It's easy to type in a web address and visit a specific site! Just find the long white address bar at the top of the window and then write the address in that space. Press Enter and you will go directly to the website you are interested in. Make sure you have written well! Read on for specific tips that will help you understand how to browse the internet.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Using the Address Bar
Step 1. Find the browser address bar
Usually, this is a long white bar at the top of the browser window. Write the site address in this bar (in the correct form), then just press Enter to visit it.
Step 2. Make sure you don't type in the browser's default search engine bar
Usually, this bar is indicated by a search engine logo (Google, Bing, etc.) and a magnifying glass icon. You will still find the page you are looking for by writing the address in that field, but it will take more time.
If the page that opens after entering the address is a search engine, you probably typed in a search engine bar or there are spyware on your computer
Step 3. Click on the white space inside the address bar
Use the ← Backspace key to delete all the words already present in the bar. Once empty, you should see a flashing vertical line: that symbol indicates where the words you will write will appear.
Method 2 of 3: Write a Simple Address
Step 1. Type the web address in the address bar
Often, this address is called a URL, an acronym from English for Uniform Resource Locator. The URL (or web address) is a reference to a specific page or "resource" in the vast interconnected network of the internet. A URL consists of two main parts: the protocol identifier and the resource name. These elements are separated by a colon and two slashes.
- Protocol identifier: it is the conventional name of the first part of a URL. Tells the computer which protocol to use. For example, for the URL https://example.com, the identifier is http.
- Resource Name: The second part of the URL is called the resource name. Specifies the IP address or domain name where the resource is located. For the URL https://example.com, the resource name is example.com.
Step 2. Don't waste time entering the protocol identifier if you don't need to reach an encrypted site
It is not necessary to do this when the site you are looking for uses the default protocol. http: This is the default protocol for most pages, but those that contain entry or login forms should use. This indicates that the information is encrypted and cannot be intercepted.
- Your browser may not show the protocol in the URL. Look for the padlock symbol - it indicates that a page uses the more secure protocol https://. Pay attention to the warnings from the browser on the security certificates of certain pages.
- In the early years of the internet, users had to enter the protocol identifier every time they wanted to visit a specific website. Today it is no longer necessary.
Step 3. Enter the subdomain:
www. Www is nothing more than the default subdomain for web pages and should not be included in URLs. However, some sites may have different subdomains, such as video.google.com. Make sure you include it if it's part of the URL.
Step 4. Enter the domain name. Example.com is a domain name, followed by the second level domain com. Usually, this is the minimum information you need to enter to reach a website. Make sure you write the site address without any typos and that you are using the correct second level domain.
- Some second-level domains are reserved for specific states or entities. For example,.it is the domain of Italian sites, while.gov of government ones.
- If you type in the domain name but the site does not appear, you are probably making a mistake. Make sure you write the right address. However, if the page does not appear, the site may no longer be active.
Method 3 of 3: Enter Longer Addresses
Step 1. Type the file path to open a specific page of a site
If you want to go directly to a certain page of a website, you must enter the file path, which always follows the "/" symbol. "/" within URLs represents a subfolder of the site. Each "/" indicates that you are moving down one level within the site's folder structure. The file path is followed by the file name and in some cases the extension "example.com/subfolder/filename.html".
Most URLs do not require the file extension, which is entered automatically. However, in some cases you will need to include it. Make sure you write the correct path, because /page.php and /page.html are completely different files
Step 2. If possible, use the Copy feature on your computer
It's easy to make a mistake by copying long strings of characters into the address bar by hand. If you have access to the text of a web address, just copy and paste it into your browser.
Step 3. Get to know the parameters and anchors
In the address bar you can see strange symbols appear:?, # And series of numbers. You don't have to worry about these elements if you don't have to copy the series of numbers to reach a certain site.
- A "?" with numbers and letters following the URL it is called a parameter. The parameters are generated automatically and do not need to be written.
- A "#" followed by letters and numbers is called an anchor. Websites in some cases contain specific points that allow you to jump to relevant parts of a page. Once an anchor is found, the browser will jump directly to that point on the page.
Advice
- If you can't think of anything, just go to www.google.com and search for a website category like "fashion sites" or "wikiHow". By searching you can find many funny sites!
- You will not be able to access all websites by simply typing "domain.com". In some cases, you need to add www in front of the domain name, such as: www.wikihow.com.
