What are breadcrumbs?
Breadcrumbs are dynamic navigation paths throughout web pages. They show you the trail that led you to the particular page you are on with clickable links, allowing you to jump back to previous pages.
Breadcrumbs are most useful when websites house a large volume of information broken into clear categories and hierarchical structure. While a website like nestle.com should use breadcrumbs for its many brands, a local bakery probably should not.
Why should we incorporate breadcrumbs in web design?
You’re probably most familiar with seeing breadcrumbs on eCommerce websites. They helped you go back to a product category when you wanted to see other options. You knew to use this navigation element because you see them all the time; users understand the breadcrumb pattern well.
Breadcrumbs enhance UX.
Breadcrumbs are an important part of content strategy. They give users a roadmap to web pages and help them feel less overwhelmed. They are also beneficial because:
- They provide contextual information to help users understand categories.
- They make it easier for users to jump to previous pages without using the “back” button (when they likely forgot where it will take them).
- They tell users the pattern of a site’s structure so they have a better understanding of how to find other pages.
Breadcrumbs boost SEO.
Breadcrumbs are recommended for SEO for several reasons. Partly, search engines evaluate the user friendliness of a website. Breadcrumbs can help reduce bounce rate and increase pageviews per session for the reasons outlined above.
Additionally, breadcrumbs can boost crawlability and increase rankings because:
- Google uses breadcrumbs to gain context of content (just like users).
- Google includes breadcrumbs in the Search Engine Results page, giving users extra information that makes them want to click.
How do I get started?
Talk to your development team about how to add breadcrumbs to a website. For WordPress, it’s as easy as using breadcrumbs with the Yoast plugin. For other websites, it may require a custom development piece. A designer may need to find the best placement for this navigational element and provide styling as well.
Structured data helps you provide page information directly to the Google search engine. A developer or SEO specialist can also help you include structured data for breadcrumbs.
Looking for ways to boost user satisfaction and conversions?
Breadcrumbs are just one way to increase usability of your website. Atlantic BT also places value on content quality, information architecture, and UX design. If you’re interested in a site audit or consultation, reach out. We’re here to help.
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