Table of Contents
What is a breadcrumb navigation?
Breadcrumb navigation shows the path that users have taken from your homepage to whichever page they’re on. You will normally see it on your page as a stream of links that are formed horizontally.
What is a sidebar navigation?
Sidebar navigation appears on the left or right-hand side of a website. It’s similar to the menu at the top of a page, but the main difference is that it’s vertical. Some websites have the menu visible at all times, but others hide it and let users make it visible.
The whole point of sidebar navigation is so that users can jump to different pages or sections. Some website themes and templates have built-in sidebar navigation widgets, but you might have to install plugins in other cases.
What is the difference between breadcrumb navigation and a sitemap?
Breadcrumb navigation shows how users reached their most recent page. Sitemaps, on the other hand, appear more in the backend (you need to submit a sitemap to rank on Google as well).
Sitemaps are an overview of the pages on your website. In a website sitemap, you’ll have your pages, blog posts, and – in many cases – image URLs.
What are the different types of breadcrumbs?
There are three main types of breadcrumbs:
- Location-based
- Attribute-based
- Path-based
You have probably seen location-based breadcrumbs on websites you’ve visited. On a blog, for example, it might look something like this:
Home / Travel / Destinations / Europe / Italy / Rome
Meanwhile, you might see attribute breadcrumbs after selecting specific filters. For example, if you’re shopping for a new shirt, it might look something like:
M / Yellow / Casual / Long-Sleeve
Path-based breadcrumbs show the entire journey that users took to reach their current page, but they’re often more confusing than location-based. Whereas location-based breadcrumbs only show the path taken to click through to the specific page, path-based show the entire journey.
Using the example above, path-based breadcrumbs might look something like this:
Home / Travel / Lifestyle / Travel / Destinations / Europe / USA / New York City / Asia / Japan / Tokyo
In most cases, you should focus on location-based breadcrumbs rather than path-based ones.
How do breadcrumbs help in improving SEO?
Search engines use breadcrumbs to understand how a website’s pages are laid out, and internal links are also considered. Breadcrumbs may also impact conversions and the overall user experience (UX).
Breadcrumbs improve SEO by providing search engines with clear information about a website’s structure and content hierarchy. They also create internal links, which can boost the visibility of individual pages in search results.
Are breadcrumbs good for accessibility?
Tools used by people with disabilities, such as screen readers and other assistive tools can use breadcrumbs for site navigation. Users can also navigate to previous pages via breadcrumbs, if necessary.
When should you use breadcrumbs?
You should use breadcrumbs on websites with multiple pages and content types, such as eCommerce sites with blog sections. If a site is less focused on one niche, breadcrumbs should also be considered.
Types of websites that use breadcrumbs include:
- News websites
- Blogs
- Online magazines and publications
- Websites with 100+ pages
It’s less common for smaller sites, like portfolio websites, to use breadcrumbs.
What factors should I consider when choosing website navigation?
Consider site structure when choosing website navigation, and assess your target audience’s behavior to find pages to highlight. You must also think about cross-device responsiveness.
- Structure: Navigation should fit the site you use. For example, you might sometimes not need to use sidebars and headers alone could make more sense.
- Main Pages: Think about the pages you want to drive traffic to, such as specific blog posts and contact forms.
- Audience: Analyze your audience’s behavior when navigating your site and split test on-page layouts.
- Responsiveness: Optimize your site for desktop and mobile. Test pages for loading time and layout.
Conclusion
Consider different website navigation factors when designing your website. Use breadcrumbs on sites with more pages, and think about dropdown menus where you have different subcategories.
Think about the types of content that you want your users to navigate to, and how they’ll get there. Since your site and goals differ from everyone else’s, you will have to try different things and see how your audience interacts.
