Online Life
Web Addresses (URLs)
Every time you click a link, a URL is doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes. But what exactly is a URL—and how does it help your browser find the right page? In this short explainer, you’ll learn how web addresses are built, how they connect you to websites, and how to read them like a pro. Whether you're curious or cautious online, understanding URLs is a smart step toward digital fluency.
What's About
We use URLs every day—clicking, sharing, and typing them in—but most people don’t stop to think about what they really mean. This video takes you behind the scenes of the web to show how URLs work and why their structure matters.
Using a relatable example (a website full of cute dog photos), the video breaks down a typical URL and explains what each part does. You’ll learn about the protocol (HTTP vs HTTPS), the domain name, and subdomains, including how some can be used to mislead users. Then it dives into the file path—which shows how a server is organized—and explains how anchors let browsers jump to a specific part of a page.
It’s more than just tech jargon. By learning how to read URLs, you gain insight into how websites are built, how they deliver content, and how you can spot secure or suspicious addresses.
Using a relatable example (a website full of cute dog photos), the video breaks down a typical URL and explains what each part does. You’ll learn about the protocol (HTTP vs HTTPS), the domain name, and subdomains, including how some can be used to mislead users. Then it dives into the file path—which shows how a server is organized—and explains how anchors let browsers jump to a specific part of a page.
It’s more than just tech jargon. By learning how to read URLs, you gain insight into how websites are built, how they deliver content, and how you can spot secure or suspicious addresses.
What it Matters
URLs are more than just links—they're roadmaps to the internet. Understanding how they work can help learners stay safer online, navigate smarter, and develop a deeper sense of how websites are built and accessed. It's a foundational skill for using the web confidently and critically.
By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:
- Explain how a URL helps your browser find the right web page.
- Identify the purpose of the protocol, domain, and file path in a URL.
- Recognize when a website is secure by checking the HTTPS protocol.
- Understand how URLs mirror the file structure of a server.
- Describe how anchors in URLs help navigate to specific page sections.
By the end of this video, you’ll be able to:
- Explain how a URL helps your browser find the right web page.
- Identify the purpose of the protocol, domain, and file path in a URL.
- Recognize when a website is secure by checking the HTTPS protocol.
- Understand how URLs mirror the file structure of a server.
- Describe how anchors in URLs help navigate to specific page sections.
Standards Aligned
- ISTE Standard: Empowered Learner, Indicator 1d
- ACRL Info Literacy Frame: Information Creation As a Process
Part o the course: Web Basics
Start with the essentials. Learn how digital content, links, files, and addresses shape how we experience and interact with the web every day.
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