How to Find a URL Address

Searching for a website address

URL addresses are synonymous with website addresses. Every individual page published online has a URL address. Similar to street addresses, a URL address specifies where on the web a particular web page is located. With this information, an Internet user is able to go to the exact website and page she wishes to visit. But website addresses are not always known. Sometimes all you have is a partial address, or the name of the organization or person whose web address you'd like to find. In this case you can use a search engine to look up a web address.

Instructions

1. Go to a search engine website such as google.com, yahoo.com or bing.com.

2. Enter the partial web address you have (if applicable) in the search bar. If you don't know any part of the web address but you do know the name of the organization you're looking for, enter the name of the organization in the search bar. If all you have to go on is the name of a prominent person associated with the website, enter this name in the search bar. If you don't have any of this information, simply enter in the search bar a few keywords which describes the type of information offered on this website.

3. Press "Enter" and scan through the results to see if it lists the web address you're looking for.

4. Narrow your search results if you still can't find the URL address you want. If the type of site your looking for is affiliated with an educational organization, type "site:.edu" before the other entries in the search bar. If the site is a government site, type "site:.gov"; for nonprofit organizations use "site:.org"; for military organizations use "site:.mil"; and for everything else use "site:.com" and "site:.net."

5. Check for the URL address in a directory such as Yahoo! (http://dir.yahoo.com/) or the Open Directory Project (http://www.dmoz.org/), as opposed to a keywords search engine. Similar to the Yellow Pages phone book, Internet directories list websites according to the type of material offered on each site. Not every website is listed in every directory, but directories are still a good resource to check if you're having a difficult time finding a specific website. Within the directory, check the different categories the website you would like to find could fall under. Look through the listings and see if anything rings a bell. If you can't find what you're looking for in a general directory like ODP, try a specialized directory. For instance, if you're looking for a self-help website, perform a keyword search for "self-help directory."

Tips & Warnings

• When you do find the URL address you're looking for, if it's a site that you think you need to revisit, save it by adding it to the bookmarks in your browser. All web addresses are located in your browser's address bar, which is that very long bar at the top of your screen.

References

• Lewis Middle School: Internet Search Techniques
• Jerel Rosati: Internet Information

Resources

• Open Directory Project
• Yahoo! Directory
• Google Search Engine