Breadcrumb
A secondary navigation showing the user's location within a website hierarchy.
Definition
Breadcrumbs display the path from the homepage to the current page, typically appearing near the top of the page. Named after the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale, they help users understand their location and navigate to higher-level pages.
Common formats include location-based, attribute-based, and history-based breadcrumbs.
Why It Matters
Breadcrumbs reduce user disorientation and provide escape routes from deep pages. They're essential for complex sites with multiple navigation levels.
They also benefit SEO by helping search engines understand site structure and by appearing in search results.
Examples in Practice
An e-commerce site shows: Home > Electronics > Laptops > Gaming Laptops > Current Product.
A knowledge base uses breadcrumbs: Help Center > Account Management > Password Reset.
A news site implements breadcrumbs showing Section > Category > Article for content discovery.