I wanted to mention something that is great for web design, but even greater for marketing. That is the use of breadcrumb navigation. Admittedly I don’t use it but will look to add it to websites that I can. Now I know some of you know exactly what I’m talking about. If so, skip the next paragraph. If you’re not sure what it is, keep going…

Breadcrumb navigation is named from the Hansel & Gretel fairy tale when the kids left breadcrumbs on the ground so they could find their way back home. Breadcrumb navigation can be done automatically through scripts and is usually used for usability (it allows the user to see where they are in the site and how to jump back out. Athletes In Action uses breadcrumbs for example. On this page, see where it says “Home > Pro > Ministry to Pro Teams”. Each of those are links to jump back into the site.

Breadcrumb navigation is used quite well for usability. It’s always a good idea to give the user a better sense for where they are in your site…and how they can move about quickly. This navigation doesn’t replace your overall navigation, but it should enhance it. It’s a great design tip.

However, something that was recently brought to my attention is that this tip isn’t just for good usability design. It is a GREAT way to increase your search engine ranking and marketing. How? Well search engines look for keywords on your page to reinforce that your page is actually about what you say it is. This is a simple way to get those keywords up high on the page so the search engines find them…relevant keywords reinforcing (thus increasing) your ranking and position in the engines.

There is a good article that discusses the latest breadcrumb navigation research that I suggest you check out also.