Breadcrumbs- are an element of site navigation, which represents the way from the homepage to the current page, where the user is located. Breadcrumbs are especially important, because, with the increasing complexity of site structure, the navigation through the site become complicated too.
We can see breadcrumbs mostly on websites such as online stores or blogs. Such websites have a lot of content, which is organized in a hierarchical manner. So, if you get in the online-store, requesting any certain item, you can easily follow the category, where this item is situated, and to browse other variants. There are two overall benefits of using breadcrumbs on your WordPress website: usability and Search Engine Optimization.
USABILITY
Breadcrumbs cope with such tasks as:
- Informing the user about his current website location;
- Clearly demonstrating the structure of resources ;
- Providing an opportunity to move on previous pages without back button clicking.
Also, breadcrumbs use space effectively because it has a simple text structure, which doesn’t contribute to content overload.
SEO:
Breadcrumbs also provide significant SEO-effects:
- The good navigation allows to browse more website sections, that leads to increasing of time and deep of viewing. The higher the values of these parameters, the more resources are valued by search engines.
- The implementation of microdata enhances a snippet in Google’s search. It influences the website attraction and its value of visitors. The breadcrumb link will be shown under the headline of the promoted page.
- Breadcrumbs have an impact on promotion as an internal element of interlinking. Each section in line- it’s a separate hyperlink, which influences on a statical weight of other sections. Using keywords in navigation, you can improve the positions of separate pages by categories requests.
- It’s an important moment that when the permanent users assess the usability of your website, they get back again. This factor also has a positive impact on website promotion.
- Finally, breadcrumbs improve and speed up pages index linking.
HOW TO ADD
There are three methods to add breadcrumbs on your website: you can use customizable themes or special plugins or write a single code. Let’s consider each of these variants:
THEMES
The modern WordPress themes have inbuilt breadcrumbs. This is a list of some of them:
- Edin– business theme;
- Total– a multipurpose theme;
- Catch Fullscreen– another multipurpose theme ;
- Sequential – one more multipurpose business theme.
Everything, that you need to do – is to enable breadcrumbs in your theme settings. You will get a navigation link, which will be formed according to the overall page style.
PLUGINS
Another way to add breadcrumbs on your site is plugins. Using plugins doesn’t save you from the necessity of writing code, but it gives you an opportunity to use only some parts of the code, which display a sequence of pages interlinking.
Yoast SEO is a perfect plugin not only for search engine optimization, but it has also useful tools for breadcrumbs creation. Implementing breadcrumbs by using Yoast SEO allows you to manage their settings and to customize it on your own taste.
One more popular plugin for WordPress blog is Breadcrumb NavXT. It has only one disadvantage – doesn’t have inbuilt style settings. This plugin also provides optimized markup wherever you placed the breadcrumbs. These breadcrumbs trails are highly customizable and it can satisfy the needs of any website developer. You also can use The Breadcrumb NavXT Widget Plugin, which creates a widget for the breadcrumb. So that you can simply insert it into your site without touching your current themes function.
WRITING A CODE
Of course, If you prefer to code your own Breadcrumb solution, you can do it, but this way requires great developer skills, although it gives an opportunity to create your own unique decision. Use single.php file to add the necessary function. For improving its appearance, edit style.css file in part id: id=>>breadcrumbs>>.
BREADCRUMBS TYPES
Breadcrumbs can be formed in 3 types: position, pathway or characteristics:
- Position. Such type indicates each page position in relation to others. In such a way, the user, who finds the specific item in online-store, for example, can browse other variants of similar items, getting to a page one level higher.
- Pathway-based. Breadcrumbs show the pages, where the user has been. So, he can easily return to previous pages, which he has browsed some steps earlier.
- Items grouped by characteristic – is a convenient type of breadcrumbs to organize products of e-commerce site by similar characteristics.
The breadcrumbs division on 3 types doesn’t mean that you can’t mix it at your discretion. But you have to remember, that it must be usable and understandable.
AND FINALLY…
No matter, how you decided to create the navigation link, but there are 3 main rules in breadcrumbs adding, that you have to follow to:
- The navigation line looks the most organic in the upper part of the page. Format it according to the page style, because it doesn’t have to look like a foreign structure, but it has to complement the overall website appearance.
- There should be no breadcrumbs on the main page because it’s a place, where the site structure begins. The next reason is that the circular URLs- is one of the factors, that worsens the site rating.
- The name of the page shouldn’t be clickable, it has to be written as a text.
So, it is obvious, that the modern website needs to be fitted with breadcrumbs trail to make the site navigation more convenient and practical. Choose the variant of its adding, that is the most suitable for you, edit the breadcrumbs appearance on your own taste and enjoy its usability.
