinking of it for too long.

Feedback can reveal if your domain choice is:

• Confusing or vague
• Misspelled
• Hard to remember
• Unprofessional sounding

Take feedback seriously to avoid a bad domain that hurts your brand.

With a good available domain registered, you can move on to web hosting and launch your site!

Create SEO and User Friendly URLs

Optimizing your site‘s URLs for SEO and usability is also very important. Follow these tips when structuring URLs:

1. Use descriptive URLs

URLs should accurately describe the page content and use relevant keywords when possible.

For example:

https://www.yoursite.com/services/social-media-marketing/ 

Targets "social media marketing services".

This is better than cryptic URLs like:

https://www.yoursite.com/pageID6234

By default, WordPress creates pretty SEO-friendly URLs using post/page slugs which is great.

2. Keep URLs short

Long URLs with unnecessary parameters and directories create clutter. Keep each path segment short and sweet.

For example:

✅ https://www.yoursite.com/contact

❌ https://www.yoursite.com/pages/inner-pages/directory1/directory2/contact

Only create the minimal folder structure needed on your site. Every extra slash adds length.

3. Use dashes as word separators

When combining multiple words in a URL segment, use hyphens rather than underscores. Dashes improve human readability and are commonly used in URLs.

For example:

✅ https://www.yoursite.com/web-development

❌ https://www.yoursite.com/web_development

4. Make URLs consistently lowercase

Keep all characters in URLs lowercase for consistency and proper cannonical format.

Web servers treat URLs as case insensitive, but all lowercase is standard best practice.

5. Omit unnecessary words

"Stop words" like "a", "an", "the" do not add value in URLs. For example:

✅ https://www.yoursite.com/services/social-media

❌ https://www.yoursite.com/services/the-social-media

6. Avoid special characters

Stick to standard alphanumeric characters when possible. Avoid:

• Spaces – use dashes instead
• Special characters – like !, @, #, $, etc.
• Non-latin characters – unless used intentionally

7. Use hyphens (-) over underscores (_)

As mentioned above, hyphens are the standard separator for multi-word URL segments. Underscores also work but are not as clean looking.

8. Group similar words together

Keep related words clustered close together in URL flow. For example:

✅ https://www.yoursite.com/services/social-media-strategy/

❌ https://www.yoursite.com/social-media/services/strategy

This improves context for users and search engines crawling the URLs.

Optimized URLs play a big role in SEO and usability. Take the time to structure them properly.

Do You Need a Short Domain?

Some webmasters use URL shortener services or shortened domains to create compact URLs for sharing on social media.

For example, Bitly.com lets you customize a short domain like "bit.ly/AbC123" and will redirect to your actual long URLs.

The benefit is having an easily sharable short link that won‘t break. This can be helpful for sharing in tweets, printed brochures, or other space-constrained areas.

However, shortened redirect URLs are not ideal for SEO. They mask the original URL and provide no information to search engines about the page content and keywords.

For your actual site, it‘s better to optimize your real website URLs using the tips above rather than masking them behind redirect short links.

Choosing the Perfect URL for Your Site

Here‘s a quick summary of tips for picking the best URL for your website:

✅ Short and memorable – under 15 characters is ideal

✅ Use relevant keywords – relate to your site‘s topic and business

✅ Get the .com – Most professional and recognizable

✅ No typos/errors – Test for mistakes before launch

✅ Brandable – Becomes a unique brand name

✅ Check availability – Don‘t get attached before verifying

✅ Get feedback – Ask others their unbiased opinion

Take the time to pick a good URL – it will make a great first impression on visitors. An optimized website address can also help boost your SEO rankings.

I hope this detailed guide explains everything you need to know about choosing the perfect URL for your website! Let me know if you have any other questions.