Once you been able to connect to the World Wide Web, the next step is to be able to move about (surf). The way to do this is by using a web browser. The three most popular browsers are Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome.

As shown by the image above, all the aforementioned browsers include an address box. If you know the domain name address of the site you which to visit, all you have to do is type the address into the box and click enter.

If you do not know the address of the site you which to visit, then things are slightly more complex. Websites are connected together through hyperlinks, hyperlinks are pictures or text that you click on and they will then send you to another domain name. The next problem is finding hyperlinks that send you to the web documents you want to view.

Therefore you need a starting point, or jump off location. Most ISPs will install their home page as the first website which loads up when a web browser is opened. But these sites tend to use a search engine or a directory's results which are provided by another company, most likely Google or Yahoo!.

Therefore, your ISP, and most users will rate search engines and directories as the best way to find relevant hyperlinks. Search engines will allow you to query online databases of web sites for relevancy. The next option is directories, which are lists of hyperlinks based on subject categories.

Some popular.

Search Engines - Google, Fast, AskJeeves - Teoma, Yahoo, MSN Bing
Directories - ODP, Looksmart, Yahoo, BBCi

• Your connection is slow or your modem or cables are faulty.
• Traffic on the web site you are loading is heavy.
• The web page contains large files such as pictures, or the html source code is large

Solutions:

• Buy a new modem or connection.
• Download the latest version of your browser software.
• Browse during off-peak hours.
• Turn of images so the pages just load as text.