Well, there is a key element in web navigation called breadcrumbs and it can help you with all of this. But what are breadcrumbs and what are they used for exactly? Did you know that there are different types of breadcrumb navigation ? And that they can have a positive impact on your SEO positioning on Google?
In this article we explain all these details. overseas chinese in worldwide database However, if you want to delve deeper into this topic, you can do so at the European University thanks to the E-commerce Course and our SEO and SEM Course .
What are breadcrumbs ?
Breadcrumbs , also known as breadcrumbs, are a navigation element that shows the path or hierarchical structure of a website .
These usually appear at the top of the page , near the main menu or in another prominent place, and in online stores they have a format very similar to this: Home > Main category > Subcategory > Current page . Other separators such as arrows, slashes or double arrows are also common.
In this case, in addition, each of the breadcrumb elements is a clickable link that allows you to go back to previous levels of the hierarchy, or even return directly to the site 's home page .
The main function of breadcrumbs is to help users and search engine bots understand the structure of a web page and at what level each URL is located within it, thus facilitating usability and crawling, respectively.
Types of breadcrumb navigation
Nowadays, there are several types of breadcrumbs . Among the most common are:
Location-based or hierarchy-based breadcrumbs : This is the most common breadcrumb navigation option. It shows the structure of a site from the current page to the home page or the main category page . This type is useful for complex sites, with an organizational scheme that is more than two or three levels deep.
Attribute-based breadcrumbs : These are often used for online stores with a wide range of products where users can refine their searches by selecting or removing filters or attributes . This type of breadcrumb navigation allows users to easily adjust their preferences while exploring the site's content.
History-based or path-based breadcrumbs : This is the least used type of breadcrumb navigation . Instead of a hierarchical structure or selected filters, the sequence of pages that a user has visited on a website during their current session is displayed.
The choice of the type of breadcrumb navigation to implement in an online store will depend on the structure and specific needs of the website . It is important that you choose the most suitable one for it.
SEO advantages of using breadcrumbs
The truth is that breadcrumbs are elements that, when well implemented on a page, can provide many advantages to the SEO positioning of an e-commerce.
To name a few of the most important ones:
They improve the user experience by helping the user understand the website structure and navigate effectively. This can influence a lower bounce rate and higher visitor retention.
They strengthen the internal linking between the pages that make up the website , which helps search engines find them, index them and understand the contextual relationship between them.
They increase visibility in search results and, consequently, the click-through rate (CTR) .
They facilitate navigation through mobile devices.
They reduce the number of clicks needed to reach a specific page.
How to improve the SEO of an online store with breadcrumbs
Below, we want to give you some guidelines that can help you optimize the SEO of your e-commerce using breadcrumbs:
Make sure your website structure is logical and hierarchical . It has well-defined categories and subcategories.
Implement consistent breadcrumbs throughout your site . This means that category names in breadcrumbs should match the URLs and actual structure of your site .
Optimize link texts to be descriptive and relevant. Use keywords related to products or categories instead of generic terms.
Add breadcrumbs to product pages as well. Don't just include them on category pages.
Check that breadcrumbs are navigable , meaning they are active links that users can use to return to previous levels in the hierarchy.
Limit the number of levels in breadcrumbs to keep them simple and useful.
Conduct usability testing to identify any issues with your breadcrumb implementation.
Use tracking and analytics tools to help you evaluate how users interact with breadcrumbs and how they affect your site’s SEO. Make adjustments as needed.
And now that you have an idea of the basic concepts, why not go further? Apart from the Communication and Marketing courses we mentioned earlier, opt for quality professional training at the European University, also, with the Master in Digital Marketing , the Master in Digital Marketing and Big Data in Valencia and the E-commerce Course in the Canary Islands . Don't miss this opportunity to become a true digital marketing expert.