What is Breadcrumb Navigation?
Breadcrumb navigation, also known as breadcrumb trail, is a navigational element that helps users understand the structure of a given website. It consists of a list of hyperlinks that display the hierarchical path of a particular area of the service.
The breadcrumb trail is usually displayed at the top of the page or just below the title and shows where the user is currently located on the page as well as what navigation levels led to it. For example, a breadcrumb trail on an online clothing store might look like this: Store > Women’s > Blouses > Blouses with Caps.
The purpose of breadcrumb navigation is to facilitate users’ navigation through the website and understand their current location. It also helps in quick return to previous navigation levels and enables movement around the site in a more intuitive way, thereby making it easier for users to navigate the site, improving its usability, and positively affecting user experience.
Why Use Breadcrumb Navigation?
Breadcrumb navigation has several benefits that make it valuable for users of websites, including:
1. Facilitates navigation: Breadcrumb navigation shows users where they are on the website and what navigation levels led them there, making it easier to navigate the site without having to use the “back” button.
2. Improves usability: Breadcrumb navigation helps in understanding the structure of the website, making it easier for users to find what they need.
3. Increases time spent on the site: By facilitating user movement around the site, breadcrumb navigation increases the amount of time users spend on the site.
4. Facilitates user behavior tracking: Breadcrumb navigation makes it easier for site owners to track user behavior, as they can see how users navigate through the site.
All these benefits make it worthwhile to use breadcrumb navigation on websites, especially complex ones or those with multiple levels of navigation.
Does Breadcrumb Navigation Affect SEO?
Yes, breadcrumb navigation can positively affect a website’s SEO. It is one of the factors that helps in building a good structure for the website, which is essential for SEO.
Breadcrumb navigation facilitates users’ navigation through the site, which affects favorable time spent on the site as well as reduces bounce rates and increases page views per session. As a result, high-quality breadcrumb navigation can help increase organic traffic to the website.
Additionally, breadcrumb navigation can also help Google bots understand the structure of the website, which can improve the site’s positions in search engine results.
Does Breadcrumb Navigation Affect User Experience?
Yes, breadcrumb navigation on a website can positively affect user experience by making it easier for users to navigate through the site.
Breadcrumb navigation displays the path that the user must follow to reach a particular page or product category on the site. Users can easily see where they are located on the site and what navigation options are available to them. This makes breadcrumb navigation helpful in navigating the site and finding necessary information, which affects positive experiences with using the website.
What Types of Breadcrumbs Are There?
There are three types of breadcrumbs:
1. Hierarchical breadcrumbs – display the hierarchy of the website, starting from the main page or category page and ending at the current page.
2. Historical breadcrumbs – show previous pages visited by users, starting from the last visited page and ending at the current page.
3. Attribute breadcrumbs – used in online stores to identify products by attributes such as brand, size, color, etc.
All types of breadcrumbs help users navigate through the website, ensuring easy and intuitive movement between pages, which can lead to increased user satisfaction with using the site.
How to Implement Breadcrumb Navigation?
To implement breadcrumb navigation on your website, follow these steps:
1. Choose the right type of breadcrumb for your website.
2. Select a method of implementation – use pre-built scripts or libraries like Bootstrap, Foundation, or jQuery.
3. Add the breadcrumb code to your website’s HTML code, ensuring it is placed in the correct location, usually the header or footer.
4. Customize the appearance of breadcrumbs to match your site’s design using CSS stylesheets.
5. Ensure breadcrumbs are easily noticeable and beneficial for users – place them in a visible area and use clear text.
6. Test breadcrumbs to ensure they function correctly and display on all pages of your website.
After following these steps, breadcrumb navigation should work properly on your website, positively affecting user experience and SEO.
