What is breadcrumb navigation?

Breadcrumb navigation is a small, secondary navigation system that shows users where they are on a website. Think of it like a trail of breadcrumbs, just like in the fairy tale, leading you back to where you started. On a website, these breadcrumbs are usually a series of text links separated by a symbol, often a greater-than sign ( > ), displayed horizontally near the top of a page. For example, you might see something like: Home > Products > Electronics > Laptops. This trail tells you that you are currently on the 'Laptops' page, which is a subcategory of 'Electronics', which in turn is a subcategory of 'Products', and you can always click 'Home' to go back to the very beginning. It's a simple yet powerful tool to help visitors understand your site's structure and easily move between different levels of content.

Why it matters for marketing teams

Breadcrumb navigation offers significant benefits for marketing professionals focused on user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO).

• Improved user experience: Breadcrumbs make it incredibly easy for users to navigate your website. They reduce confusion by always showing the user's current location and how it relates to the rest of the site. This clarity can lead to longer site visits and lower bounce rates, as users are less likely to get lost or frustrated.
• Better site structure understanding: For websites with many pages and layers, breadcrumbs provide a visual representation of the site's hierarchy. This helps users quickly grasp how content is organized, making it simpler to find related information or products.
• SEO benefits through internal linking: Each link in a breadcrumb trail is an internal link. This means breadcrumbs contribute to your website's internal linking strategy, helping distribute 'link equity' across your site. Search engines like Google use these links to understand the structure and importance of your pages, which can positively impact your rankings.
• Rich snippets in search results: When implemented correctly with structured data (Schema.org markup), breadcrumbs can appear directly in Google's search results. Instead of just showing the URL, Google might display a breadcrumb path (e.g., yoursite.com > Category > Subcategory), making your listing more appealing and informative to users.

Best practices for implementing breadcrumbs

To get the most out of breadcrumb navigation, follow these practical guidelines:

Follow a logical hierarchy

Breadcrumbs should always reflect the actual structure of your website. If your site is organized as Home > Category > Product, then your breadcrumbs should follow that exact path. Avoid creating arbitrary paths that don't match your site's true organization.

Consistent placement and styling

Always place breadcrumbs in the same, easy-to-find location on every page, typically at the top left, just below the main navigation or header. Use a consistent visual style that makes them noticeable but not distracting. They should be secondary to your main navigation.

Make the last item non-clickable

The last item in the breadcrumb trail should represent the current page the user is on. It should not be a clickable link, as clicking it would simply reload the same page. This helps clarify that it's the current location, not another navigation option.

Use clear, descriptive text

Each link in the breadcrumb trail should use clear and concise text that accurately describes the page it leads to. Avoid jargon or overly long titles. For example, use 'Women's Shoes' instead of 'WS'.

Consider mobile responsiveness

On smaller screens, breadcrumbs can take up too much space. You might need to adjust their display for mobile devices, perhaps by shortening the path (e.g., showing only the last two steps) or using a scrollable or collapsible format. Ensure they remain functional and don't push important content down the page.

Implement schema markup

For SEO benefits, use Schema.org's 'BreadcrumbList' markup. This tells search engines exactly what your breadcrumbs are and how they relate to your site's hierarchy. It can help your site achieve rich snippets in search results, making your listings stand out.

How breadcrumbs impact SEO

Breadcrumbs are more than just a user interface element; they play a role in how search engines understand and rank your site.

• Enhance crawlability: Breadcrumbs provide additional internal links that search engine bots can follow. This helps them discover and index more pages on your site, especially those that might be several clicks deep from the homepage.
• Reinforce site structure: By presenting a clear hierarchical path, breadcrumbs signal to search engines the logical organization of your content. This can help search engines understand the relationships between your pages and assign relevance more accurately.
• Keyword relevance: The anchor text used in breadcrumb links often includes important keywords for the linked pages. This subtly reinforces the relevance of those keywords to search engines.
• Improved user signals: A better user experience, facilitated by breadcrumbs, can lead to positive user signals like lower bounce rates and longer time on site. While not direct ranking factors, these signals can indirectly influence SEO by indicating to search engines that your site provides value to users.

Implementing breadcrumb navigation is a straightforward way to enhance both user experience and your website's SEO. By providing a clear path for users and search engines, you make your site more accessible, understandable, and ultimately, more effective. Take a moment to review your current site's navigation and consider where breadcrumbs could add value, especially on deeper pages or e-commerce product listings.