What Are SEO Breadcrumbs & Why Should You Use Them?

SEO Breadcrumbs are website navigation components that enhance the user experience and boost crawlability. Discover how breadcrumbs affect SEO.

When it comes to SEO, there is a lot to deal with. Keywords, links, and in-depth material all influence how well you rank in the search engines.

It’s like competing in the fast food industry today: tacos or burgers?

But what about the breadcrumbs?

No, we’re not referring to the wonderful breading for chicken farm. These are a website navigation element that may significantly improve SEO and user experience. There are still a lot of websites that don’t employ these, which is a significant error because they improve SEO and are rather simple to apply.

Here’s what you should know about these, how they affect SEO, and typical pitfalls to avoid.

What Are SEO Breadcrumbs?

These are webpage links that let visitors know where they are on a website and how far they are from the homepage.

They’re frequently seen at the top of a webpage or immediately below the navigation bar. They, like internal links, assist retain people on a website by directing them to the content they want.

Here’s an example of SEO breadcrumbs from the DHL website:

It indicates exactly which categories I clicked on to get to the page I’m looking at. The breadcrumbs allow me to easily navigate back to a prior page if necessary.

SEO Breadcrumbs are a helpful UX component that simplifies site navigation, but they do much more. Google’s recent modifications have increased the importance of those handy breadcrumbs, since they can now have a direct influence on SEO.

Here is how!

SEO Breadcrumbs are now displayed in Google’s search results and used to classify content. If you’re like structured data reports, Google Search Console has one too.

It boils down to this:

Breadcrumbs help consumers explore your website while also assisting Google in categorizing and navigating it. That makes breadcrumbs important for SEO.

Types Of SEO Breadcrumbs

There are various sorts of SEO breadcrumbs used for navigation on websites, including:

a. Hierarchy-Based Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs with a hierarchical structure are possibly the most prevalent. They notify users exactly where they are in a website’s structure. They display how many steps a person traveled to reach the current page from the homepage.

An example of hierarchically organized breadcrumbs is Home > Blog > Category > Post Name 

Target uses breadcrumbs at the top of the page to show you how you got to this headphone offers page. This is an example of breadcrumbs at Target:

Target (home page) / Electronics / All Deals: Headphones

b. History-Based Breadcrumbs

History-based breadcrumbs on a website are precisely what they appear to be. They track a user’s browsing history on a website.

Here’s a history-based breadcrumb trail for Columbia Sportswear. Look at how it says

Home > Womens > Jackets > Ski & Snowboard. This is the approach I used to find ski and snowboard coats on this website.

c. Attribute-Based Breadcrumbs

Attribute-based breadcrumbs are commonly encountered on e-commerce websites, with the trail made up of product characteristics. For instance, it may look like this. 

Home > Product Category > Gender > Size | Color

Here’s an example from a Staples.com page. The breadcrumb path leads to:

Home > Printers & Scanners > Scanners & Scanner Accessories > Scanners. Then there are filters like brand, kind, and use that have been established.

Benefits of Using SEO Breadcrumbs

You’re thinking, “This sounds great.”

But what do SEO breadcrumbs truly do?

If you’re not sure if breadcrumbs are worth it (spoiler: they are!), read the section below.

a. Improve Search Rankings

SEO Breadcrumbs not only improve user experience, but they also make Google pleased.

If you do both, you’re living the SEO dream, right?

Google says it uses SEO breadcrumbs to organize and contextualize material.

In 2018, Google added breadcrumbs to the results pages, making them more significant than ever.

Breadcrumbs in the SERPs also help consumers understand where a page is on your website, making it a win-win for SEO.

Breadcrumbs are particularly beneficial for websites with several local or state-level pages, such as attorneys or restaurants.

b. SEO Breadcrumbs Improve UX

SEO Breadcrumbs make it easier for visitors to navigate a website and encourage them to explore other areas of the site.

Let’s say you want to learn more about Nestle. You visit their website and wind up on the Nestle business history page.

Using the breadcrumbs, you can simply return to About Us, History, or even their main page.

It’s a simple approach to help customers locate what they’re searching for – and ideally attract them deeper into your website.

c. Low Bounce Rates

The third breadcrumb SEO benefit complements the first. Breadcrumbs on webpages are known to reduce bounce rates. This is because consumers may go backward to locate exactly what they’re looking for on a website.

Assume a consumer is seeking red shoes on an e-commerce website, so they go:

Home > Mens > shoes > Size 10 > Red. However, after reviewing the results, they realize they want orange footwear. Instead of traveling to a separate website to hunt for orange sneakers, people may just go back one step and change the color to orange. Breadcrumbs let people stay on a website for longer.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Using SEO Breadcrumbs 

Implementing breadcrumbs is a simple technique to boost a website’s SEO and user experience. However, there are situations when using breadcrumbs may cause more damage than benefit.

Here are some SEO breadcrumb errors you should avoid!

• Don’t simply repeat your navigation bar

If the breadcrumbs just repeat what is already in your navbar, they may not offer any further function.

There’s no reason to add extra coding (and take up space!) if it doesn’t help.

• Don’t go too big or too small—aim for just right

Breadcrumbs should be visible yet inconspicuous.

A somewhat smaller font is OK; but, the too-small text will be difficult to view and click on mobile devices.

Position them at the top of the page, behind the hero picture, or just above the H1 title to make them simple to discover.

• Use the right type of breadcrumbs

Location breadcrumbs are the most prevalent, yet they may not be the greatest option for your website.

Don’t utilize location breadcrumbs if your site doesn’t have a hierarchical structure with most pages falling into a few categories.

In this situation, history-based breadcrumbs may be more useful.

• Don’t replace your navigation bar with breadcrumbs

While you don’t want to repeat the navigation, you also don’t want to rely solely on breadcrumbs.

They augment, rather than replace, existing navigational functions.

Start Using SEO Breadcrumbs!

SEO Breadcrumbs are an effective navigational tool that encourages people to explore more of your website. This is especially crucial if your website has a complicated structure that may discourage readers from exploring further, even if the first page they arrive at via a search engine is one they enjoy.

It’s a win-win!

SEO Breadcrumbs help search engines understand the structure of your website, making your total SEO efforts more successful.

Furthermore, integrating SEO breadcrumbs should be simple if your sites use a dynamic delivery mechanism.

With all of the benefits they offer to your website’s usability, there’s no excuse not to employ them.

So go ahead and add breadcrumbs to your website! If you need more assistance with Technical SEO or SEO Content for your business, contact Marketing Lad now to book a free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

a. What are SEO breadcrumbs and how do they impact website SEO?

SEO breadcrumbs are navigational aids displayed on web pages to show the hierarchical structure of a website. They enhance user experience by helping visitors understand their location within the site. From an SEO perspective, breadcrumbs improve site crawlability and provide contextual information to search engines, potentially improving search rankings.

b. How do I implement SEO breadcrumbs on my website?

To implement SEO breadcrumbs, first, choose a breadcrumb style that suits your website’s design. Then, incorporate structured data markup or plugin tools to generate breadcrumbs automatically. Ensure consistency and accuracy in breadcrumb paths and update them whenever your site structure changes to maintain SEO benefits.

c. What are the benefits of using SEO breadcrumbs for website navigation and user experience?

SEO breadcrumbs offer several benefits, enhancing website navigation and user experience. They provide clear paths for users to navigate through website hierarchies, improve site usability, and reduce bounce rates by guiding visitors to relevant pages. Additionally, breadcrumbs help search engines understand site structure, potentially boosting SEO rankings.