Parts of a URL
A URL is a human-readable text that was accomplished to replace the numbers (IP addresses) that computers use to communicate with servers. They also analyze the file structure on the given website. A URL (i.e. Uniform Resource Locator) subsist of a protocol, domain name, and path (which incorporates the specific subfolder structure where a page is located) and has the following basic format such as –
The protocol illustrates how a browser should reclaim information about a resource. The web standard is HTTP:// or HTTPS://, but it may also incorporate things such as mailto: (to open your default mail client) or FTP: (to handle file transfers).
While on the other hand, a domain name (or hostname) is a human-readable name of a distinct location where a resource (in most cases, a website of the company) is placed on the webpage. Think of the top-level domain (TLD) as an object of a category for websites. While you are associated with .com, there is also .edu for educational sites, .gov for governmental sites, and many more other domain names. The nine parts of a URL can be categorized as –
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Protocol i.e. HTTPS://
The protocol also referred to as a scheme, is the first part of a website URL. It represents the sets of rules that determine how files are displayed, formatted, or transferred across the web. For example, when an address is entered in the web browser. The HTTP port, which is erect for hypertext transfer protocol, informs that the webpage that to be displayed in hypertext format (i.e. HTML). Some of the other protocols may include the file transfer protocol (FTP) for transferring files and the single mail transfer protocol (SMTP) used by mail servers to send emails. In other words, HTTPS is the guaranteed version of HTTP.
Subdomain i.e. https://video.google.co.uk
The most common subdomain is “www” which is a general symbol for any resource on the web. However, it is common to enumerate the type of resource that the browser should deliver. In the case of the website URL above. We scrutinize that the type of data that is being requested from the server is for videos.
Domain name i.e. https://video.google.co.uk
A domain name is the authentic name of the website. Some of the domain names are “medium.com” for “medium” or “google.com” for Google. Domain names must be unique as they arbitrate the address of a website. In the early days of the web, you have to type the IP address to go to a particular website.
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Top-level domain i.e. https://video.google.co.uk
The top-level domain (TLD) is also termed the domain extension. It is the “com” that materializes at the end of simple website addresses such as “bing.com”. This part enumerates what kind of content will be on the website. “.com” was mainly used for commercial websites, whereas “.org” is usually used to illustrate that the website is of an organization. When it comes to buying a domain, the domain extension can determine how expensive it is. For instance, the “.vegas” influence is more expensive than the “.com” or “.net” web domain.
Port i.e. https://video.google.co.uk:80
The port is a reserved channel pre-own for specific purposes. Different types of servers will benefit different ports. Web server ports contradict file server ports, for instance. The default port for standard HTTP servers is 80, whereas secure websites may use HTPPS which requires port number 443. Browsers are recommended to connect to a particular port to access the resources on that server.
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Path i.e. https://video.google.co.uk:80/videoplay
Path pre-own to show which directory on the server stores. The requested sources are videos, images, graphics, etc. Nowadays, the path that emerges in most URLs these days does not effectively reflect the directory structure on the server. Instead, paths are pre-own to identify a route in the navigational structure of the website. For example, when you edit a page on Medium, the path structure is https://medium.com/p/somenumber/edit. The term “edit” in the URL demonstrates that this is the page where you edit your blogs. In the above URL, the path has things to do with playing a video, hence “video play”.
Query i.e. https://video.google.co.uk:80/videoplay?
Many times when searching on a website or search engine optimization, you will notice a question mark in the URL of the page that displays your results. On google.com, if you search for a keyword, you will notice a “/search?” added after the “.com”. The question mark tells the browser that a query is being implemented against a database where the data is stored.
Parameters
Parameters are the actual values being catechized when a search is implemented. The parameter can be a search term, a number, an encrypted value, or any other data that can be found in the database.
Fragment
This fragment is an alternative component of a web address that is anteceded by a hash and that administer to a secondary resource, which can a portion of a page like a footer or a sidebar. Oftentimes, the fragment will be an id attribute of an HTML element.
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Conclusion
While it does not pay to spend too much time accomplishing SEO-friendly URLs, it surely makes sense to take a logical approach to them and ensure best practices. Apart from this, the nine parts of a URL described above will take seconds or minutes once you have done it a few times.
