---
title: "SearchPilot: breadcrumb placement has no impact on SEO"
url: https://seomadman.com/studies/breadcrumb-placement-top-bottom-ab-test-searchpilot
section: studies
language: en
published: 2024-04-18T00:00:00.000Z
modified: 2024-04-18T00:00:00.000Z
author: Adam Hafez
topics: ["Technical SEO", "Structured data"]
---

# SearchPilot: breadcrumb placement has no impact on SEO

## The short answer

SearchPilot tested whether placing breadcrumbs at the top of a page or near the footer impacts rankings, finding no statistically detectable change in either position. The experiment indicates that search engines read breadcrumb relationships primarily from structured data and link graphs rather than their physical DOM placement.

## Key takeaways

- Moving breadcrumbs above the main heading showed no statistically significant change in organic search traffic.
- Moving breadcrumbs to the bottom of the page above the footer produced an equally inconclusive outcome.
- SearchPilot concludes that Google evaluates breadcrumb hierarchy from structured data and links rather than on-screen position.
- Designers can position breadcrumbs based on user experience conventions without fear of algorithmic ranking penalties.

Moving breadcrumbs to the top or bottom of ecommerce listing pages produces no statistically
detectable change in organic search traffic, according to split testing data published by SearchPilot in
[Does breadcrumb placement impact SEO performance?](https://searchpilot.com/resources/case-studies/does-breadcrumb-placement-impact-seo-performance/).

The study evaluated whether the industry convention of placing breadcrumbs above the primary heading
serves an algorithmic ranking purpose or exists solely as a user experience standard.

## What positions were evaluated?

SearchPilot conducted two distinct experiments across an ecommerce site to isolate the impact of
breadcrumb location while keeping markup, anchor texts and destination URLs identical.

In the first test cohort, breadcrumbs were moved to the top of the page above the h1 heading. In the
second test cohort, the navigation trail was relocated to the bottom of the page, positioned directly
above the site footer.

| Test position | Observed traffic shift | Statistical significance |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Top (above h1) | Inconclusive (flat) | None detected |
| Bottom (above footer) | Inconclusive (flat) | None detected |

## How do crawlers read breadcrumbs?

Search engines interpret breadcrumb trails primarily through structured data markup and anchor links
rather than their visual coordinates on a rendered screen.

A properly formed BreadcrumbList schema block defines parent and child relationships regardless of
where the visible HTML elements reside in the document object model. The internal links pass
relevance and structure whether positioned near the masthead or the footer.

## Where should breadcrumbs go?

Because neither top nor bottom placement demonstrated a ranking advantage or disadvantage, design
teams can position breadcrumbs based on usability rather than SEO constraints.

Placing breadcrumbs near the top remains a best practice for customer orientation on mobile and desktop
devices. However, sites that need to prioritize above-the-fold media or key messaging do not risk ranking
penalties by adjusting their location.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does moving breadcrumbs to the top of a page improve rankings?

SearchPilot found no statistically significant ranking or traffic difference when moving breadcrumbs above the primary heading compared to other positions.

### Does putting breadcrumbs in the footer hurt SEO?

In controlled split tests, moving breadcrumbs to the bottom of the page produced an inconclusive outcome with no measurable decline in organic performance.

### How does Google read breadcrumb trails?

Google primarily processes breadcrumb hierarchy through BreadcrumbList schema markup and anchor href attributes rather than their physical visual location.

## Sources

1. [Does breadcrumb placement impact SEO performance?](https://searchpilot.com/resources/case-studies/does-breadcrumb-placement-impact-seo-performance/) - SearchPilot (primary)