How to Find a Website

The web is full of websites, so how do you find them? Fortunately, you don't need to know each and every website address to get to them. There are tools built specifically for finding websites for you.

Use a Search Engine

Search engines make this very easy. In fact, most web browsers (like Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc.) have a search box built in so that all you have to do is enter information about the website to find the site in question.

To try that, visit the navigation bar at the top of your browser and enter something about the site. Here's an example, where we're looking for Apple's website by typing apple iphone:

Using the search engine's website to find other sites is really easy, too. Open any popular search engine, like Google, and use the text box on that page to run your search.

For example, if you open DuckDuckGo and type into the box lifewire, you'll find Lifewire.com within the results, and you can select the link to view the website.

Some search engines are even built to find similar websites. Say you really enjoy eBay, so you want to locate some of the other best auction sites on the web. One way to do that is by plugging eBay's site into a tool like SimilarSites. Doing that might yield results like Amazon, Wish, and Etsy.

Search Engine Options

Search engines might seem extremely simple at first glance, but most are actually capable of really advanced searches. You might need to employ some advanced search options if your initial query wasn't enough to find the site you're looking for.

For example, maybe you want to search only for websites that end in EDU, GOV, or some other top-level domain. You can do that on search engines like Google by using the site search command (e.g., site:edu).

Similarly, to search any website for a specific web page, you can run something like site:lifewire.com games, which would search lifewire.com for anything about games.

Browse a Web Directory

If you need help finding a website because you don't know its name, or if you're trying to find the best content on any given subject, try a web directory.

These are websites that list other websites for you. They're similar to a search engine but the results are hand-picked by real people and might offer an easier way for you to browse for a website.

If a search engine isn't helping, a web directory is your next best option. Most of them let you click through category headings to help you find useful websites that fall under any topic.

For example, maybe you're looking for gaming sites, news sites, software sites, or websites that cover mathematics, computers systems, physics, cars, food, etc.