Breadcrumbs and product pages?

[andreicomoti]

Hello,

I have a question regarding breadcrumbs and how product pages can be integrated SEO and design-friendly into this area of the website.

Some products have large names and can occupy a big space on the page. This, plus the fact that the breadcrumbs area is right above the product name (H1) and it is filling up the page with a large amount of text.

I am afraid that if I remove the product names from the breadcrumbs it will affect my SEO (there will be 1 keyword mention less on each and every product page). This may not affect all the product pages from a SEO point of view, but it can have some impact on pages with high competitiveness.

I would like to hear some opinions on this and how other people manage this area. I see that some ecommerce website open each page within the breadcrumb in a new tab. Is that a good practice, considering the fact that we are talking about internal pages?

Thanks in advance

[JesterMagic]

I always thought the item shouldn't be in the breadcrumbs. The breadcrumb should be the categories. Still I have seen it both ways so I don't think there is a concrete rule about it.

You could do your changes and add some structured data for breadcumbs using JSON which could include the item name.

[Wilburforce]

I would be inclined to use some comprehensible shortened name in the breadcrumb menu. A menu of any kind is an access tool, not a promotional tool. If a menu has promotional benefits that should be as a bi-product of its primary function, not something that obstructs it

That aside, on-page keywords have nothing like the SEO value they had 20 years ago, although in a breadcrumb menu they are also anchor-text (which has more weight). However, internal site anchor-text is of fairly low value anyway, so as far as menus go I would be more concerned about the site's accessibility and appearance than with adding to the keyword-count.

As well as JesterMagic's suggestion, another workaround might be to show the full name as a pop-up on hover, which will allow both users and SEs to see the unabridged version, but keep the menu smaller.

If your site is responsive - as it should be! - you also need to think about font-sizes and link and line-spacing, as the size and spacing of a breadcrumb-menu that is good for desktop isn't usually good for hand-held as well.

[tangor]

SEO menus are "gone" ... no longer have any real value for "seo".

Make your breadcrumbs sensible, keep the USER in mind at ALL TIMES, and don't sweat the really infinitesimal SMALL STUFF like a "keyword everywhere you can put it!" mantra.

Indexing robots don't care a fig about "breadcrumbs" ... they are all about "content". HOWEVER breadcrumbs CAN be a visual aid to a HUMAN VISITOR---and suggest OTHER NAVIGATION possible while on site. THAT is the part you want to emphasize... and benefit from! (And CATEGORIES/HIERARCHY makes the most sense in that regard).

YMMV

[Mark_A]

I love breadcrumbs and always used to add them on my sites.

home / products / widgets / green widgets / greenwidget102

My belief is it helps SEO because of all the in site pointers bread crumbs contain.
Equally as important though is the assistance it gives users finding their way around the site!