Bread crumbs Design: to the user or to SEO as the center?

When we analyze the usability of a website, bread crumbs are bound to be taken into account. For the user, the crumbs are almost a "transparent" gadget, who will carefully look at the top left of the page navigation links? Yes, no one cares, but no one can get away with it.

Crumbs, that is, in any one page, can clearly know to let visitors understand his specific location of the site GPS positioning System, and breadcrumbs for large sites and hierarchically ranked pages of the site, but also indispensable. On this basis, we would like to introduce some of the core elements of bread crumbs:

The type of bread crumbs

In general, there are three types of breadcrumbs (the author insists on recommending the first type because the following two types can easily cause duplication of content)

1, based on the location of bread crumbs: Display the user in the site's overall structure of the specific location.

2. Path based breadcrumbs: Imagine the path to bringing users to the current page, which is dynamic and based on search results, so this type of breadcrumbs can lead to several ways to reach the page:

The following are the referenced contents: Consulting > Services > Fulfillment > Service A Consulting > Services > Optimization > Service A Consulting > Services > Upgrades > Service A

3, based on the attributes of bread crumbs: List The properties of the current page

Second, the key word optimization of bread crumbs

Many people use breadcrumbs as an additional way to optimize internal links, so they usually design the breadcrumbs as follows:

The following are the referenced contents: Main keywords (link to homepage) > main words + words (directory links)-Main words + words

Example:

The following are the referenced contents: Poster (link to homepage) > Star Poster (catalog link) > Argentine Julie Poster

Sometimes it seems natural to design crumbs like this, but overall the authors are more inclined to minimize SEO-centric design for the following reasons:

1, too focused on the anchor text optimization of the bread crumbs design looks very awkward, will cause the page content is very unnatural.

2. Do not pay much attention to SEO before usability of website. Users usually know that the "home page" means the link to where, but if the hard to change keywords will cause misunderstanding and conjecture, so still use the consistent identification of the bread crumbs design standards.

Third, Crumbs and Google

Since November this year, Google has integrated breadcrumbs into search results, making it more attractive and trustworthy, but not every breadcrumbs can be used by Google, but putting crumbs on top of the page is the better.

4, the best practice of bread crumbs

Crumbs can really help users when they are used. For large, multi-level web sites, breadcrumbs can first help users, followed by Help SEO optimization-This is an additional benefit. Don't use breadcrumbs just for better internal link optimization.

The current page does not link. (The last page of the words do not add link effect)

Do not use breadcrumbs to replace the dominant navigation bar. (bread crumbs in the structure of the site is a horizontal structure, imagine the main navigation is vertical type of display directory and content, without the main navigation will do?) ）

Use breadcrumbs consistently (this allows users to feel more secure while browsing your site and become familiar with the structure of your site faster)

Do not use the title of the page as a crumb (this will cause the title to be too long and not purposeful)