You cannot do without spices in cooking. A dish is unlikely to be edible without salt in it, without spices it will be flavourless. SEO has its “ingredients” too and if the main “dish” (i.e. search engine optimization of the site) lacks them it will not turn out perfect.
“Breadcrumbs” is one of these ingredients, those very links that we see on pages of the second, third and other levels of nesting. Their presence may seem redundant on websites with a voluminous directory, especially on mobile devices, where these “long chains” occupy a large share of the first screen.
Are breadcrumbs needed on the website at all? After all, there is a menu the functions of which are duplicated by this element. At least it seems so at a first glance. Can they be removed or at least altered somehow? Maybe they can be reduced or moved down? And what happens if you do that?
These questions were posed to us by a client as a part of an ongoing project. We conducted this study in order to have reason and proof behind our answers. Results of the study are shared in this case.
Read on to find out:
Why breadcrumbs are needed in SEO.
What types of breadcrumbs exist and where they are placed.
What are the hypothetical risks in case of their removal.
How to check the appropriateness of their use on the website.
How can the breadcrumbs be changed so as not to get negative consequences from search engines and users.
There is no concept of “breadcrumbs” in Google’s official guide. The search engine includes a definition of navigation lines as a sequence of internal links at the top or bottom of the page, designed for the convenience of users. With this navigation, visitors can quickly return to the home page of the site or jump to the previous section.
Google recommends to use navigation lines on the website: they should start from the home page and then indicate sections and subsections of the website after it. When navigation lines are used, special structured data markup should be implemented for them.
Example of breadcrumbs (navigation lines) in the Google’s guide (photo: screenshot)
The user-friendliness of a website is an important positive signal for Google. The search engine considers presence of navigation lines to be a ranking factor since the main purpose of breadcrumbs is the convenience of a user when moving through pages. That is, their presence is a requirement of the search engine and one of the factors by which the website will be shown higher (or lower) in search results.
Putting aside the fact that Google considers breadcrumbs as a ranking factor, they have several other valuable functions.
Improvement of behavioural factors
If a visitor comes from a search engine to the website and lands on a page that does not solve their problem (the product is out of stock or the product was “wrong”), they can:
leave the website;
go to the home page by clicking on the logo;
use the navigation line — breadcrumbs.
The first two options are undesirable because in this case the search engine will record the user’s bounce. The higher the bounce rate the worse search engine’s attitude to the website and therefore its position in the results is worse as well.
The third option — i.e. click on the navigation line, on the contrary, indicates that the user has taken action on the website which means the resource was useful to them. If the breadcrumbs redirect the user to a page tha can solve their problem, the website gets two extra points to its “karma” — both from the user and from the search engine.
Internal relinking
Breadcrumbs include the necessary text links and these links lead to the promoted pages of the website. With this simple and easily implemented technique, we achieve distribution of link weight from affiliate pages to parent ones.
The more affiliate pages exist, the more links the parent page gets. Hence its link weight becomes greater, and therefore its weight is perceived as the greater one by the search engine.
Fact. Clickable links work better. Moreover, the links at the top of the page are clicked more often than those below or on the left. This is clearly visible on the heat map of clicks.
The map of clicks clearly shows the areas where users click most often (Photo: screenshot)
Readable snippets
When forming a snippet (description of the website page in the SERP — Search Engine Results Page), the search engine includes breadcrumbs in the form of navigation chains. This makes the snippet more informative and clear for the user.
This is what the breadcrumbs of our website look like in SERP (Photo: screenshot)
Finally, search engines understand websites that have implemented navigation lines better.
Conclusion. Breadcrumbs are a ranking factor and a requirement of Google. They improve behavioural factors, form internal relinking, help the search engine understand the website better and make the snippet clear to the user.
Functions and value of breadcrumbs for SEO (Infographics by Big Lab)
Types of breadcrumbs
Depending on the usage option, breadcrumbs can be divided into two types.
Nesting hierarchy
These navigation lines indicate the “level” of the page on which the user currently is. The hierarchy can be represented as follows:
Home page Category Subcategory Section of Subcategory Product
Example of breadcrumbs implementation in the online store (Photo: screenshot)
Tags and filters cloud
Such breadcrumbs are more elaborate and logical. They are often used in online stores for the convenience of user’s choice of products by properties and characteristics.
Example of tags cloud implementation in the clothing online store (Photo: screenshot)
Where breadcrumbs are placed
The official Google guide states that the navigation lines can be placed at the top or bottom of the page. In fact, there are three options where to place them.
Top of the page - Classic option
The most familiar layout option. This is exactly the way breadcrumbs are used most often. They also perfectly perform their major function: to help a user navigate through the website.
The classic breadcrumbs placement at the top of the page (Photo: screenshot)
Bottom of the page - Compromise option
Unconventional option and usually a compromise between the website owner and a specialist in SEO. Breadcrumbs can be most often found in such location in case if the website owner has decided to get rid of them while SEO specialist intends to leave them. As a result, the navigation lines are kept based on the principle of “it is better this way than without them at all”.
Google does not prohibit placing navigation lines at the bottom of the page. However, having decided to move them there, you should keep in mind that negative consequences are possible. In case of the website’s “slump” after such an experiment you should have the ability to quickly “roll back” the changes.
The classic breadcrumbs layout on this website is complemented by a tags cloud at the bottom of the page (Photo: Screenshot)
Middle of the page - Creative option
To be honest, we could not find an example of the implementation of such a location of breadcrumbs. However, in theory, they can also be placed this way. For example, as an experiment, when an Internet marketer insists on placing navigation lines after the description of a product (the user was not persuaded to purchase this product, so we will try to offer another one).
Should SEO specialist refuse to place breadcrumbs this way? Before deciding on a final answer to this question, you should experiment and understand how they will work in such a location and whether they will work at all.
What happens if the breadcrumbs are removed or moved
In case when the navigation lines seem “superfluous” to the website owner or cause a desire to move or improve them, it is worth talking about hypothetical risks for SEO. So far these risks are purely hypothetical, as it is possible to understand how exactly the changes will affect the position of the website in SERP only after experimenting and testing.
Below we are going to tell you about the ways of testing and measuring the results. In the meantime, we will elaborate on the consequences that may arise when moving the breadcrumbs.
Element becomes “unimportant”
Theoretically, all the important elements of the website page should be located at the top of the page. After all, the search engine scans it from the head of the page, as well as users decide whether to stay on the page or leave it after a visual evaluation of the first screen.
If we place breadcrumbs in the footer or in the middle of the page, we will give a signal to the search engine that this element is not very important. Well, why is it here in that case? Maybe, in order to manipulate the search engine? Google’s assessment of such an action may be negative.
Attempt to make your website stand out among the rest
“Let everyone’s breadcrumbs be placed at the top while ours are at the bottom” — it may sound like some strange logic but it is still possible. Moreover, it is quite possible that Google’s AI will perceive such an experiment as an attempt to adapt the website to their requirements and perhaps it will even approve it…
Behavioural factors will worsen
There is no doubt in that. Behavioural factors are important for search engines while correctly set breadcrumbs improve them by reducing the bounce rate of users through easy website navigation.
If the element is moved or removed, the user experience will worsen and the positions will obviously slump with it.
Relinking links will become unclickable
The clickability of elements decreases as the user moves from the top of the page to the bottom and from the left side of the page to the right. Links that are not in the “red zone” (remember the click map above) will not be clicked at all or with low frequency.
It will become a signal for the search engine to decrease the importance of such links. As a result, the effect of internal relinking may become less noticeable.
Navigational links in snippets will disappear
In Google’s top-5, quick and navigational links are formed, among other things, based on breadcrumbs. The absence of breadcrumbs at the top of the page may alter snippets for the worse.
Assessor will see as an error
It is unlikely but also possible. Since most websites have their breadcrumbs located at the top of the pages, there is a hypothetical risk that the assessor will not “appreciate” such an experiment and consider it to be a mistake of an inexperienced SEO-specialist.
Possible consequences of moving the breadcrumbs from the top of the page to any space below (Infographics by Big Lab)
How to assess the risks of moving breadcumbs
To understand how the manipulation of breadcrumbs affect the position of the website, you need to carry out some testing. You can use two methods for this.
Split test (А/B testing)
How?
Improve the quality of breadcrumbs: reduce their length (for mobile devices).
Test the layout at the top and bottom of the page.
What to measure?
Clickability. Which breadcrumbs are clicked by users and which ones are not noticed.
Conversion. New users from one locality (for purity of the experiment).
SEO traffic dynamics. Whether it increased, decreased, remained unchanged.
The dynamics of positions in Google’s top-10. Whether they dropped, increased, remained unchanged.
Direct testing
How?
Check how users currently click on breadcrumbs. To do this, set up an event for a click on the element in the analytics system.
Make sure that the navigation lines are not needed by users (or they are, on the contrary) and make a decision.
What to measure?
Clicks on mobile devices.
Clicks on desktop devices.
For example, measuring clicks and user transitions from a product card to a product category via breadcrumbs.
Split test (А/B testing)
How?
Improve the quality of breadcrumbs: reduce their length (for mobile devices).
Test the layout at the top and bottom of the page.
What to measure?
Clickability. Which breadcrumbs are clicked by users and which ones are not noticed.
Conversion. New users from one locality (for purity of the experiment).
SEO traffic dynamics. Whether it increased, decreased, remained unchanged.
The dynamics of positions in Google’s top-10. Whether they dropped, increased, remained unchanged.
Direct testing
How?
Check how users currently click on breadcrumbs. To do this, set up an event for a click on the element in the analytics system.
Make sure that the navigation lines are not needed by users (or they are, on the contrary) and make a decision.
What to measure?
Clicks on mobile devices.
Clicks on desktop devices.
For example, measuring clicks and user transitions from a product card to a product category via breadcrumbs.
How to alter breadcrumbs so as not to harm SEO
Navigation chains that look redundant on the first screen of mobile devices can be handled: try to improve them or move them around. Here are a few ways to make a difference.
Shorten the links text
Form the text without strict following the headings of h1 and make alternative short names of product groups without loss of meaning. For example, like this:
Before
After
In this case the navigational chain retains its meaning and functions but becomes much more compact. It easily fits in one line on the screen of a mobile device.
Remove unnecessary elements
You can take out the “Home page” element from the chain of breadcrumbs as the link to the home page is already contained in the logo and it is quite enough for navigation and relinking.
But if the breadcrumbs contain a regional link (for multiregional websites) then it should be kept so as not to complicate the navigation for users or for search engines. For example, like this:
Before
After
Despite the fact that this navigation chain does not fit into a single line on the mobile screen, it looks much neater than the initial one.
Prerender breadcrumbs only for search engines
Another option is to minimize them via CSS.
It is a common practice to configure a prerender for search bots at SPA websites (when due to the nature of the engine the entire resource is located on one page). Most likely, nothing bad will happen if you set up a page with a “normal” display of breadcrumbs for a search bot while offering a different display to users.
But this technique should be implemented purely under the supervision of SEO-specialist so that it could be quickly returned to the initial version in case of problems.
Move navigational chains to the bottom of the page
This is the least desirable method, in our opinion. Few people will see the breadcrumbs with such a placement and even fewer will click on them. Surely, they will remain in the HTML code for the search engine and it is even possible that the website will not get any sanctions and penalties from the search engine for such a relocation (even the Google guide indicates the possibility of such a location for the breadcrumbs). However, the navigation through pages will worsen, so it is better not to hide the breadcrumbs at the bottom of the pages and try to improve them.
Examples of breadcrumbs improvements
Here are a few options for improving breadcrumbs that will become even more user-friendly and keep their value for the search engine.
1. Breadcrumbs for the product Acuvue oasys with hydraclear plus 2-week contact lenses 8,4/14,0 6 pcs./-2,75/.
Before
Disadvantages: Breadcrumbs are formed from the h1 headers. The chain looks bulky and long.
After
Advantages: Now the chain is shorter and includes several catalog filters where the user can go.
2. Breadcrumbs for the product Nurofen Express Forte 400 mg 20 pcs. capsules
Before
Disadvantages: The navigation chain is long but is of little use to the user.
After
Advantages: The navigation chain is now shorter. It contains links to several product categories and convenient filters that will help the user to choose the right product.
Conclusion: do you need to use breadcrumbs and how to alter them correctly
Obviously, breadcrumbs are an important element of website navigation. They are a Google ranking factor, they help users to surf through pages and perform other meaningful tasks for SEO.
If the navigation chains look bulky and redundant, we recommend you not to move them to the bottom of the page but to work on improving them: try to shorten them without loss of logic and navigation properties.
To do this, do not strictly follow the h1 headers when forming them. Instead of that, form breadcrumbs that include product category headings and filters. Such additional navigation will be useful and convenient for users.
You cannot do without spices in cooking. A dish is unlikely to be edible without salt in it, without spices it will be flavourless. SEO has its “ingredients” too and if the main “dish” (i.e. search engine optimization of the site) lacks them it will not turn out perfect.
“Breadcrumbs” is one of these ingredients, those very links that we see on pages of the second, third and other levels of nesting. Their presence may seem redundant on websites with a voluminous directory, especially on mobile devices, where these “long chains” occupy a large share of the first screen.
Are breadcrumbs needed on the website at all? After all, there is a menu the functions of which are duplicated by this element. At least it seems so at a first glance. Can they be removed or at least altered somehow? Maybe they can be reduced or moved down? And what happens if you do that?
These questions were posed to us by a client as a part of an ongoing project. We conducted this study in order to have reason and proof behind our answers. Results of the study are shared in this case.
Read on to find out:
1. Why breadcrumbs are needed
— Improvement of behavioural factors
— Internal relinking
— Readable snippets
2. Types of breadcrumbs
— Nesting hierarchy
— Tags and filters cloud
3. Where breadcrumbs are placed
— Top of the page — Classic option
— Bottom of the page — Compromise option
— Middle of the page — Creative option
4. What happens if the breadcrumbs are removed or moved
— Element becomes «unimportant»
— Attempt to make your website stand out among the rest
— Behavioural factors will worsen
— Relinking links will become unclickable
— Navigational links in snippets will disappear
— Assessor will see as an error
5. How to assess the risks of moving breadcrumbs
6. How to alter breadcrumbs so as not to harm SEO
— Shorten the links text
— Remove unnecessary elements
— Prerender breadcrumbs only for search engines
— Move navigational chains to the bottom of the page
7. Examples of breadcrumbs improvements
Why breadcrumbs are needed
There is no concept of “breadcrumbs” in Google’s official guide. The search engine includes a definition of navigation lines as a sequence of internal links at the top or bottom of the page, designed for the convenience of users. With this navigation, visitors can quickly return to the home page of the site or jump to the previous section.
Google recommends to use navigation lines on the website: they should start from the home page and then indicate sections and subsections of the website after it. When navigation lines are used, special structured data markup should be implemented for them.
The user-friendliness of a website is an important positive signal for Google. The search engine considers presence of navigation lines to be a ranking factor since the main purpose of breadcrumbs is the convenience of a user when moving through pages. That is, their presence is a requirement of the search engine and one of the factors by which the website will be shown higher (or lower) in search results.
Putting aside the fact that Google considers breadcrumbs as a ranking factor, they have several other valuable functions.
Improvement of behavioural factors
If a visitor comes from a search engine to the website and lands on a page that does not solve their problem (the product is out of stock or the product was “wrong”), they can:
The first two options are undesirable because in this case the search engine will record the user’s bounce. The higher the bounce rate the worse search engine’s attitude to the website and therefore its position in the results is worse as well.
The third option — i.e. click on the navigation line, on the contrary, indicates that the user has taken action on the website which means the resource was useful to them. If the breadcrumbs redirect the user to a page tha can solve their problem, the website gets two extra points to its “karma” — both from the user and from the search engine.
Internal relinking
Breadcrumbs include the necessary text links and these links lead to the promoted pages of the website. With this simple and easily implemented technique, we achieve distribution of link weight from affiliate pages to parent ones.
The more affiliate pages exist, the more links the parent page gets. Hence its link weight becomes greater, and therefore its weight is perceived as the greater one by the search engine.
Fact. Clickable links work better. Moreover, the links at the top of the page are clicked more often than those below or on the left. This is clearly visible on the heat map of clicks.
Readable snippets
When forming a snippet (description of the website page in the SERP — Search Engine Results Page), the search engine includes breadcrumbs in the form of navigation chains. This makes the snippet more informative and clear for the user.
Finally, search engines understand websites that have implemented navigation lines better.
Conclusion. Breadcrumbs are a ranking factor and a requirement of Google. They improve behavioural factors, form internal relinking, help the search engine understand the website better and make the snippet clear to the user.
Types of breadcrumbs
Depending on the usage option, breadcrumbs can be divided into two types.
Nesting hierarchy
These navigation lines indicate the “level” of the page on which the user currently is. The hierarchy can be represented as follows:
Home page Category Subcategory Section of Subcategory Product
Tags and filters cloud
Such breadcrumbs are more elaborate and logical. They are often used in online stores for the convenience of user’s choice of products by properties and characteristics.
Where breadcrumbs are placed
The official Google guide states that the navigation lines can be placed at the top or bottom of the page. In fact, there are three options where to place them.
Top of the page - Classic option
The most familiar layout option. This is exactly the way breadcrumbs are used most often. They also perfectly perform their major function: to help a user navigate through the website.
Bottom of the page - Compromise option
Unconventional option and usually a compromise between the website owner and a specialist in SEO. Breadcrumbs can be most often found in such location in case if the website owner has decided to get rid of them while SEO specialist intends to leave them. As a result, the navigation lines are kept based on the principle of “it is better this way than without them at all”.
Google does not prohibit placing navigation lines at the bottom of the page. However, having decided to move them there, you should keep in mind that negative consequences are possible. In case of the website’s “slump” after such an experiment you should have the ability to quickly “roll back” the changes.
Middle of the page - Creative option
To be honest, we could not find an example of the implementation of such a location of breadcrumbs. However, in theory, they can also be placed this way. For example, as an experiment, when an Internet marketer insists on placing navigation lines after the description of a product (the user was not persuaded to purchase this product, so we will try to offer another one).
Should SEO specialist refuse to place breadcrumbs this way? Before deciding on a final answer to this question, you should experiment and understand how they will work in such a location and whether they will work at all.
What happens if the breadcrumbs are removed or moved
In case when the navigation lines seem “superfluous” to the website owner or cause a desire to move or improve them, it is worth talking about hypothetical risks for SEO. So far these risks are purely hypothetical, as it is possible to understand how exactly the changes will affect the position of the website in SERP only after experimenting and testing.
Below we are going to tell you about the ways of testing and measuring the results. In the meantime, we will elaborate on the consequences that may arise when moving the breadcrumbs.
Element becomes “unimportant”
Theoretically, all the important elements of the website page should be located at the top of the page. After all, the search engine scans it from the head of the page, as well as users decide whether to stay on the page or leave it after a visual evaluation of the first screen.
If we place breadcrumbs in the footer or in the middle of the page, we will give a signal to the search engine that this element is not very important. Well, why is it here in that case? Maybe, in order to manipulate the search engine? Google’s assessment of such an action may be negative.
Attempt to make your website stand out among the rest
“Let everyone’s breadcrumbs be placed at the top while ours are at the bottom” — it may sound like some strange logic but it is still possible. Moreover, it is quite possible that Google’s AI will perceive such an experiment as an attempt to adapt the website to their requirements and perhaps it will even approve it…
Behavioural factors will worsen
There is no doubt in that. Behavioural factors are important for search engines while correctly set breadcrumbs improve them by reducing the bounce rate of users through easy website navigation.
If the element is moved or removed, the user experience will worsen and the positions will obviously slump with it.
Relinking links will become unclickable
The clickability of elements decreases as the user moves from the top of the page to the bottom and from the left side of the page to the right. Links that are not in the “red zone” (remember the click map above) will not be clicked at all or with low frequency.
It will become a signal for the search engine to decrease the importance of such links. As a result, the effect of internal relinking may become less noticeable.
Navigational links in snippets will disappear
In Google’s top-5, quick and navigational links are formed, among other things, based on breadcrumbs. The absence of breadcrumbs at the top of the page may alter snippets for the worse.
Assessor will see as an error
It is unlikely but also possible. Since most websites have their breadcrumbs located at the top of the pages, there is a hypothetical risk that the assessor will not “appreciate” such an experiment and consider it to be a mistake of an inexperienced SEO-specialist.
Possible consequences of moving the breadcrumbs from the top of the page to any space below (Infographics by Big Lab)
How to assess the risks of moving breadcumbs
To understand how the manipulation of breadcrumbs affect the position of the website, you need to carry out some testing. You can use two methods for this.
Split test (А/B testing)
How?
What to measure?
Direct testing
How?
What to measure?
For example, measuring clicks and user transitions from a product card to a product category via breadcrumbs.
Split test (А/B testing)
How?
What to measure?
Direct testing
How?
What to measure?
For example, measuring clicks and user transitions from a product card to a product category via breadcrumbs.
How to alter breadcrumbs so as not to harm SEO
Navigation chains that look redundant on the first screen of mobile devices can be handled: try to improve them or move them around. Here are a few ways to make a difference.
Shorten the links text
Form the text without strict following the headings of h1 and make alternative short names of product groups without loss of meaning. For example, like this:
Before
After
In this case the navigational chain retains its meaning and functions but becomes much more compact. It easily fits in one line on the screen of a mobile device.
Remove unnecessary elements
You can take out the “Home page” element from the chain of breadcrumbs as the link to the home page is already contained in the logo and it is quite enough for navigation and relinking.
But if the breadcrumbs contain a regional link (for multiregional websites) then it should be kept so as not to complicate the navigation for users or for search engines. For example, like this:
Before
After
Despite the fact that this navigation chain does not fit into a single line on the mobile screen, it looks much neater than the initial one.
Prerender breadcrumbs only for search engines
Another option is to minimize them via CSS.
It is a common practice to configure a prerender for search bots at SPA websites (when due to the nature of the engine the entire resource is located on one page). Most likely, nothing bad will happen if you set up a page with a “normal” display of breadcrumbs for a search bot while offering a different display to users.
But this technique should be implemented purely under the supervision of SEO-specialist so that it could be quickly returned to the initial version in case of problems.
Move navigational chains to the bottom of the page
This is the least desirable method, in our opinion. Few people will see the breadcrumbs with such a placement and even fewer will click on them. Surely, they will remain in the HTML code for the search engine and it is even possible that the website will not get any sanctions and penalties from the search engine for such a relocation (even the Google guide indicates the possibility of such a location for the breadcrumbs). However, the navigation through pages will worsen, so it is better not to hide the breadcrumbs at the bottom of the pages and try to improve them.
Examples of breadcrumbs improvements
Here are a few options for improving breadcrumbs that will become even more user-friendly and keep their value for the search engine.
1. Breadcrumbs for the product Acuvue oasys with hydraclear plus 2-week contact lenses 8,4/14,0 6 pcs./-2,75/.
Before
Disadvantages: Breadcrumbs are formed from the h1 headers. The chain looks bulky and long.
After
Advantages: Now the chain is shorter and includes several catalog filters where the user can go.
2. Breadcrumbs for the product Nurofen Express Forte 400 mg 20 pcs. capsules
Before
Disadvantages: The navigation chain is long but is of little use to the user.
After
Advantages: The navigation chain is now shorter. It contains links to several product categories and convenient filters that will help the user to choose the right product.
Conclusion: do you need to use breadcrumbs and how to alter them correctly
Obviously, breadcrumbs are an important element of website navigation. They are a Google ranking factor, they help users to surf through pages and perform other meaningful tasks for SEO.
If the navigation chains look bulky and redundant, we recommend you not to move them to the bottom of the page but to work on improving them: try to shorten them without loss of logic and navigation properties.
To do this, do not strictly follow the h1 headers when forming them. Instead of that, form breadcrumbs that include product category headings and filters. Such additional navigation will be useful and convenient for users.
Автор -Written by Iurii Nemtcev
SEO Expert, Founder and CEO of Big Lab Digital Agency
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Автор -Written by Iurii Nemtcev
SEO Expert, Founder and CEO of Big Lab Digital Agency