For computer networks as well as servers to be able to communicate with one another computers rely on a language which is made up of numbers in addition to letters. This is called an IP address. Every single device which is connected to the Internet has an IP address which is unique.
To browse easily on the web, typing in a lengthy IP address isn’t ideal, or realistic, for an online user. This is why domain names were designed and their function is to hide IP addresses with something that can be remembered easily. You could look at the domain name as a “nickname” for the IP address.
So what, exactly, is a URL?
A URL combines the domain name, in addition to other detailed information, in order to establish a complete address (or “web address”) in order to direct a browser to a specific online page which is called a web page. In essence, a URL is set of directions which every web page.
Why would you need to rewrite a URL?
URL rewriting can be one of the quickest ways to improve the usability as well as search friendliness of your website. However, it is an advanced solution that can be difficult to implement if you have a limited understanding of code. In addition, it can be a major source of unhappiness if this task is not done correctly.
If written well, a URL can help to tell a user and a search engine what a page is about. Consider the following URL:
http://www.birds.com/show_a_product.php?product_id=8
This URL is difficult to remember and it doesn’t tell you much about the page’s content. Now consider this URL:
http://www.birds.com/species/8/
This URL is a lot shorter and cleaner but it still doesn’t tell us exactly what the page is about.
http://www.birds.com/species /garden-birds/
With this URL, we can finally guess what we are likely to find on the page.
