Have you ever stopped to think about what actually happens when you type a website address into your browser and press Enter?
Within seconds — often much faster — your computer or phone can connect to a server somewhere in the world, request information, receive that information, and turn it into the website you see on your screen.
But how does all of that actually happen?
The short answer is: the Internet is a massive network of interconnected computers and devices that communicate using standardized technologies and protocols.
The longer answer is a little more interesting.
In this article, we’ll take a simple look at how the Internet works, how websites are delivered to your device, what DNS and IP addresses do, what web servers are, and why your website’s hosting and speed matter.
If you’d like to go considerably deeper into the technical side, MDN’s How the Web Works is an excellent technical resource for understanding clients, servers, DNS, HTTP, packets and the other technologies working behind the scenes.
So, What Exactly Is the Internet?
At its most basic level, the Internet is a gigantic network of networks.
Your computer is connected to a local network. That network connects to your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Your ISP connects to other networks, which connect to still more networks around the world.
Eventually, information can travel from your device to another computer or server almost anywhere on the planet.
And despite the fact that we tend to think of “the Internet” as something floating around in the air, a tremendous amount of the infrastructure is very physical.
The Internet relies on things such as:
- Fibre-optic cables
- Undersea cables
- Data centres
- Routers
- Network switches
- Servers
- Wireless networks
- Cellular networks
- Internet Service Providers
MDN describes the Internet as the technical infrastructure that connects computers and networks together, while the Web is a service that operates on top of that infrastructure.
So when you load a website, you’re not magically pulling a website out of “the cloud.”
You’re communicating with computers somewhere else.
Think of the Internet Like a Massive Postal System
One of the easiest ways to understand the Internet is to compare it to sending mail.
Imagine you wanted to send a large document to someone across the country.
Instead of sending the entire thing as one enormous package, you could divide it into smaller packages. Each package could contain information about where it came from, where it is going, and what it contains.
Internet data works somewhat like this.
Information travelling across the Internet is divided into smaller pieces called packets.
Those packets can travel through routers and other networking equipment before eventually reaching their destination. Once they arrive, the receiving device can put the information back together.
This is one of the reasons the Internet can handle enormous amounts of information from millions of users at the same time.
The Main Players Behind the Internet
There are several important pieces involved when you visit a website.
Your Device: The Client
Your computer, phone, tablet or other Internet-connected device is generally referred to as the client.
When you open Chrome, Firefox, Safari or another browser and request a website, your device is essentially asking another computer for information.
For example:
“I’d like to see advancewebsolutions.ca. Can you send me the information I need?”
That request then begins its journey across the Internet.
The Server
On the other end is a server.
A web server is a computer designed to store and deliver websites, applications, files and other information to users.
When your browser requests a website, the server receives the request and sends the necessary website files back to your device.
Those files might include:
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
- Images
- Videos
- Fonts
- PDFs
- Other website resources
Your browser then takes those pieces and turns them into the website you see.
For a more technical explanation of clients and servers, MDN’s How the Web Works breaks down exactly how these two sides communicate.
IP Addresses
Computers need a way to identify where information should go.
That’s where IP addresses come in.
An IP address is a numerical address used to identify a device or network location.
For example, an IPv4 address might look something like:
192.0.2.172
You wouldn’t want to have to remember a number like that every time you wanted to visit a website.
Fortunately, you don’t.
That’s where DNS comes in.
DNS: The Internet’s Phone Book
DNS stands for Domain Name System.
You can think of DNS as something like the Internet’s address book.
Instead of remembering an IP address, you can type a familiar domain name such as:
advancewebsolutions.ca
Your device can then use DNS to determine which IP address is associated with that domain.
ICANN, the organization responsible for coordinating key parts of the Internet’s domain-name system, explains that DNS connects domain names with IP addresses.
You can also read The Domain Name System from ICANN if you’d like a more detailed look at how DNS works.
This is one of the reasons domain names are so useful.
Imagine if you had to remember an IP address every time you wanted to visit Google, Facebook, Amazon or your favourite local business.
Domain names make the Internet much easier for humans to use.
What Happens When You Type a Website Address?
So let’s put all of this together.
What actually happens when you type a website address into your browser?
Step 1: You Enter the Website Address
You type something like:
into your browser.
Technically, this is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
The URL tells your browser what resource you’re trying to access and which protocol should be used to communicate with the server.
Step 2: DNS Helps Find the Website
Your computer needs to determine where that website is located.
The domain name is looked up through DNS, which helps determine the appropriate IP address for the website.
Your browser can then use that information to communicate with the appropriate server.
Step 3: Your Request Travels Across the Internet
Your request doesn’t necessarily travel directly from your computer to the server.
It can pass through multiple networks, routers and other pieces of infrastructure along the way.
Think of it like travelling across a large road network.
You start on a local road, reach larger roads and highways, cross different areas, and eventually arrive at your destination.
The Internet works on a much more sophisticated version of this idea.
Step 4: The Server Receives Your Request
The web server receives your request and determines what information it needs to send back.
Depending on the website, this could involve retrieving files, running code, accessing a database or performing other tasks.
A simple static website might require relatively little processing.
A large e-commerce website, banking website or web application can involve considerably more work.
Step 5: The Website Data Travels Back to You
The server sends the requested information back across the Internet.
That information is transmitted in packets.
Your device receives the packets and your browser processes the information.
Finally, the website appears on your screen.
According to MDN, the basic process involves DNS finding the server, an HTTP request being sent, the server responding with the requested files, and the browser assembling those pieces into the webpage you see.
Your Browser Is Doing More Work Than You Think
When a website appears on your screen, it may look like a single thing.
It isn’t.
Your browser might actually be retrieving dozens or even hundreds of individual resources.
For example, a single webpage might request:
- An HTML document
- Several CSS files
- JavaScript files
- Dozens of images
- Web fonts
- Videos
- Tracking scripts
- Analytics tools
- Icons
- Other external resources
Your browser takes all of these pieces and assembles them into the finished webpage.
Modern websites can therefore involve a surprising amount of activity between the moment you click a link and the moment you see the finished page.
Why Website Speed Matters
Now we can start to see why website performance matters.
Every additional file, image, script or resource can potentially add work to the process of loading a webpage.
The physical distance between the visitor and server can matter.
The quality of the hosting can matter.
The amount of traffic can matter.
The size of the images can matter.
The website’s code and plugins can matter.
The visitor’s Internet connection and device can matter too.
This is why website speed isn’t simply a matter of having a “fast Internet connection.”
There are many different pieces involved.
If you’re interested in practical ways to improve the experience for mobile visitors, check out our article on 10 Tips for Better Mobile Website Performance 2026.
We also have an article covering some Simple SEO Strategies You Can Start Yourself BEFORE Hiring An SEO Specialist, including some of the basic things website owners can do to improve their websites.
What About Hosting?
This brings us to web hosting.
A website needs somewhere to live.
Web hosting provides the server space and infrastructure necessary for your website to be available to visitors on the Internet.
Think of your domain name as your website’s address.
Think of hosting as the property where your website actually lives.
You need both.
If you’re unsure how domains, hosting and websites fit together, our article What Do You Need to Build a New Website? Questions A Business Owner Should Probably Know But Is Afraid To Ask goes into those pieces in more detail.
Hosting can also have a significant impact on performance, reliability and how quickly your website responds to visitors.
That’s one reason choosing a hosting environment shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought when building a business website.
And Then There’s HTTPS
You may have noticed that modern website addresses usually begin with:
https://
The “S” stands for Secure.
HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP and uses encryption to help protect information travelling between your browser and the website.
This is particularly important when websites handle sensitive information such as:
- Login credentials
- Contact information
- Payment information
- Personal information
- Online forms
Modern browsers also warn users when websites aren’t using secure connections in situations where security matters.
So How Does Everything Happen So Fast?
This is perhaps the most impressive part.
There are an enormous number of moving pieces involved in loading a modern website.
DNS has to help locate the server.
Your request has to travel through networks.
Routers have to forward packets.
The server has to respond.
The information has to travel back.
Your browser has to process everything.
And yet, in many cases, the entire process happens in a fraction of a second or a few seconds.
For an excellent deeper explanation of packets, protocols, routers and the physical infrastructure behind the Internet, Cloudflare’s guide to How Does the Internet Work? is worth a look.
The important thing to understand is that the Internet wasn’t designed around one giant central computer.
It is a huge collection of interconnected networks communicating using standardized technologies and protocols.
That’s what allows computers and devices around the world to communicate with one another.
What Does This Mean for Your Business Website?
If you’re a business owner, you might be wondering:
“That’s interesting, but what does any of this have to do with my website?”
Quite a bit, actually.
Your website doesn’t exist in isolation.
When someone visits your website, they are relying on all of these underlying systems to work together.
Your:
- Domain name
- DNS settings
- Web hosting
- Server
- Website software
- Images
- Code
- Security
- Database
- Internet connection
- Browser
can all play a role in what the visitor ultimately experiences.
That’s why a website that looks great isn’t necessarily a great website.
A good business website also needs to be reliable, secure, reasonably fast, easy to use and accessible to the people you’re trying to reach.
The Internet Is Complicated. Your Website Doesn’t Have to Be.
The technology behind the Internet is incredibly complicated.
Fortunately, you don’t need to understand every networking protocol or know how to configure a router in order to have a successful business website.
What is useful is understanding the basic pieces.
Your domain is the address.
DNS helps point that address to the right place.
Hosting provides a place for your website to live.
The server delivers the website.
Your browser receives the information and turns it into the webpage you see.
And the Internet provides the enormous network connecting all of those pieces together.
Once you understand that basic process, things like domains, hosting, website speed, HTTPS and even SEO start to make a lot more sense.
For another fascinating look at the technology and history behind all of this, you can also check out our article 21 Amusing and Interesting Facts About the History of the Internet You May Not Know.
If you’re a business owner in Airdrie and you’re wondering whether your current website is doing everything it should, you can learn more about our Airdrie Web Design services.
Want to learn more about how your website works or whether your current website is doing everything it should? Contact Advance Web Solutions for a free consultation.