Enhance the navigation experience on your Shopify store with the addition of Shopify breadcrumbs. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the significance of Shopify breadcrumbs and walk you through the step-by-step process of seamlessly integrating them into your online store. Join us on this journey to optimize user experience and enhance your Shopify store’s online presence with the power of Shopify breadcrumbs.
Table of contents
What exactly are Shopify breadcrumbs?
Acts as a guide for navigating to higher-level pages within a hierarchical structure. It minimizes the steps a visitor must take to navigate to a higher-level page, providing a visual guide to their current location on the website.
It’s important to note that you can create your breadcrumbs based on the menu structure. You can seamlessly incorporate them into your store using Liquid code or opt for third-party apps
Types of Shopify Breadcrumbs
Hierarchy-Based Breadcrumb Navigation
Commonly referred to as “location-based breadcrumb navigation” or “breadcrumbs based on menu structure.” It conforms to your website’s design hierarchy, aiding visitors in anticipating and effortlessly exploring related content.
Path-Based Breadcrumb Navigation
Similar to the browser’s back button, path-based breadcrumbs follow the user’s unique journey to the current page. While not showing the full path, they help users swiftly return to search results, especially useful for e-commerce platforms.
Path-based breadcrumbs find utility in interactive sites like online forms, enabling users to backtrack to the previous step while retaining inputted data. This allows users to modify information if needed.
Attribute-Based Navigation
Attribute-based breadcrumbs present meta-information about a page or topic in a breadcrumb format. This proves useful when an item belongs to multiple categories simultaneously, making hierarchy representation challenging. E-commerce platforms often employ attribute-based breadcrumbs to enhance product search results.
Why do Breadcrumbs matter for SEO?
Breadcrumbs are an essential navigational element, providing extensive internal links to prioritize pages on your website. Operating on a hierarchical linking structure, they connect to categories or collections, which are high-opportunity pages for SEO. This effective strategy supports internal linking, contributing to the improved ranking of your collections.
How Breadcrumbs Should be Structured in E-commerce
There are two ways to structure them:
1. Avoid utilizing history-based breadcrumbs (not recommended)
Dynamic history-based breadcrumbs adjust based on your navigation path, either through URL information or history links. However, a static and clear structure is preferred for SEO to showcase the page’s position within the overall site hierarchy.
2. Opt for a hierarchical breadcrumb structure (recommended)
For Shopify and eCommerce sites, a hierarchical breadcrumb structure is optimal. It illustrates a fixed hierarchy within the overall site structure, offering both SEO advantages through additional internal links and an enhanced user experience. For instance:
Home > Sofas > Leather Sofas > Product Name
This structured format provides clear navigation and SEO benefits.
How to Implement Breadcrumbs in Your Shopify Store Using Code
To integrate breadcrumbs into your Shopify store, ensure you have essential pages like Homepage, Product Page, and Landing Page. Follow these steps for setting up Shopify Breadcrumbs:
Step 1: Access Shopify Admin
- Navigate to Online Store > Themes.
Step 2: Choose and Edit Theme
- Select the theme requiring adjustments.
- Click Actions and choose Edit code.
Step 3: Create Breadcrumbs Snippet
Navigate to the Snippets folder and select Add a new Snippet
- Name the snippet “Breadcrumbs” and click Done.
Step 4: Add Liquid Code
- Make use of the provided code and write it into the editor for the breadcrumbs.liquid snippet.
Step 5: Display Breadcrumbs
- Open theme.liquid in the code editor.
- Paste the given code wherever you want breadcrumbs to appear.
{% include ‘breadcrumbs’ %}
Step 6: Save Changes
- Apply all modifications to theme.liquid.
These steps confirm and apply your changes for displaying breadcrumbs on your Shopify store.
Integrate Shopify Breadcrumbs Easily Without Code
Adding Shopify Breadcrumbs is a breeze with EComposer, allowing you to create various page types like landing pages, homepages, product pages, and more. Plus, customization is at your fingertips without any coding. Just drag and drop elements into place following these steps:
Step 1: Add EComposer – Shopify Page Builder
Locate EComposer Landing Page Builder in the Shopify App Store and click Add App
Step 2: Open EComposer
Navigate to Apps in the Dashboard menu and click EComposer Landing Page Builder.
Step 3: Begin Building Shopify Breadcrumb
Click Start Building in the dashboard’s right corner and choose the page type (Product Page, Blog Page, Homepage, etc.) where you want to place Shopify Breadcrumbs.
Choose a template or craft your own by selecting Set Up Page Info. Then, choose Start Building.
In EComposer’s editor, go to Elements, select Basic, and locate Breadcrumbs.
Step 4: Customize Shopify Breadcrumb
Use the live drag-and-drop feature to position the Breadcrumb on the edit page.
Customize the Breadcrumb name, icon, color, link, size, and code-related aspects in the content, design, and advanced sections.
Step 5: Save and Publish
Once satisfied, find options in the right corner of the edit page to save and publish your changes.
Best Shopify Breadcrumbs Apps
1. EZ Breadcrumb
Rating:⭐
Pricing: A free plan is available
EZ Breadcrumb is a user-friendly app designed to effortlessly integrate a customizable, SEO-friendly breadcrumb into your website pages.
Key Features
- Simple Usage: The app offers straightforward implementation for easy navigation.
- SEO Optimization: Enhances your SEO strategy with a search engine-friendly breadcrumb structure.
- Improved Readability: Elevates the overall readability of your website with a clear navigation path.
2. Category Breadcrumbs
Rating:⭐ 4.7
Pricing: $5/per month
Category Breadcrumbs simplifies the process of displaying a comprehensive breadcrumb trail for your customers. As they explore your category tree, the breadcrumb trail expands, providing them with a convenient pathway back.
Key Features
- User-Friendly Navigation: Category Breadcrumbs streamlines the navigation process for users, allowing them to trace their path through your category tree easily.
- Expanded Breadcrumb Trail: As customers navigate down the category tree, the breadcrumb trail dynamically expands, offering a complete and clear route back.
- Customizable Design: Tailor the appearance of your breadcrumbs with customization options, ensuring they align seamlessly with your website’s aesthetics.
3. Schema & Breadcrumbs
Rating:⭐ 4.6
Pricing: $4.99/per month
Elevate your Shopify store’s user experience and SEO performance effortlessly with Schema & Breadcrumbs. This easy-to-use application ensures the smooth integration of breadcrumb navigation and crucial schema code, boosting your site’s visibility on search engines.
Key Features
- Automated Breadcrumb Navigation: Schema & Breadcrumbs seamlessly integrates breadcrumb navigation into your Shopify store with a simple one-click setup.
- Schema Code Inclusion: The app automatically incorporates schema code, enhancing your website’s search engine visibility and providing structured data.
- Clean Uninstallation: Uninstall with confidence; Schema & Breadcrumbs ensures no messy code is left behind, preserving the integrity of your website.
Boost Your Shopify Store Traffic with These 5 Breadcrumbs Tips
1. Implement Breadcrumb Navigation for Multi-Layered Sub-Pages
Utilize breadcrumbs if your website has numerous sub-pages to enhance navigation. This helps avoid confusion and assists users in navigating through your site effortlessly
2. Maintain Conciseness in Breadcrumb Length
Keep your breadcrumbs concise and visible. Avoid overwhelming users with large fonts and excessive content. Maintain simplicity and consistency with the title and content of your website
3. Align Breadcrumb Titles with Page Titles
Ensure that the titles of your breadcrumbs closely align with those of your pages, especially if they feature SEO keywords. This alignment helps users understand the content of the pointed page without confusion.
4. Choose the Appropriate Breadcrumb Type
Consider the purpose of using breadcrumbs on your site. Whether indicating site structure, category affiliation, or enabling users to return to previous pages, choose from Hierarchy-Based, Attribute-Based, or Path-Based Breadcrumb Navigation.
5. Infuse Creativity into Breadcrumbs Design
Explore creative alternatives to traditional breadcrumbs. Instead of the standard Home > About us > History format, consider using different symbols like “/”, with grey text and a plain black design for a more imaginative web layout.
Recommend read: Top 9 Shopify Development Agencies in New Jersey
Saufter: AI-Powered Customer Engagement and Insights
Saufter.io delivers cutting-edge tools to transform customer support and engagement. It integrates AI-driven solutions to streamline processes, optimize performance, and boost customer satisfaction.
Key Features:
- Automated Campaigns: Creates and deploys marketing campaigns tailored to user behavior for maximum impact.
- Weekly Campaign Suggestions: Provides fresh, actionable marketing ideas every week to enhance business strategies.
- Customer Issue Detection and Engagement: Detects and addresses customer concerns in real time, ensuring timely interventions.
- Advanced Analytics and Real-Time Reporting: Offers detailed analytics and instant alerts for well-informed decision-making.
- AI Customer Journey Tracking: Captures and analyzes every customer interaction, offering comprehensive journey insights.
- SEO Automation: Automatically recommends content ideas and trending keywords to improve search engine rankings.
- Marketing Automation: Streamlines marketing operations, reducing the need for traditional, resource-heavy teams.
Final Words
In conclusion, incorporating Shopify Breadcrumbs into your store not only improves user navigation but also enhances SEO. The step-by-step guide simplifies the integration process, ensuring a seamless user experience and improved organic visibility. Unlock these benefits for a more efficient and satisfying shopping journey.
