What is Breadcrumb Navigation?
Imagine yourself in a forest without a map. Wouldn't you fear getting lost? But suppose you have a few tangible items on you, and you decide to use them to mark your location. Those marks are called breadcrumbs. This term actually came from a Hansel and Gretel Fairy tale in which they used actual breadcrumbs to mark their path. Today, websites with large data and complex hierarchies also use breadcrumbs in a similar fashion to make navigation within a site easier for the users.
Breadcrumbs are mostly beneficial to use for sites with complex hierarchies only. For example, e-commerce sites, blogs, or online directories. Since they have a lot of content, it might be a little inconvenient for the users to find their location within it. However, they might not be as useful for a single level website.
They are only used as a secondary navigation tool and are displayed as a horizontal trail of links. Breadcrumbs are typically separated by symbols like “>” or “/. They serve as a visual aid to the users which helps them in exploring more content in an organised way.
Why Should We Implement Breadcrumb Navigation?
For both users and businesses, breadcrumb navigation offers many benefits:
- Enhanced User Experience
With the help of breadcrumb navigation, users can easily navigate a site. It helps them know what route they took to reach a specific page. Once they know their location, they can easily explore more content in an organised way. This makes browsing less confusing for them. - Reduces Bounce Rates
With the help of breadcrumbs, users easily navigate a site and take interest in exploring more of its content. They can do so without getting confused and feeling lost within a site. This significantly reduces the bounce rate of a website. - Improves SEO
To understand a website's layout, search engines like Google use breadcrumb navigation. They are links that show a page's location within the website. They appear in search results which makes the site more visible which increases the chances of clicks. And since they also connect pages within the site, search engines get help in indexing and ranking the content more effectively. - Faster Navigation
With the help of breadcrumbs, users can easily jump to any level of the site hierarchy without wasting their time. They don't have to navigate through multiple menus or pages to reach their desired destination on the site. It makes navigation easier and faster for them. - Mobile Friendliness
Since mobile devices have limited screen space, users prefer not to rely on difficult menus. In this case, breadcrumbs provide an efficient way to them to make navigation easier.
Challenges in Using Breadcrumb Navigation
Breadcrumb navigation has many advantages, but it also comes with challenges:
- Not Suitable for All Websites
While breadcrumbs are extremely beneficial for websites with deep or multi-level hierarchies, they provide little to no added value for single-level or simple websites. - Interface Clutter
If breadcrumbs are poorly designed, they can clutter the page. Especially on a mobile device where screens are small. Apart from this, overly complex breadcrumb trails can only confuse the users rather than helping them. - Misleading Hierarchies
With the help of breadcrumbs, users can easily track their location on a website. They show how the website is organised. So if they are not placed correctly, they can misguide the users which can be frustrating. - Underutilization
In some cases users overlook breadcrumbs simply because they are not familiar with their function. Others may overlook them if they are not displayed prominently.
Best Practices for Breadcrumb Navigation
Following are the best practices to make breadcrumb navigation effective and user-friendly:
- Supplement Primary Navigation
They should not be used as a substitute to replace the main navigating menu of the site. Instead, their placement should be such that they should serve as a complementary navigation tool. It should only provide additional context and navigation options to the users. - Consistent Placement
Breadcrumbs should be placed at the top of the page, just below the primary navigation or header. This makes them easily visible and accessible without distracting users from the primary content. - Clear Separators
To make the hierarchy of a site clear and easy to read, using universally recognised separators like “>” or “/” can help in easily distinguishing the levels in the breadcrumb trail. - Accurate Representation of Site Structure
They should accurately reflect the structure of a website. Their links should be placed in such a way that users should be able to get an idea of the whole website’s structure at a glance. For example, on an e-commerce site, the breadcrumb links might follow this pattern: Home > Category > Subcategory > Product Page. - Simplicity and Readability
They should be simple to read and easy to track. Their links should be placed concisely on a website. This can be done by using simple and brief meaningful link labels which help in understanding their trail. - Responsive Design
There are multiple gadgets with various screen sizes. This should be kept in mind while designing breadcrumbs. It's important to make them easy to read on smaller devices, such as mobile phones, as well. For space efficiency on smaller screens, you can use drop-down menus. - Highlight the Current Page
Highlight the current page by making the last element in breadcrumb trail bold and visually different. This can help a user locate their current location on a site. For example:
Home > Blog > How to Use Breadcrumbs (current page) - Test Usability
Keep testing the breadcrumb navigation with real users on a regular basis to check their efficiency. Make sure they meet the needs of users. Only this way improvements can be made.
How to Implement Breadcrumb Navigation
- Evaluate the Site’s Structure
First know the content hierarchy of your website. Breadcrumbs add no added value to a single-level website. They are most effective for websites with multi-level structures, such as categories, subcategories, and pages. - Select a Type of Breadcrumb
- Location-Based Breadcrumbs: They reflect the position of a user in the site hierarchy. Example: Home > Category > Subcategory > Page.
- Path-Based Breadcrumbs: This shows the route through which a user reaches on the current page. Example: Home > Previous Page > Current Page.
- Attribute-Based Breadcrumbs: This is used in e-commerce, where products attributes are given. Example: Home > Electronics > Phones > Brand > Model.
- Design and Implement
To create breadcrumbs, you should use basic HTML and CSS, or use plugins in tools like WordPress to set them up automatically. - Integrate with SEO
To make your site more visible and appear in search engines, add schema markup to your breadcrumbs. This makes search engines like Google understand the breadcrumbs better and display them. This can encourage people to click on your link. - Monitor and Refine
Keep using analytics tools to track how users are interacting with breadcrumbs. Then based on their behaviour, keep adjusting the design, placement, or functionality of breadcrumbs.
Examples of Effective Breadcrumb Navigation
- AmazonSince Amazon has a vast catalog, it uses location-based breadcrumbs to help its users navigate the site effectively. For example:
Home > Electronics > Cameras > DSLR Cameras. - ZapposZappos combined attribute-based breadcrumbs with location-based navigation. This helps its users filter products by attributes such as color, size, and brand.
Example: Home > Women > Shoes > Sandals > Size 8. - WikipediaWikipedia has a lot of content,so its breadcrumb navigation shows how it's organized. It helps make the current article's category easy to find.
Example: Home > Science > Physics > Quantum Mechanics.
