Did you know? Google removes breadcrumbs From mobile search results!
Google has shaken things up again!
The tech giant announced it’s simplifying mobile search results by removing breadcrumbs, those nifty little navigation links that show a site’s hierarchy.
Now, on mobile, you’ll only see the domain name in search results—but don’t worry, breadcrumbs stick around for desktop users.
What’s Changing?
Introduced back in 2009, breadcrumbs helped users understand the structure of a website directly from search results.
But here’s the thing—on smaller mobile screens, breadcrumbs often get clipped, making them not as useful.
Google’s solution?
Clean up mobile search results by displaying just the domain name!
Meanwhile, desktop search results remain unchanged, still showing both the domain name and breadcrumbs.
Image reference: developers.google.com/search/blog/2025/01/simplifying-breadcrumbs, January 2025.
Why Does This Matter?
Google is always striving to make its search experiences smoother and easier for users.
With this tweak, mobile search results look more modern and less cluttered.
Since many users already focus on the domain name to identify trusted sources, the change simplifies decision-making without losing any essential details.
If you’re wondering about potential impacts, rest assured that Google’s decision was based on enhancing the mobile user experience.
Fewer distractions mean faster navigation—it’s a win-win for both users and site owners.
What Should You Do?
Good news: if your site uses breadcrumb markup—there’s nothing you need to fix or update!
Google still supports breadcrumbs for desktop search results and continues to offer tools like the Breadcrumb Rich Result Report in Search Console and the Rich Results Test.
This means your site’s structure and SEO won’t take a hit.
While breadcrumbs are gone from mobile search, they remain a valuable tool for desktop visibility, helping users and search engines understand the organization of your website.
Conclusion
Google’s decision to remove breadcrumbs on mobile is a step towards a cleaner, streamlined search experience for users.
While desktop behavior remains unchanged, the shift underscores Google’s ongoing effort to adapt search results based on user needs.
And for those managing websites, there’s no need to stress, this update won’t require any changes on your end.
Keep optimizing for desktop, and perhaps, enjoy the simpler mobile interface with the peace of mind that your breadcrumb features remain intact for desktop users.
