What are Breadcrumbs in SEO and Should You Use Them?

Many people may know the term "breadcrumbs" from the tale of Hansel and Gretel. In this story, breadcrumbs were used as a marker so they could find their way back home. While this is not the case with SEO breadcrumbs, they are similar in some aspects.

Breadcrumbs are incredibly effective in preventing users and search engine crawlers from becoming lost while browsing your website. Not only do they make your site accessible, but they also have SEO benefits that may be worth the small amount of work it takes to implement them.

If you are unfamiliar with breadcrumbs, keep reading. This article will delve into what they are about and why breadcrumbs are important for SEO.

What Are Breadcrumbs in SEO?

A breadcrumb trail reveals the page's position in the site structure, it can make navigation easier for users. Going from the final breadcrumb in the trail, a user can go up the site hierarchy on a level-by-level basis.

Breadcrumb trails are frequently near the top of a site's navigation bar or just below it. Similar to internal links, users can find the information they’re looking for, and it keeps them on your site. Bounce rate, duration of stay, and other usability metrics can all benefit from a user-friendly website. These elements can also influence your SEO efforts.

They show up in Google search results as well. Breadcrumbs in results pages provide a clear picture of where a page is located on your site.

What Are the Types of Breadcrumbs?

Breadcrumbs can be categorized into three types, which are as follow:

Location-Based

Location-based breadcrumbs show several navigation paths and allow the user to click on the location of the product or service quickly. They are commonly used by multilevel enterprises, service providers, distributors, and other similar businesses.

This type of breadcrumb will show you your present location. It also makes returning to the home page easy for the user. The fact that the page's directories go back to the home page is crucial since it allows the buyer to select other options. Location breadcrumbs are extremely useful for both users and crawlers.

Here's an illustration: Home > Category > Product or Service Name

Attribute-Based

As the term implies, this breadcrumb has to do with the company's service or product's attributes. It works as a filter, allowing users to select the ideal product or service for them. These attributes are usually classified by size, color, shape, or style. This breadcrumb is most used on eCommerce websites. For example: Home > Product category > Style > Color > Size

History-Based

A history-based breadcrumb displays the pages you've visited in order, starting with the first. Users be able to find out which pages they have already viewed and checked. Furthermore, there is no need to use the browser history or the back button to return to a previous page. Consider the following text path to get a better idea of what it looks like: Home > Page 1 > Page 2 > Current page

What Is the Best Way to Include Breadcrumbs on Your Website?

There are various factors to consider when adding breadcrumbs to your website. These factors include:

• Your website's type
• The content management system on your website (CMS)
• What kind of breadcrumb you want to use

Depending on your requirements, breadcrumbs might be as simple as introducing a widget or an add-on to your website. However, designing and launching the proper structure for your site could take hours of work from developers.

The Benefits of Using Breadcrumbs

Using these convenient navigational markers on your website has several advantages. Let's examine them in more detail:

Google and Other Search Engines Appreciate Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are appreciable among website visitors, but Google also appreciates them. They provide Google with yet another method of determining the structure of your website. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, Google may include them in the actual results page, making your site much more appealing to users.

Using Breadcrumbs Improves the User’s Experience

People despise getting lost. When faced with a new area, people frequently look for identifiable things or landmarks, and the same may be said about websites. Breadcrumbs serve as figurative landmarks that make for easy navigation. Without them, users may have a frustrating experience and leave your site to find a different one.

Bounce Rates Are Reduced by Using Breadcrumbs

Direct traffic to your homepage is rare - organic search is the way to go. As a result, every page on your website could serve as an access point. If the specific page doesn't meet their demands, you'll need to define a strategy to direct them to other portions of your site. Since you're giving users another option to peruse your site, breadcrumbs can help you reduce bounce rates.

Best Practices for Breadcrumbs in SEO

You must observe these basic rules to make the most of your SEO breadcrumbs:

Check to See if Breadcrumbs Are Active and Accessible to Users

Place your breadcrumbs close to the top of each page, where they will be easily visible. Avoid using pop-up windows, and don't try to make them stick out too much. It's enough to use a standard-sized font with just text (no pictures).

Ensure Breadcrumbs Are Compatible With Mobile Devices

If you choose to leave breadcrumbs visible on handheld devices, ensure the text size is large enough for the links to be clicked conveniently. Breadcrumbs are commonly hidden or disguised as buttons for mobile users.

Keep It Simple

When designing your website, keep the user experience in mind as the primary goal, with search engine optimization as a bonus. Don't make things more difficult for users by adding too many navigation paths. Use keywords and categories that your intended audience will understand. In some circumstances, using a niche-specific term can be beneficial.

The Bottom Line

Breadcrumb trails can benefit both users and search engines. They let people explore a website with ease and are used by search engines to get a better picture of how a website is structured. It is a powerful SEO technique that should be considered while building or improving your website.

Want to learn more about breadcrumbs, SEO, and other digital marketing techniques? Give our digital marketing experts at Agency Jet a call! We'll be glad to answer any of your inquiries or concerns.