What is a breadcrumb?

A breadcrumb (also called breadcrumb navigation or breadcrumb navigation) is a secondary navigation that helps the user on a website to recognize and track their position within the page structure. The term breadcrumb is derived from the English word for breadcrumbs and refers to the trail that Hansel and Gretel left in the fairy tale to find their way back.

Breadcrumbs are typically displayed horizontally at the top of a web page and show a hierarchical arrangement of web pages. Typically, breadcrumb navigation starts with the home page and then continues through the successive levels that the user is on.

How breadcrumbs work

Breadcrumbs offer various functions that improve the usability of a website. Here are some examples:

• They help the user understand the structure of a website and enable easier navigation.
• They allow users to return to higher levels of the website without having to click the Back button in the browser.
• They give website visitors quick access to other parts of the website when they are at a deeper level.

SEO benefits of breadcrumbs

Using breadcrumbs can also provide search engine optimization (SEO) benefits for a website:

• Search engines can use breadcrumb navigation to better understand the structure of a web page, which can have a positive impact on indexing and ranking.
• In many cases, Google displays breadcrumbs in search results, which helps increase click-through rate (CTR) and user experience.
• Breadcrumbs can help increase the number of internal links on a website, ensuring better distribution of link juice and ranking potential.

Integration of breadcrumbs in WordPress

To integrate breadcrumbs into a WordPress website, there are several ways, such as using plugins (e.g. Yoast SEO, Breadcrumb NavXT) or integrating breadcrumb navigation into the theme using code snippets. In both cases, the website should follow current web standards and SEO best practices.