When you prepare your first website, the address people will type into their browsers is one of the earliest decisions you make. Understanding how that address is built helps you avoid costly mistakes and communicate clearly with your hosting provider. This article breaks down the two key concepts — domain names and URLs — using a short hypothetical exercise.
Reading a Website Address Step by Step
Suppose you are planning a small portfolio site for a freelance photographer and you have chosen the address https://example-portfolio.com/gallery/landscapes?page=2#sunset. This is a hypothetical address used only for illustration. Before you register anything or configure any settings, it is worth reading each part of this string so you understand what it tells a browser. The section before the first pair of slashes is the scheme, which here is https. The section between the slashes and the next slash is the domain name, example-portfolio.com. Everything after that slash is the path, which points to a specific resource on the server. The question mark introduces parameters, and the hash symbol introduces an anchor.1
Breaking this down further, the domain name itself has internal structure. The final segment after the last dot, .com, is the top-level domain or TLD. The segment immediately before it, example-portfolio, is the label that identifies this particular site. Labels can contain letters, digits, and hyphens, though a hyphen cannot appear as the first or last character of a label. If you later wanted a separate section such as a blog, you could create a subdomain like blog.example-portfolio.com, which would share the same registered domain but point to different content on the server.2
In this hypothetical scenario, the path /gallery/landscapes tells the web server which resource to serve. The parameter page=2 is extra information the server can use to decide what to display, such as a second page of results. The anchor #sunset is a bookmark within that page and is never sent to the server at all. Knowing which parts reach the server and which stay in the browser helps you understand why two visitors sharing a link with different anchors still land on the same page.1
How Domain Names Are Structured
Domain names exist because computers communicate through IP addresses, which are long strings of numbers that people find difficult to remember. A domain name provides a human-readable alternative. Every domain name is made of parts separated by dots and read from right to left. The rightmost part is the TLD, which gives a general indication of the service behind the name. Generic TLDs like .com, .org, and .net do not require the service to meet any particular criteria. Other TLDs enforce stricter policies: .gov is restricted to government departments, and .edu is reserved for educational and academic institutions.2
The label immediately to the left of the TLD is sometimes called the secondary level domain or SLD. This is the part most people think of as the name of their site. Labels are case-insensitive and can be anywhere from one to sixty-three characters long. They may contain only the letters A through Z, the digits 0 through 9, and the hyphen character, which cannot appear at the beginning or end of a label. A TLD itself can be up to sixty-three characters long, although most in common use are only two or three characters.2
A domain name does not require exactly three parts. A single label plus a TLD is valid, and you can stack additional labels to create subdomains for different sections of a project. For any domain you control, you can set up subdomains with different content at each one, the way a large organization might run separate subdomains for support, development documentation, and a bug tracker. This flexibility means you do not need a separate registration for every section of your site.2
The Parts of a URL
A URL is the complete address that points to a unique resource on the internet. It is the mechanism browsers use to retrieve pages, images, stylesheets, and other files. The first part of a URL is the scheme, which tells the browser which protocol to use. For websites this is almost always HTTPS or its unsecured predecessor HTTP. The scheme is followed by the characters :// which separate it from the authority section.1
The authority section contains the domain name and optionally a port number. The port indicates the technical gate used to access resources on the web server. In practice the port is usually omitted because browsers assume the standard port for the scheme: port 443 for HTTPS and port 80 for HTTP. If a server uses an unusual port, the port number must be included explicitly. After the authority comes the path, which identifies the specific resource on that server. In the early days of the web this represented a physical file location, but today it is mostly an abstraction handled by the server software.1
Two optional parts can follow the path. Parameters appear after a question mark and consist of key-value pairs separated by ampersands. The server can use these to customize the response before sending it back. The anchor, introduced by a hash symbol, acts as a bookmark inside the resource itself. On an HTML document the browser scrolls to the point where the anchor is defined. Importantly, the fragment identifier after the hash is never sent to the server with the request, which means it has no effect on what the server returns.1
Domain Names Versus Full URLs
A common source of confusion for new site owners is the difference between a domain name and a URL. The domain name is only one component within a URL. When someone asks for your website address in casual conversation, they usually mean the domain name. When a browser needs to fetch a specific page, image, or document, it needs the full URL including the path and any relevant parameters.21
Think of the distinction this way: the domain name identifies the building, while the full URL identifies a particular room, floor, or even a specific shelf within that building. A domain name alone is enough to reach the homepage of a site, but it does not tell the browser which internal resource to load. Every page, image, and file on your site will have its own URL that shares the same domain but uses a different path.1
Understanding this distinction matters when you communicate with hosting providers, configure redirects, or share links with your audience. If you give someone only the domain name, they will arrive at whatever your server treats as the default landing page. If you want them to reach a specific article or product page, you need to share the full URL including the path. This is also why broken links happen: a page moves to a new path but the old URL is still circulating.1
Preparing Your Address Before Launch
Record your chosen domain name in at least two places before you submit any registration form. Write it down on paper or in a note, then compare it character by character against what you typed into the registrar's form. The registration process is straightforward — you visit a registrar's website, fill out the required details, and pay — but once payment is confirmed the name is locked in. A misspelling at this stage cannot be undone by simply editing the entry; you would need to register the correct name separately.2
Check the spelling rules for labels before you finalize your choice. Remember that labels allow only letters, digits, and hyphens, and that a hyphen cannot sit at the start or end. If your preferred name contains a hyphen, verify its position carefully. Also confirm that the TLD you want is one you are eligible to use. Generic TLDs like .com and .org have no special eligibility requirements, but restricted TLDs such as .gov and .edu do. Local TLDs may impose conditions about language or hosting location.2
Write down the full URLs you plan to use for your main pages once your site is live. Even before launch, sketching out paths like /about, /portfolio, and /contact helps you think about site structure and makes it easier to configure your hosting or content management system later. If you plan to use parameters for filtering or sorting, note which parameter names you intend to use so they remain consistent across your pages.1
Practical Considerations for First-Time Builders
Use semantic URLs whenever you have control over them. A URL like /portfolio/landscapes is easier for visitors to read, remember, and share than a string of random characters. Semantic URLs use words with inherent meaning that anyone can understand regardless of technical background. They also make it clearer to users where they are on your site and what they are looking at.1
Keep a simple reference list of every page you publish and its full URL. This list becomes useful when you later need to update links, set up redirects after a redesign, or troubleshoot a page that visitors cannot reach. Each entry should include the scheme, domain, and full path. If a page uses parameters, note what each parameter controls so you can explain the behavior to a collaborator or support team later.1
Remember that you do not own a domain name in the way you own a physical object. You pay for the right to use it for a set period, and you can renew that right with priority over other applicants. Companies called registrars maintain the records that connect your name to your domain. Understanding this model helps you plan ahead: if you let a registration lapse, the name may eventually become available to someone else. Setting a reminder before your renewal date is a simple habit that protects your site's address.2
Frequently asked questions
Can I change my domain name after registering it?
You cannot edit a registered domain name. If you discover a mistake, you would need to register the correct name as a new domain. This is why checking spelling carefully before payment is important.2
Is a domain name the same thing as a URL?
No. A domain name is one component within a URL. The full URL also includes the scheme, and optionally a path, parameters, and an anchor. The domain name identifies the server, while the rest of the URL identifies a specific resource on that server.21
Do I need to include the port number when sharing my website address?
Usually not. Browsers assume the standard port for the scheme you are using: port 443 for HTTPS and port 80 for HTTP. You only need to include a port number explicitly if your server uses a non-standard port.1