Breadcrumbs: Setup & Theme Integration Guide
Add SEO-friendly breadcrumb navigation to your site with automatic BreadcrumbList schema markup. This guide covers setup, theme integration, customization, and troubleshooting.
Breadcrumbs are available on the Free tier and above — no license required.
What Are Breadcrumbs?
Breadcrumbs are a navigation trail showing the user's location within your site hierarchy:
Home > Blog > SEO Tips > How to Optimize ImagesSEO benefits:
- Google displays breadcrumbs in search results instead of raw URLs
- Improves site structure understanding for crawlers
- BreadcrumbList schema adds structured data for rich results
User benefits:
- Easy navigation back to parent pages
- Shows context of where they are on your site
Setup
Step 1: Enable Breadcrumbs
Open Breadcrumb Settings
Go to SEObolt > Settings > Breadcrumbs.
Toggle Enable Breadcrumbs to ON
This activates breadcrumb output and schema generation.
Configure your preferences
Set separator, home label, and display options (see table below).
Save Settings
Click Save Settings to apply your changes.
| Setting | Default | Options |
|---|---|---|
| Separator | > |
>, /, |, -, >>, →, », or custom text |
| Home Label | "Home" | Any text you want for the home link |
| Show Home Link | ON | Include homepage as the first breadcrumb item |
| Show Current Page | ON | Display the current page title (not linked) |
| Prefix Text | None | Optional text before breadcrumbs (e.g., "You are here:") |
Step 2: Add Breadcrumbs to Your Theme
Breadcrumbs need to be placed in your theme templates. Choose one method:
Method 1: Shortcode Easiest
Add this shortcode to any post, page, or widget area:
[seobolt_breadcrumbs]Works in the WordPress editor, widget areas, and page builders.
Method 2: PHP Function Recommended for Themes
Add this to your theme's template files (e.g., single.php, page.php, header.php):
<?php if ( function_exists( 'seobolt_breadcrumbs' ) ) seobolt_breadcrumbs(); ?>Best placement: After the header/navigation, before the main content area.
Common template files to add breadcrumbs:
| File | Affects |
|---|---|
header.php |
All pages (breadcrumbs appear site-wide) |
single.php |
Blog post pages |
page.php |
Static pages |
archive.php |
Category/tag/date archives |
woocommerce.php |
WooCommerce pages (if using WooCommerce) |
Method 3: Page Builder Widget
Most page builders let you add shortcodes:
- Elementor: Add a Shortcode widget with
[seobolt_breadcrumbs] - Divi: Add a Code module with
[seobolt_breadcrumbs] - Beaver Builder: Add an HTML module with
[seobolt_breadcrumbs]
Breadcrumb Hierarchy
SEObolt builds breadcrumb trails based on your content structure:
| Page Type | Breadcrumb Format |
|---|---|
| Blog Post | Home > Category > Post Title |
| Page | Home > Parent Page > Child Page |
| Category Archive | Home > Category Name |
| Tag Archive | Home > Tag: Tag Name |
| Author Archive | Home > Author: Display Name |
| Date Archive | Home > 2026 > February |
| Search Results | Home > Search: "query" |
| 404 Page | Home > Page Not Found |
| WooCommerce Product | Home > Shop > Category > Product |
Schema Markup (Automatic)
SEObolt automatically outputs BreadcrumbList JSON-LD schema in your page's <head>:
{
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"itemListElement": [
{ "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://yoursite.com" },
{ "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Blog", "item": "https://yoursite.com/blog/" },
{ "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Post Title" }
]
}This schema is output even if you don't display visual breadcrumbs. The schema lives in the HTML <head> for SEO benefit regardless.
This schema earns you 5 points on the Schema Score and shows your site hierarchy in Google search results:
yoursite.com > Blog > SEO TipsStyling Breadcrumbs
SEObolt outputs breadcrumbs with CSS classes you can target:
/* Breadcrumb container */
.seobolt-breadcrumbs { }
/* Individual breadcrumb item */
.seobolt-breadcrumb-item { }
/* Breadcrumb links */
.seobolt-breadcrumbs a { }
/* Current page (last item, not linked) */
.seobolt-breadcrumb-current { }
/* Separator between items */
.seobolt-breadcrumb-separator { }Example custom styling:
.seobolt-breadcrumbs {
font-size: 13px;
color: #666;
margin-bottom: 20px;
padding: 8px 0;
}
.seobolt-breadcrumbs a {
color: #0073aa;
text-decoration: none;
}
.seobolt-breadcrumbs a:hover {
text-decoration: underline;
}
.seobolt-breadcrumb-current {
color: #333;
font-weight: 500;
}Troubleshooting
Breadcrumbs Not Showing on Page
- Check enabled -- SEObolt > Settings > Breadcrumbs must be toggled ON
- Check theme integration -- Did you add the shortcode or PHP function? Try
[seobolt_breadcrumbs]in a test page to verify. - Check for theme conflicts -- Some themes have built-in breadcrumbs that may conflict. Disable the theme's breadcrumbs in theme settings.
- Check CSS -- Breadcrumbs may be rendering but hidden by CSS (
display: noneorvisibility: hidden)
Wrong Category in Breadcrumbs
- Primary category -- Breadcrumbs use the primary category. If a post has multiple categories, set the primary one in the SEObolt meta box.
- Category hierarchy -- If you have parent/child categories, the full hierarchy is shown:
Home > Parent Category > Child Category > Post
Breadcrumbs Show Wrong Page Hierarchy
- Check parent page -- Pages use the WordPress page parent hierarchy (Edit Page > Page Attributes > Parent Page)
- Orphaned pages -- Pages without a parent show:
Home > Page Title
Duplicate Breadcrumbs
If you see breadcrumbs twice:
- Theme adds its own -- Disable breadcrumbs in your theme's settings
- Multiple shortcodes -- Check that
[seobolt_breadcrumbs]isn't in both the template AND the page content - Other plugins -- Check if Yoast, Rank Math, or another plugin is also outputting breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs Look Unstyled
- Check your theme's CSS -- You may need to add custom CSS (see Styling section above)
- Page builder containers -- Breadcrumbs inside narrow containers may wrap awkwardly. Adjust width/padding.
Frequently Asked Questions
"Do breadcrumbs affect SEO rankings?"
Not directly, but they improve:
- User experience (lower bounce rate)
- Internal linking structure
- Rich results in Google (breadcrumb trail shown instead of URL)
"Should I show breadcrumbs on the homepage?"
Usually no. The homepage IS the starting point, so a breadcrumb of just "Home" adds no value.
"Do I need visual breadcrumbs for the schema benefit?"
No. SEObolt outputs BreadcrumbList schema regardless of whether you display visual breadcrumbs. But visual breadcrumbs improve UX, so we recommend both.
"Can I hide breadcrumbs on mobile?"
You can with CSS, but we don't recommend it. Breadcrumbs help mobile users navigate back without using the browser's back button.