Guide To Add Breadcrumbs in WordPress

By | May 19, 2016

Tutorial To Add Breadcrumbs in WordPress for Navigation

Here’s a Complete Step – By – Step Tutorial To Add Breadcrumbs in WordPress based Websites or Blogs. If you want to showcase a Secondary Navigational Panel in your WordPress Website or Blog, you need to install Breadcrumbs in WordPress for Pages using Editor Tools in WordPress. Here, we have explained How To Enable Yoast Breadcrumbs in your WordPress Blog. Yoast SEO is a popular plugin for SEO.

Complete Guide To Add Breadcrumbs in WordPress Website or Blog

This guide includes a minor PHP code implementation that would display Breadcrumbs in your WordPress webpage. This advanced tutorial explains How To Add Breadcrumbs in WordPress without Plugin installation. We have written Breadcrumbs WordPress Code and a Breadcrumb Function in WordPress which can be copied into most of the WordPress webpages that will enable breadcrumbs in your website.

There are many WordPress Breadcrumb Plugins available for adding Breadcrumbs in WordPress. However, it would take up some Server Space in your Website and would also have some Plugin Overheads. This would thereby increase the website loading time.

This tutorial will explain you how to add Breadcrumbs WordPress Code directly in your PHP Editor Tool which will not include the plugin overheads and considerably reduce the site loading time making your website faster for the End User.

All About Breadcrumbs!

A Breadcrumb is a part of Secondary Navigational Scheme in a Website. The First Priority for Navigation in a website is the Menu Bar which is located at the top – most part. The Breadcrumbs enables the users to find a way around in large websites which can help to decrease the Bounce Rate and increase User Interactivity.

Breadcrumbs helps the visitors to know what page or which location in a webpage they are on. It enhances the process of Searching within a website. Breadcrumbs are also good for Search Engine Optimization and helps in increasing Search Rankings. Here, we have PHP Breadcrumbs implementation.

WordPress Breadcrumbs Example

Install and Add Breadcrumbs in WordPress Website or Blog

The WordPress Breadcrumbs are of the following types:

  • Location Based Breadcrumbs
  • Attribute Based Breadcrumbs
  • Path Based Breadcrumbs

To Add Breadcrumbs in WordPress without Plugin installation, you should have the Yoast SEO Plugin installed within a Web Page. The Yoast SEO Plugin has an in – built mechanism to generate Breadcrumbs in WordPress pages.

Step – By – Step Guide For Implementing Breadcrumbs:

  • Click or Hover Yoast SEO Plugin Tab
  • Click on Advanced Tab Option
  • Click “Enabled” in Breadcrumbs Section Tab

After you have clicked on Enable button in Yoast SEO Breadcrumb section, you can copy the following Breadcrumbs WordPress Code and paste it into your Website.

WordPress PHP Breadcrumbs Activation Code

This is a general WordPress Breadcrumbs Code, also known as Breadcrumbs WordPress Shortcodes which can be manipulated to display different types of breadcrumbs in WordPress.

To Activate Breadcrumbs in WordPress, you will have to paste the above Breadcrumbs Code in the WordPress Theme. It is totally upon you to set the position of the breadcrumbs in WordPress. However, you can set it accordingly.

 
  • Hover or Select Appearance
  • Select Editor Tab

Note: Before executing the further steps, ensure that you have created Backups of your WordPress Websites / Blogs.

You can copy the above WordPress breadcrumbs code and paste it in the following PHP Webpages:

  • Post Implementation – single.php :The single.php webpage include functions associated with a Single Post in your WordPress website. There is a difference between page.php and single.php. The Breadcrumbs installation on single.php will ensure you that your WordPress Breadcrumbs appear on every post in your Website. Open the single.php file. Find the line: <?php get_header(); ?>. Paste the Breadcrumbs Code in WordPress Theme directly after this line.         

 

  • Page Implementation – page.php :This Breadcrumb PHP Code implementation will ensure that breadcrumbs are visible on every Page in your WordPress website. Open the page.php file. Find the line: <?php get_header(); ?>. Paste the Breadcrumbs Code directly after this line. Remember, Page and Post are different things altogether.

 

  • Header Implementation – header.php :The Website Breadcrumbs are a Secondary Navigation Option. The Header File is a place just near the Primary Navigation Option which is the Menu Navigation Bar. You can install breadcrumbs in WordPress around the Menu bar. Open the header.php file. Paste the above Breadcrumb Code in the Header file where you want to display the code.

 

If you don’t want PHP implementation, then you can display breadcrumbs by installing plugins in your website. There are lots of plugins available for free in WordPress. However, the problems with is that they have a certain Overheads with them which tend to make your Website Slower to Load. Therefore, we recommend to do the PHP Code Implementation. You can check the following plugins:

 
  • Breadcrumb NavXT
  • Yoast Breadcrumbs
  • Breadcrumb Trail

Breadcrumb NavXT

Previously known as Breadcrumb Navigation XT, this plugin is one of the most easiest to Configure to Add Breadcrumbs in WordPress based Website or Blog. This Plugin generates Location – Based Breadcrumb Trails and is very customizable. Breadcrumb NavXT is BB – Press compatible and also offers a WordPress Widget by default. This Breadcrumb Plugin is compatible upto WordPress version 4. 5. 2. It currently has 50,000+ active installs.

Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO Plugin is one of the most popular plugin for all the WordPress Users. This Plugin has numerous features and functionalities for installing breadcrumbs in your website or blog. It provides you a default breadcrumbs feature with the Yoast SEO Plugin. You just have to enable it in the settings. The Yoast SEO Breadcrumb Plugin provides an easy Breadcrumb feature that is good for both Search Engines as well as Users. It also helps the Search Engines to crawl the Website efficiently.

Breadcrumb Trail

This plugin offers a robust and powerful script that adds breadcrumbs to your WordPress Blogs. However, it is mandatory for your website to support Schema.org HTML 5 – Valid Microdata. It offers the most accurate and advanced system for WordPress Breadcrumbs. This Plugin automatically detects your Permalinks structure and generates breadcrumbs based on that structure. Breadcrumb Trail plugin requires WordPress version 4.5.2 or higher and currently has 10,000+ active installations.

We hope that our article on How To Install Breadcrumbs in WordPress without Plugin helped you to successfully install breadcrumbs in your Website. Let us know if you have any Errors in the comment section.

2 thoughts on “Guide To Add Breadcrumbs in WordPress

  1. Pankaj Dhende

    Such an informative explanation. I have just one doubt about it. What would you recommend – Should I Add Breadcrumbs in my WordPress Blog with Plugins or without Plugins? Adding Breadcrumbs using Plugins seems to be very easy and you have recommended it using PHP Codes which i feel is a little difficult than plugin installation.

    Reply
    1. Tushar Soni Post author

      Thanks! Well, I feel that it would be still better to get the Breadcrumbs in WordPress through PHP Implementation as it helps you interact with a little PHP Coding. You need not depend on any plugin. However, if you want to Install Breadcrumbs in WordPress using Plugins, we have listed Three Best Breadcrumbs Plugins above. Also, the Plugins take in some extra memory in your web server. As long as you don’t have any issues with that, you can Install Breadcrumbs Plugins for your WordPress Blog.

      Reply

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