Google Removes Breadcrumbs from Mobile Search Results

Google has made a notable change to its mobile search results by removing breadcrumb navigation. Instead of showing breadcrumbs, mobile search results now display only the domain of the website.

This simplification streamlines the appearance of mobile search results, making them less cluttered while maintaining functionality. However, desktop search results remain unaffected, with breadcrumbs continuing to appear as before.

It’s important to note that no action is required from website owners or developers who use breadcrumb markup. Google has clarified that existing breadcrumb implementations do not need to be updated due to this change.

This update highlights Google’s ongoing efforts to enhance the mobile user experience, prioritising simplicity and ease of navigation. It also reflects the platform’s continued emphasis on providing concise and relevant information to users at a glance.

Google has recently announced a significant update to its mobile search results, aimed at simplifying how URLs are displayed. This change involves the removal of breadcrumb navigation from mobile search listings.

Instead of showing breadcrumbs, mobile search results will now only display the domain of the website. This adjustment is part of Google’s broader effort to create a cleaner and more streamlined interface for mobile users.

Despite this change, desktop search results remain unaffected. Breadcrumbs will continue to appear in desktop search listings, providing users with detailed navigation paths as before.

This update reflects Google’s focus on enhancing the mobile browsing experience by reducing visual clutter and presenting information in a more straightforward manner. The decision underlines their commitment to adapting search features to suit the unique needs of mobile users.

What’s Changing?

Introduced in 2009, breadcrumbs were designed to display a website’s hierarchy within search results, offering users a clear path to navigate through a site’s structure. However, Google has now decided to remove breadcrumbs from mobile search results.

According to Google, this change is due to the limited screen space on mobile devices. Breadcrumbs often get truncated on smaller screens, reducing their usability and making them less effective for mobile users.

For desktop users, the breadcrumb feature remains unchanged. Search results will continue to display both the domain and the breadcrumb navigation, ensuring a detailed hierarchy view for larger screens.

This update highlights Google’s effort to optimise the user experience for mobile search by prioritising simplicity and clarity over complex navigation features.

Why It Matters

Google aims to make mobile search results more streamlined and user-friendly. This decision comes as part of their ongoing efforts to optimise the mobile browsing experience.

Breadcrumbs, which often got truncated on smaller screens, were deemed less valuable for mobile users. To address this, Google has simplified the display by showing only the domain name in mobile search results.

This change ensures a cleaner and less cluttered interface, allowing users to focus on the most relevant information without unnecessary distractions. For desktop users, however, the breadcrumb feature remains unchanged, continuing to provide the complete site hierarchy.

Do You Need to Do Anything?

If your website uses breadcrumb markup, there’s no need to make any adjustments. Google continues to support breadcrumbs for desktop search results, ensuring that they remain an important feature for site navigation.

Tools such as the Breadcrumb Rich Result Report in Search Console and the Rich Results Test will remain fully functional. These resources can still be used to monitor and optimise breadcrumb implementation on your site.

Although breadcrumbs have been removed from mobile search results, they continue to hold value for desktop users. Their role in displaying site hierarchy and enhancing navigation remains unchanged on larger screens.