Breadcrumbs, also known as breadcrumbs, are a navigation path that helps users understand where they are on a website, and gives them the ability to quickly navigate to higher-level sections or previous pages. Breadcrumbs are typically displayed at the top of a webpage and contain a site hierarchy from the homepage to the current page. They improve the user experience by providing a quick overview of a site's structure and making it easy to navigate back to other pages.
How do breadcrumbs work?
Breadcrumbs work by showing a sequential path from the homepage to the current page, often separated by slashes (/) or arrows (›). For example, if you are on a product page in an online store, breadcrumbs might look like this:
Home › Category › Subcategory › Product
Users can click on the previous steps in the path to quickly navigate back to higher-level sections without having to use the browser's "back" button or navigate through menus.
Why are breadcrumbs important?
Breadcrumbs are important for both user experience and SEO. Here are some of the main benefits:
- Improved navigation: They help users understand where they are on a website and make it easier to navigate to other sections without having to use the main menu.
- SEO benefits: Breadcrumbs give search engines like Google a better understanding of the site's structure, which can help improve rankings in search results. Google often displays breadcrumbs in search results, making it easier for users to understand how a page is organized.
- Reduce bounce rate: Breadcrumbs make it easier for users to find other relevant pages, which can reduce the bounce rate, as they do not need to leave the site if they want to navigate somewhere else.
Types of breadcrumbs
There are several different types of breadcrumbs, depending on how they organize navigation:
- Path-based breadcrumbs: Show the path the user has followed on the site. Often used for dynamic pages.
- Hierarchy-based breadcrumbs: Show the page's position relative to the site's structure. Typical for e-commerce sites and content-rich websites.
- Attribution-based breadcrumbs: Displayed based on selected filters or attributes, often seen on e-commerce pages where users filter products by certain criteria.
Breadcrumbs make navigation more intuitive and organized for both users and search engines, making them an essential component of modern web design.