What Is Breadcrumb SEO?

Breadcrumb SEO can be a really effective strategy for optimizing your website for search engines. Many web designers find breadcrumbs to be a subtle and convenient way to create a better user experience. So what are breadcrumbs, exactly? Breadcrumbs are navigation tools that help users understand where they are on a website. They provide a number of benefits, including better SEO and UX design. In this article, we will take a closer look at what breadcrumbs are and the benefits of SEO breadcrumbs. We will also learn how to use WordPress breadcrumbs. Lastly, we’ll discuss some helpful tips for making the most of SEO breadcrumbs on your site.

What is SEO?

First, let’s talk a bit about SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization. This is the process of optimizing a website’s content so that it ranks higher in search engine results. When a user searches for something, search engines will offer results based on what they think are the best options. To optimize your site for search, you need to be able to convince these search engines that your content is both useful and relevant. The most important aspects of SEO include quality of traffic, quantity of traffic, and organic results. Overall, SEO is a fantastic tool for increasing traffic and engagement with your site.

There are four key types of SEO. These are on-page, off-page, technical, and local SEO. Combined, these four elements can help you to increase your position in search rankings. Using relevant keywords and building links between your website and other credible sources are also important factors in SEO. However, search engines don’t just put the most relevant search results first. There are a number of factors that help them decide which results to show. These include relevancy, authority, and usefulness. This means that, along with using links and keywords, you will also want to create well-designed and helpful content for your site visitors.

alphabet blocks with SEO word on blue background

What are Breadcrumbs in SEO?

Breadcrumbs help users track their path from your website’s homepage to the page they’re currently viewing. This can help users understand the structure of your website. They can also help website visitors know what they can expect on each page. Breadcrumbs are usually found at the top of the page or under the navigation bar. Using breadcrumb SEO effectively can make your website much easier to use. A better-designed website will also improve digital marketing metrics, like bounce rate, time on page, and engagement. These factors and more will help your website to move up in search engine rankings. There are three different types of breadcrumbs that each offer different functionality

Attribute-Based Breadcrumbs

Attribute-based breadcrumbs focus on specific product attributes. In other words, they display the attributes of each type of product or service on a website. This includes features that were highlighted during a search. These features are not listed in a specific order, and are listed at random. These types of breadcrumbs are most often used on e-commerce sites. Attribute-based breadcrumbs usually look something like:

(Feature/Feature/Feature)

Hierarchy-Based Breadcrumbs

Hierarchy-based breadcrumbs show a user where they are inside the structure of a website. These are a great option for website navigation. They can also help site visitors return to the homepage after they have been searching for a while. These are the most common type of breadcrumbs. Hierarchy-based breadcrumbs usually appear as:

(Home>Category>Subcategory>Page)

History-Based Breadcrumbs

Lastly, history-based breadcrumbs show users the pages they have visited on a website. This is similar to a list of webpages in a browser’s history. For this reason, they are sometimes called “path-based” breadcrumbs. These are the least popular option for breadcrumb SEO. This is because they often add very little value to website navigation. History-based breadcrumbs will look something like:

(Home Page>Prior Page>Prior Page>Current Page)

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3 Benefits of Breadcrumb SEO

#1: Breadcrumbs Help Your Pages Rank Higher On Search Engines

SEO breadcrumbs are a great way to improve your search engine rankings. This is because breadcrumbs help to communicate your website content to search engines. In fact, Google has said that they use breadcrumbs to categorize and add context to website content. Breadcrumbs also explain the hierarchy of your site, helping search engines to see which pages are the most important. In 2018, Google even added breadcrumbs directly to search results. This has made them more important than ever for effective SEO practices. One study done on local SEO found that using breadcrumbs was key to reaching the top 10 search results!

#2: Breadcrumbs Help Users Navigate Your Site

One of the most frustrating experiences for online users is to feel lost on a website. You want to keep your users focused on your site and its content. You don’t want them worrying about where to go next. Breadcrumbs are a relatively simple web design element that can have a big impact on site navigation and user experience. When users are happy, they’ll be more likely to explore more of your website. This can lead to increased traffic and even a boost in conversions.

#3: Breadcrumbs Increase User Engagement

Bounce rate is a metric that represents the number of users who leave a website without continuing on to other pages. A high bounce rate indicates a problem with a site’s UX design. Breadcrumbs can decrease bounce rate by helping users navigate your site more easily. This might not be a direct ranking factor, but it can still help improve SEO efforts indirectly. Any effort made to improve your site’s function will benefit both you and your site’s visitors. The longer users stay on your site, the longer they’ll have to interact with your content.

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How to Add WordPress Breadcrumbs

SEO breadcrumbs can be a great addition to your WordPress website. However, the basic navigation of WordPress sites doesn’t include breadcrumbs. To use WordPress breadcrumbs, you need to enable them. To do this, go to your SEO settings. From there, navigate to SEO, then Search Appearance, and finally the Breadcrumbs Page. There you will have several options for how breadcrumbs will appear on your web pages.

Another good option for adding WordPress breadcrumbs is to install a plug-in. One of the best options for this is Yoast SEO. Yoast is a popular plug-in that helps users optimize their websites for search engines. It does this by offering feedback on the structure of your site. Yoast also offers more features to help boost site visibility, including breadcrumbs. For e-commerce websites, there is also a plug-in called WooCommerce, that will let you customize how breadcrumb trails appear on your pages.

Breadcrumb SEO Best Practices

Make Sure They Are Enabled and Working Properly

This may seem like a pretty obvious first step, but it is very important. Many web designers like to hide a site’s breadcrumb trail. They might do this because they don’t feel that it matches the website’s design. However, a site’s breadcrumb trail can be extremely useful and may even add to a webpage’s design. Don’t be afraid to make them visible to users, because breadcrumbs are actually a very helpful tool for them. Well-incorporated breadcrumbs equal a boost in user experience.

Make Them Mobile-Friendly

Over 70% of web traffic comes from mobile phones! This is why mobile-friendly design is essential for a good website. Breadcrumbs are no exception. Many web designers try to hide breadcrumbs or make them look like buttons. If you decide to make your breadcrumb trail visible on mobile devices, you will want to make sure that it fits the design. You’ll also want to make sure that the font size fits. This makes it so links can be clicked easily. That being said, don’t try to add too many breadcrumb navigations at once. Keep them short, simple, and to the point to avoid a negative UX effect.

Add Breadcrumb Schema

A schema markup is a way to highlight certain parts of your site so that search engine crawlers can better understand them. Adding breadcrumb schema to your site’s HTML can help give search engines extra information about your relevant content. If you’re not familiar with HTML, this may be a bit complicated. However, the Yoast SEO plug-in that we mentioned earlier can do this step for you. Yoast SEO and similar plug-ins can help you insert breadcrumbs into your HTML and adjust how they appear.

cropped shot of successful seo using computer at workplace

Effective Breadcrumb SEO

SEO breadcrumbs are a great option for improving the overall design and functionality of your website. Breadcrumbs can be a great tool for helping users navigate your site more effectively. This will, in turn, allow them to stay longer and engage with your content. If you want to improve your website, it’s a good idea to seek help from experts. SEO Design Chicago’s consulting team provides a wide range of website audit services. They will check all aspects of your site’s performance to provide the best user experience possible!

FAQs:

  • What is SEO?
  • What are breadcrumbs?
  • Why is breadcrumb SEO helpful?
  • How do I add breadcrumbs to WordPress?
  • Are breadcrumbs part of UX design?

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