# Breadcrumb structured data

> A BreadcrumbList shows where a page sits in a site's hierarchy. It needs at least two ListItems with position and name, plus item on every crumb except the last. Google recommends a typical user path over mirroring the URL, and the display appears on desktop.

- URL: https://geo.casa/content-structured-data/breadcrumb-structured-data/
- Reference · Officially documented
- Reviewed: 2026-10-26

## What it does

> **Officially documented:**
> "A breadcrumb trail on a page indicates the page's position in the site hierarchy, and it may help users understand and explore a site effectively." Google uses breadcrumb markup to categorize the page's information in search results.
>
> Sources: [Google Search Central: Breadcrumb (BreadcrumbList) structured data](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/breadcrumb)

> **Officially documented:**
> Google says: "This feature is available on desktop in all regions and languages where Google Search is available."
>
> Sources: [Google Search Central: Breadcrumb (BreadcrumbList) structured data](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/breadcrumb)

## Required properties

> **Officially documented:**
> "To specify breadcrumbs, define a BreadcrumbList that contains at least two ListItems." Each ListItem needs `position`, `name` and `item`. Position 1 is the beginning of the trail, and `item` is the URL of the page the crumb represents. The last crumb in the trail does not need `item`; without it, Google uses the URL of the containing page.
>
> Sources: [Google Search Central: Breadcrumb (BreadcrumbList) structured data](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/breadcrumb)

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Books", "item": "https://example.com/books" },
    { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Science Fiction", "item": "https://example.com/books/sciencefiction" },
    { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Award Winners" }
  ]
}
```

## Which trail to mark up

> **Officially documented:**
> "We recommend providing breadcrumbs that represent a typical user path to a page, instead of mirroring the URL structure. It is not required to include a breadcrumb ListItem for the top level path (your site's domain or host name), nor for the page itself."
>
> Sources: [Google Search Central: Breadcrumb (BreadcrumbList) structured data](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/breadcrumb)

A page reachable by more than one path can carry more than one trail. Google's documentation shows an example with two.

## What breadcrumbs don't do

- They are not an AI search requirement: Google says no special markup is needed for its AI features ([Structured data and AI search](https://geo.casa/content-structured-data/structured-data-ai-search/)).
- Markup that breaks Google's structured data guidelines can lead to a manual action, like any other type.

## This site

Every indexable entry here carries a `BreadcrumbList` from the home page through the topic hub to the entry. It follows the same grouping the sidebar shows.

## Sources

- [Google Search Central: Breadcrumb (BreadcrumbList) structured data](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/breadcrumb)