Are breadcrumbs still important for SEO?

General Web Dev
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I define breadcrumbs as a navigation helper, from the homepage to the current page.

There can be different methods to develop breadcrumbs:

Minimal

Homepage > Current page

Menu based

Homepage > Menu-link-level-1 (current webpage)

or:

Homepage > Menu-link-level-1 > Menu-link-level-2 (current webpage)

Last visited based

Homepage > last non-homepage webpage (if any) > Current webpage

URL alias “directories” based

With a URL like:

example.com/tress/evergreen/cedrus-libani

The breadcrumbs would be:

Homepage > Trees > Evergreen > Cedarus libani

I would argue that too long lists of breadcrumbs can “take over” the fold area, pushing down more important content such as the <h1> of the webpage or a special block above the <h1> such as Call us now: +1-800-000-000 and alike and that this is especially important in mobile-first development.

Are breadcrumbs still important for SEO, especially nowadays were about 25%-50% of the users visit websites from mobile devices?

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Were they ever important for SEO? Breadcrumbs are there to help human visitors.

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Kinda.

Google Search uses breadcrumb markup in the body of a web page to categorize the information from the page in search results. Often, as illustrated in following use cases, users can arrive at a page from very different types of search queries. While each search may return the same web page, the breadcrumb categorizes the content within the context of the Google Search query.

See here: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/breadcrumb

I’m not claiming that adding breadcrumbs to a page will catapult you to the top spot on Google, but (assuming that you have content that people want to consume) the more info you can tell Google about your site, in the format that Google wants to have it in, the better off you’ll be.

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Breadcrumbs play a major role in SEO, because it can increase the accessibility of the user, improved the user experience.

5

I would… hardly say they play a ‘major’ role. A tiny part, perhaps.

6

I would agree that breadcrumbs are good for usability, but I’m not aware that they improve accessibility.

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A few more things breadcrumbs could push down from the fold are:

  • Article publisher details and timestamp for publishing.
  • Some top image above the H1 or just below the H1.
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As per my understanding, Yes, breadcrumbs are important for SEO and it also help to the user to check the path of a particular page.

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with breadcrumbs user can easily find their current location and explore all the other categories through this. The user can easily go to related content of the site.

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Which is related to SEARCH ENGINE optimization…how?

People seem to forget what SEO stands for, and just assume that everything marketing is SEO.

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I am of the opinion that some have already shared:

  1. Yes they play a role, be it probably a smaller one than you think. Would help search engines get a better idea of the organization of content.

  2. I don’t think, if executed properly, that they would push the fold down too much. If you had breadcrumbs in 30pt font, yeah that is going to be excessive.

  3. Breadcrumbs are there for humans and frankly everything you do on a website should be to help humans. Even SEO techniques are there to help search engines categorize for humans. Always focus on the content and making it a pleasant experience for the humans.

:slight_smile:

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Yes for User experience it is important

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To all posters:

Please note that this question is specifically about SEO:

General remarks about breadcrumbs which do not address this may be deleted.

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16

Breadcrumbs are indeed significant for both SEO and enhancing user experience. They help users navigate a website more easily, understanding their current location within its hierarchy without using the back button or the main navigation menu. This can significantly improve a website’s usability, making it more user-friendly.

Breadcrumbs can also aid search engines in understanding the structure of a website, which can contribute to better indexing and, potentially, ranking improvements.

They create a clean, organised structure for your website, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content. Furthermore, Google often displays breadcrumb pathways in search results, enhancing the visibility and attractiveness of your site’s listings.

However, I should note that it is essential to keep breadcrumb trails concise and straightforward. Overly long or complicated breadcrumb trails can confuse users and dilute their SEO and user navigation effectiveness.

When implemented correctly, breadcrumb navigation can be a powerful tool for improving a website’s user experience and SEO performance. It is a fundamental aspect of technical SEO that should not be overlooked.

Websites utilise three primary breadcrumb types to enhance user experience and understanding of site structure.

Firstly, location breadcrumbs help users recognise their place within the site’s layout, akin to navigating through a directory tree.

Secondly, attribute breadcrumbs detail the characteristics or properties of the page being viewed, offering insights into content categorisation or product specifications.

Lastly, history breadcrumbs serve as a dynamic record of the user’s navigation path, allowing for easy revisitation of previously explored pages.

Each type plays a crucial role in guiding users and enriching site navigability.

Michael

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