Breadcrumb Schema Generator

Write the trail of pages that leads to the current one, one per line as 'Name | address', and get BreadcrumbList structured data ready to paste into the page. Search engines can use it to show the trail, such as Home > Cakes > Wedding cakes, in place of a long address under your result.

What you enter

  • Breadcrumb trail (one per line: Name | address)

How it works

  1. Write one line per level, starting with the home page: the name shown in your breadcrumb, a vertical bar, then the full address of that page.
  2. For the last line, the page itself, you can leave out the address. Search engines then use the address of the page the code is on.
  3. The tool numbers the levels in order and builds the JSON-LD inside a script tag.
  4. Paste the code into the head or body of that page, then check it with a structured data validator.

How the trail is numbered

Positions start at 1 with the top level, usually the home page, and rise by one for each step down. For Home, then Cakes, then Wedding cakes, the positions are 1, 2 and 3. The order of lines in the box sets the positions, so write them from the top of the site down to the current page.

Some sites leave the home page out of the visible breadcrumb. In that case start the list with the first level that is shown. The markup should describe the trail visitors see, not the full depth of the site.

Mistakes that make breadcrumb markup invalid

The most common errors are a missing name, an address without https://, and two items with the same position. This tool prevents the last one by numbering for you and stops on the first two with a message saying which line is wrong.

A quieter mistake is markup that disagrees with the page: a trail that points to category pages that redirect, or names that differ from the visible links. These do not always show as errors in a validator, but they make the data less trustworthy. Update the markup whenever you rename or move a category.

Tips

  • The structured data must match a breadcrumb people can see on the page. Markup for a trail that is not shown counts as misleading structured data.
  • Use full addresses starting with https://, not paths such as /cakes. Relative addresses are a common reason breadcrumb markup is reported as invalid.
  • Name each level the way the visible breadcrumb names it, and keep names short. 'Wedding cakes' reads better in a search result than a full page title.
  • Each page gets its own trail. On a site template, build the list from the page's position in the menu instead of copying one block to every page.

Frequently asked questions

What is breadcrumb schema?

It is structured data of the type BreadcrumbList. Each step is a ListItem with a position (1 for the first), a name and an item, which is the page address. Written as JSON-LD, it sits in a script tag with type="application/ld+json" and does not change how the page looks.

Can the last item have no address?

Yes. The last item is the current page, and leaving out its address is allowed; search engines take the address of the page the markup is on. A line such as 'Wedding cakes' with no bar produces a ListItem with only a position and a name.

Does breadcrumb markup guarantee breadcrumbs in search results?

No. Valid markup makes a page eligible, but the search engine decides what to show for each result. Markup that is valid and matches the visible breadcrumb gives the best chance.

Where do I put the code?

Anywhere in the page's HTML, usually in the head or at the end of the body. If your site builder has a box for custom code per page, paste it there.

Can a page have more than one breadcrumb trail?

Yes. If a product sits in two categories and the page shows both trails, add a separate BreadcrumbList for each. Generate them one at a time here and paste both.

Related: Schema markup generator, Schema markup validator, Event schema generator.

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