In the world of web design, every detail counts to create a fluid and satisfying user experience. Among these particularities, breadcrumbs help improve the navigation and usability of a site.
In the digital realm, breadcrumbs serve as a visual guide that helps users find their way around a web page. In this Enjoy Minder article, we explore the importance of breadcrumbs, their benefits, and how they can positively influence user experience and SEO ranking. Read on!
What are breadcrumbs on a website?
When designing a website, the user experience must be at the centre. Far from being a mere aesthetic issue, web design must meet the needs of the visitor, making navigation through the site as easy as possible.
Breadcrumbs are links that help users understand where they are in the hierarchy of the website and how they got to the page they are viewing. Breadcrumbs, just like in the story of Hansel and Gretel, allow us to see a trace of the path we have taken to get to where we are or where we are in the web structure.
Types of breadcrumbs on a website
There are different types of breadcrumbs, depending on the objective you want to achieve, that can be implemented on a website:
Breadcrumbs based on hierarchy
They allow the user to view the general structure of the site, starting with the Home page on the left, continuing through the categories and subcategories, until reaching the current page. For example:
Home > Category > Subcategory > Current page
Basically, it tells you where the page is located within the website.
Attribute-based breadcrumbs
These are the most common on e-commerce sites and offer the visitor more information about the specific attributes of the product they are viewing. For example:
Clothing > Women > T-shirts > Short-sleeved T-shirts > Blue short-sleeved T-shirts > Current page
These types of breadcrumbs are linked to the specific characteristics of the same content.
Breadcrumbs based on routes
They show the user the exact path they took to get to the page they are on, allowing them to easily return to a previous page. For example:
Home > Category 1 > Subcategory 1 > Category 2 > Subcategory 2 > Current page
In this case, it shows the exact path followed by the user to access the content being viewed.
What are breadcrumbs used for?
Using breadcrumbs on your website has several benefits:
- Facilitate navigation through the site: They help the user to easily navigate the website.
- Encourage exploration: Users are more likely to navigate through your website if they know they can return to any page they have visited before.
- Improve search: Search engines use breadcrumbs to obtain more information from web pages and thus provide a more refined result based on search intent.
- Reduce bounce rate: Allow users to navigate to higher-level pages related to the information or product they are viewing.
Are breadcrumbs relevant for SEO?
Breadcrumbs have a positive impact on SEO positioning. Google has integrated breadcrumbs into its search results, as they present the structure of the content in a clear and orderly manner. The search engine displays them when it believes they are relevant to the search performed by the user.
They also improve website indexing and enrich the user experience by offering relevant information related to search intent.
Tips for successful implementation
Below, we give you a series of tips so that you can implement breadcrumbs correctly:
- Only use them if they make sense for your site structure.
- Make sure the breadcrumb titles match the page titles.
- Keep a simple and orderly structure that is easily visible.
- Start with the highest level page and end with the lowest level page.
- Includes the entire navigation route.
Now that you know the importance of using breadcrumbs on your website, we invite you to rely on an online marketing agency specialized in user-centered web design to implement them on your website. At Enjoy Minder, we put our knowledge and our specialized team at your disposal.
We help you with your project and adapt to each context according to the needs of your business. Contact Enjoy Minder without obligation!
