Browser Basics (Chrome)

WordPress is accessed via a web browser. To use WordPress effectively you must be comfortable using and finding your way around a web browser. A web browser is an application that exists on a computer or a mobile device and can be accessed in your application launcher (this may be your start menu or “finder”).

Common web browsers include:

  • Google Chrome (available on most devices)
  • Microsoft Edge (available on Windows devices)
  • Safari (available on Apple devices)
  • Firefox (available on most devices)
  • These all essentially work in the same way with some small changes to the interface. The principles will be the same across all browsers.

    The Web Address or URL

    • Websites are accessed via a web address, also known as a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
    • A full web address looks like this: https://www.example.com
    For example:
    • Google: https://ww.google.com
    • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com
    • Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk
    Each page on a website also has it's own unique URL which is usually the web address with some further information after a / character: For example:
    • BBC News Home page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news
    • YouTube Gannam Style: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0
    Page URLs can be either quite simple or quite complicated depending on the system the website uses and how the information on the website is arranged. A browser has an address bar at the top of the window. When accessing a website using the web address, you enter the address here. Most browsers will allow you to enter an abbreviated version of the full web address (eg google.com, rather than https://www.google.com)

    Some browsers have Google, Bing or other search engines embedded within their home screen. This is for a web search and although entering a web address in this box will usually work, it can't be guaranteed.

    As an analogy, if a web browser was a telephone, the address bar is the dial pad, the search box is directory enquiries.

    Browser Tabs

  • A modern browser can display information about more than one web page at a time.
  • Multiple pages are stored and switched between using tabs.
  • Tabs are displayed along the top of the browser window, usually above the address bar
  • The title of each webpage is displayed within a tab and can be switched between by clicking the required tab with a mouse
  • A tab can be closed by clicking the X character on a tab
  • A new blank tab can be opened by clicking the + sign to the right of the open tabs. A new tab can be used with the address bar to access website
  • Too many open tabs can use up memory and slow down your computer so it is advisable to keep these within a manageable amount
  • Moving back and forward

  • You browser keeps a history of the web pages you have visited
  • You can move to a previously visited page by clicking the left pointing arrow (known as the Back Arrow)
  • If you have moved back in your page history you can also move forward using the right pointing arrow (Forward Arrow)
  • Refreshing a Page

  • A web page can change at any time although your browser may only show a snapshot of the page at the point when you loaded it
  • The Refresh button reloads a page from the web server to retrieve the latest version
  • This is useful when looking at fast moving news websites or when making changes to your own website
  • Note: Some websites reload pages or page content automatically without a need for the refresh button. Social media sites are a good example of this.
    Article published 06th July 2022
    Last modified 02nd November 2023

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