Implementing breadcrumb navigation for improved eCommerce website SEO

Effective navigation is one of the key factors in building a successful online store. It not only helps users find what they are looking for easily, but it also plays a crucial role in search engine optimization (SEO). One important navigation element that can greatly improve your eCommerce website's SEO is breadcrumb navigation. In this article, we will explore what breadcrumb navigation is, why it is important for eCommerce websites, and how to implement it effectively.

What is Breadcrumb Navigation?

Breadcrumb navigation is a type of secondary navigation that helps users understand their current location within a website's hierarchy. It typically appears at the top of a webpage and displays the path the user has taken to arrive at the current page. Breadcrumb navigation is named after the trail of breadcrumbs left by Hansel and Gretel in the popular fairy tale, as it provides a visual representation of the user's journey through the website.

Why is Breadcrumb Navigation Important for eCommerce Websites?

1. Improved User Experience: Breadcrumb navigation improves the user experience by providing clear and intuitive navigation options. It allows users to easily navigate back to previous pages or higher-level categories, reducing the number of clicks required to reach their desired destination. This can be particularly helpful for eCommerce websites with a large number of products and categories.

2. Enhanced SEO: Breadcrumb navigation can have a positive impact on your eCommerce website's SEO. It provides search engines with additional contextual information about the page's location within the website's hierarchy. This can help search engines better understand the structure and organization of your website, leading to improved crawlability and indexability.

3. Increased Click-Through Rates: Breadcrumb navigation can also improve click-through rates (CTRs) from search engine results pages (SERPs). When search engines display search results, they often include the breadcrumb trail below the page title. This additional information can make your listing more enticing and relevant to users, increasing the likelihood of them clicking on your website.

4. Better Internal Linking: Breadcrumb navigation provides an opportunity for better internal linking within your eCommerce website. Each breadcrumb link represents a clickable internal link, allowing users and search engines to easily navigate between related pages. This can help distribute link authority throughout your website and improve the overall internal linking structure.

How to Implement Breadcrumb Navigation

Implementing breadcrumb navigation on your eCommerce website involves the following steps:

Step 1: Choose the Right Breadcrumb Style

There are several different styles of breadcrumb navigation, including:

• Location-based Breadcrumbs: These breadcrumbs show the user's position in the website's hierarchy, typically starting with the homepage and ending with the current page.
• Attribute-based Breadcrumbs: These breadcrumbs show the attributes or filters applied by the user to reach the current page. This style is commonly used in eCommerce websites with complex filtering systems.
• History-based Breadcrumbs: These breadcrumbs show the user's recently visited pages, allowing them to easily navigate back to previous pages.

Choose the breadcrumb style that best suits your eCommerce website's structure and user experience goals.

Step 2: Implement Breadcrumb Markup

To implement breadcrumb navigation, you need to add the necessary HTML markup to your website's code. The most common way to implement breadcrumbs is by using ordered lists (<ol>) or unordered lists (<ul>) with list items (<li>) for each breadcrumb segment. Here's an example:

		
			<div class="breadcrumb">
				<ul>
					<li><a href="homepage.html">Home</a></li>
					<li><a href="category.html">Category</a></li>
					<li>Product</li>
				</ul>
			</div>
		
	

Replace the <a href="homepage.html">Home</a> and <a href="category.html">Category</a> with the appropriate links to your homepage and category pages, respectively. Make sure to update the text within the <li> tags to reflect the current page.

Step 3: Customize Breadcrumb Style and Appearance

You can customize the style and appearance of your breadcrumb navigation to match your eCommerce website's design. Use CSS to modify the font, color, spacing, and other visual aspects of the breadcrumbs. You can also use CSS frameworks or pre-built breadcrumb navigation plugins to save time and achieve a professional look.

Step 4: Test and Validate

After implementing breadcrumb navigation, thoroughly test and validate it to ensure it functions correctly across different devices and browsers. Test the navigation's functionality, responsiveness, and visual appearance. Validate the HTML markup to ensure it adheres to web standards.

Conclusion

Breadcrumb navigation is a valuable addition to any eCommerce website. It improves the user experience, enhances SEO, increases click-through rates, and facilitates better internal linking. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can effectively implement breadcrumb navigation and reap the benefits it offers. Consider integrating breadcrumb navigation into your eCommerce website to improve its SEO and overall usability.