On Custom Legal Marketing's YouTube channel, we're working on a series about schema markups for law firms. Schemas help you communicate to Google what your content is about and what you want them to do with it. They're really powerful! Some schemas are a little less exciting but no less important. In the latest video, I'm talking about breadcrumb schema.
The Fairytale Becomes Reality: What is Breadcrumb Schema?
Remember the enchanting fairytale of Hansel and Gretel, where Hansel leaves breadcrumbs to find his way home through the dark and mysterious woods? Today, that magical concept has evolved into a markup called Breadcrumb Schema. The breadcrumb schema markup creates a navigational path on a website, guiding users and Google through the website's hierarchical structure.
Traditionally, breadcrumbs were used to aid website navigation but have fallen out of style in modern law firm website designs due to changing visitor behavior.
We still have breadcrumbs in the header of pages on Custom Legel Marketing's website, but in the new version which we will be launching later this year, we've traded in the breadcrumb links for breadcrumb schema only.
Google's Secret to Understanding Website Hierarchy: Breadcrumb Schema
Although visitors may not utilize breadcrumbs for general navigation like they did 20 years ago, Google finds them incredibly valuable.
The schema markup allows law firms to provide Google with valuable information about the organization of their website without cluttering the site's design with visible breadcrumbs that are not likely to get clicked on. With this streamlined approach, Google can better understand the relationship between different pages, potentially leading to improved organic listings and overall search engine visibility.
A User-Focused Approach: Prioritizing On-Page Engagement
While visible breadcrumb links may not be necessary for every aspect of a law firm's website, there are some instances where they can enhance the user experience. Content that is categorized and might lead to more on-page user engagement, such as blog posts, could benefit from visible breadcrumb links. We still see (some) user engagement with breadcrumbs on these types of pages even if the links are less popular on practice area pages.
Whether you use visible breadcrumb links or not, you should have Breadcrumb Schema configured on EVERY page.
Watch the Video on Breadcrumb Schema for Lawyers
In the new video, I give more examples of how breadcrumb schema is beneficial to law firms and setting it up is very easy. Check out Breadcrumb Schema for Lawyers on YouTube.
