The use of breadcrumbs is common among websites with a large amount of content and multiple sections. With the help of it, site visitors no longer have to click on a menu to see more options. Instead, the navigation options are already arranged hierarchically. That way, users can quickly understand the structure of your site and enjoy a convenient browsing experience.
If you are familiar with the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale, you’ll remember that the characters used breadcrumbs to create a trail that they can follow once they go back to their home.
A breadcrumb trail in the web world carries the same concept. It allows users to know their location within the site’s hierarchy. Thus, it acts as a visual guide that improves the navigation experience of a user.
There are three types of breadcrumbs, which are based on their path, attribute, and location.
It shows the entire path that a web visitor went through before reaching the current page they view. This type is also called the “history trail”. A visitor can jump from the current page to one of the previous pages quickly.
This one is common in eCommerce pages where products are listed in defined categories. Attribute-based breadcrumbs facilitate filtering search results that are useful for visitors.
This type of navigation is the simplest form among the three. It displays systematically organized categories in a simple structure. A site visitor uses the category pages to navigate the entire site.
Implementing breadcrumbs’ best practices can encourage visitors to stay on your site and continue browsing. But keep in mind that it’s primarily appropriate for websites with a large amount of content.
If you’re still beginning to build up your site’s content, check out this guide to managing website content from Page Kits today.
Paul Bohrer initially worked with Gab Crothers when he put up his first business. After years of trial and error, he knows what works and what doesn’t. As a certified IT Expert, he is always happy to write about what he has learned, to help you create the site you have envisioned. He shares this research on his posts for Page Kits as well.
