What is breadcrumb in WordPress?

A breadcrumb in WordPress is a navigation element that helps users understand their location within a website. It is typically represented by a series of links that show the user the hierarchy of pages they have navigated through to reach the current page.

Here is an example of what a breadcrumb might look like on a WordPress website:

Home > Clothing > Mens > T-Shirts > Red T-Shirt

This breadcrumb shows the user that they are currently on a page for a “Red T-Shirt” product, which is located within the “T-Shirts” category, which is a sub-section of the “Mens” category, which is a part of the “Clothing” section, and ultimately on the website’s homepage.

This breadcrumb is typically represented by a series of links, each link representing the different sections of the website, and the links are separated by a delimiter, like “>” or “/”. Each link in the breadcrumb is clickable and takes the user back to the corresponding section of the website.

It’s important to note that the breadcrumb might look different in different websites, it can be represented by an unordered list, an ordered list, or even a set of spans, but the concept remains the same, which is to show the user where they are on the website and how to navigate back to previous sections.

How breadcrumbs help

Breadcrumbs can be beneficial for both users and search engines. For users, breadcrumbs provide a clear and easy-to-use navigation aid, allowing them to quickly understand where they are on the website and how to return to previous sections. For search engines, breadcrumbs provide a clear hierarchy of information which can help search engines understand the structure and organisation of the website, which could help in ranking the website better.

WordPress has built-in support for breadcrumb navigation, which can be enabled in the theme or by using a plugin, also some themes have built-in options for customising the breadcrumb navigation.

Breadcrumbs and SEO

Breadcrumbs are an important element of a website’s architecture and can be beneficial for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). They can help search engines understand the structure and organization of a website, which can improve the website’s search engine ranking. Breadcrumbs can help search engines understand the relationship between pages on a website, and can provide additional context for the content on a page.

Search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo support breadcrumb navigation and can display them in search results. This can help users understand the context of the webpage and can increase the click-through rate.

There are several WordPress plugins that can help with implementing and customising breadcrumb navigation on a website. Here are a few popular options:

1. Yoast SEO: This plugin not only provides SEO analysis and optimization features but also offers an option to add breadcrumb navigation to your website.
2. Breadcrumb NavXT: This plugin provides an easy way to add breadcrumb navigation to your website and allows you to customise the look and feel of the breadcrumbs.
3. Breadcrumb: this plugin provides a simple way to show the breadcrumb list on your website, it is lightweight and very easy to use.

It’s important to note that using a plugin is not always necessary, as some themes have built-in options for customising the breadcrumb navigation. Keep in mind that using too many plugins can slow down your website, so it’s important to choose the plugin that best suits your needs and use only the necessary ones.