Breadcrumb
A breadcrumb is a navigational aid used in digital marketing to help users understand their location within a website and how to easily return to previous sections.
Description
In digital marketing, breadcrumbs are a secondary navigation system that reveals the user's location in a website or web application. This type of navigation not only enhances the user experience by making it easier to explore and navigate complex websites, but it also helps search engines understand the structure of a website. Breadcrumbs typically appear as horizontal text links, separated by greater-than symbols (>) or slashes (/), showing a hierarchical trail from the homepage to the current page. They can significantly reduce the bounce rate by encouraging users to explore other parts of the site. Breadcrumbs are especially useful in e-commerce websites, blogs, and large content-driven platforms where users might want to backtrack or explore related content without starting from scratch.
Examples
- An e-commerce website like Amazon uses breadcrumbs to show the path from the homepage to a specific product. For example, 'Home > Electronics > Cameras & Photography > Digital Cameras > Canon EOS 5D'. This helps users easily navigate back to broader categories without using the back button.
- A blog like TechCrunch might use breadcrumbs to show the path from the homepage to a specific article. For instance, 'Home > Startups > Article Title'. This allows readers to easily explore more articles within the same category.
Additional Information
- Breadcrumbs improve user experience by reducing the number of actions a visitor needs to take to return to a higher-level page.
- They can also enhance SEO efforts by providing additional context to search engines about the structure and hierarchy of a website.