Breadcrumb Trails Troubles On My Websites
Once upon a time, there was a girl( OK, not really a girl but full-grown woman who is obsessed with breadcrumbs) named Rose, it was on a Thursday evening and Rose was relaxing after a long day and as she always does, in the evenings, she fired up her hot pink laptop, to catch up on what is happening with her websites, and Wealthy Affiliate
As always Rose starts with checking the emails, and then checks the notifications from Wealthy Affiliate, one email was from the big brother who is always watching, see Rose does not like receiving emails from this guy because so far all the emails she has received were to inform her of things that have gone wrong with her websites.
So the big brother informed Rose that the visitors who have been visiting her websites have been getting lost because Rose did not leave breadcrumb trails to show them where they are in the website, and where they came from.
The Search For Breadcrumbs Trails
So Rose started searching frantically to find breadcrumbs so visitors can find their way home. The search started on Thursday and went on to Friday evening and Rose had not found the breadcrumbs to create the trails and to be honest Rose did not even know what she was actually looking for.
But here is a screenshot of what Google Search Console said Breadcrumb trails should look like
So after lots of headache Rose contacted the site support at Wealthy Affiliate, the site support gave her a map to submit to big brother whose name is Google Search Console. Rose thought all was well and she started working on the article she was working on.
Then she got another email from Search Console stating that actually all her sites are affected by the breadcrumb trail errors and she needs to fix them. This means my weekend will be lost trying to fix this issue, I am still working on it and the errors are still there.
Thought There Was A Light At The End Of The Tunnel
I found a plugin yesterday ( Saturday) it's called Breadcrumb NavXT, I thought I had finally found the solution to breadcrumb errors but the plugin requires that I place a code to my theme file and I am not familiar with codes so I am afraid of messing about with codes because I don't want to break my websites.
Then I found out that Yoast has a breadcrumb feature and I actually switched to Yoast on one of my websites but that has not fixed the problem either despite enabling the breadcrumb feature.
Yoast also requires that you insert a code into the theme file, but it has an alternative which is to place a short code into the post individually, that is what I'm going to do on a few posts and then see if it will work, it's definitely going to be a lot of work going back to each post and page and placing the code.
I have asked a lot of questions in the websites and search engine optimization classes here at Wealthy Affiliate, but still I have not found solution to the breadcrumb trails error. I did read an article that someone shared with me here at Wealthy Affiliate and the article said the breadcrumb errors are not going to affect my rankings in search engines but the article did advise that it's best to fix them.
I Know I Should't Be So Obsessed With Breadcrumbs
I have a weakness, of not letting go and I can spend lots of time trying to fix something and if I fail, I can't do anything else because I get frustrated and I loose drive to do anything else until the problem is solved, which means this weekend I will not be able to write my two articles that I have researched for and I should actually be writing them now instead of this blog.
So my question here is, are there other people here suffering from the breadcrumb errors and if so, have you found a way to fix them? Apparently some themes do have the breadcrumbs feature built in them which makes it easier.
I have actually found that the website that I am using the Generated Press theme, only has one breadcrumb error, where the other sites have up to 22 errors. I could change my websites to Generated Press but I don't like the Block editor, and every time I post an article on the website that has Generated Press theme, I have to convert to block editor in order to use Grammarly.
Conclusion
So unfortunately there is no happy ending to this story, I request you to share with me any solution you might have so I can sort this out and go back to my content creation.
Please share your comments below, any help is highly appreciated.
Thank you for your time
Rose.
Recent Comments
25
Hi Rose, with Yoast is there a way of enabling or disabling the breadcrumbs. Smarketeer (Zed) uses Yoast and I am sure he will be able to assist you. Please advise.
Michael
Yes, I have found the breadcrumb feature in Yoast, I just have to go back to every post and page and place a shortcode, in order to activate the breadcrumb trail.
I will never look at breadcrumbs the same way after all this lol its such a headache.
Hi Rose, I just do not understand why google wants you to use this feature. It is your site and your choices. Breadcrunbs do not have a significant impact to make this feature something you need to have. Please if someone disagrees with me, I would like to hear from you.
Google will take at least three weeks before they acknowledge any changes you have made to your site.
Now that you have decided to use the breadcrumb feature, after you have placed the code, you will have to re-submit a site map with the ending text: your site com/sitemap_index.xml
Or better yet confirm with site support. I really do not want to give you any wrong information.
Even go into search: Yoast why are breadcrumbs important. OK I just did a search, here is the URL: https://yoast.com/breadcrumbs-seo/
Rose, maybe visit this page, I just glanced through it. Now I do not know if this is the premium yoast or the free one.
Best wishes,
Michael
Thank you so much, Michael, I had already resubmitted my site maps for all my sites but when I click validate fix in Search Console, they reject my submission with pop up saying that validation cannot proceed because affected pages have been detected and I need to fix them then try again.
But I will submit the site map for the site where I have installed Yoast and then see what happened although I need to first put the shortcode on all pages and posts.
Or maybe I should just submit and wait to see if its gonna work, I am giving it a break for now because my head hurts.
The funny thing is, one website where I am using the Generate Press theme, only had one breadcrumb error and I just clicked validate fix in Google Search Console and its validating.
I could change themes and have the generate Press on all my sites but the problem is I don't like the Block editor, and that is what I will have to use with Generate Press theme in order for Grammarly to work.
The website that I have the Generate press, I always dread the experience of editing a post there.
Hi Rose - I had another unrelated problem flagged by the search console. I made changes as per other WA members instructions. By chance I have today had an email that the issue is now cleared.
I made the changes on the 31st Aug. and got the email today!
Regards
Mike
Yes I too had an issue a while back and it took about a month for Google to validate the fix, I don't have a problem with them taking long.
I just want them to accept my validation submission, then they can take a whole year if they want to.
For anyone who wants to switch from All In One SEO to Yoast, I found a very helpful training on how to do it and if you read the comments there is someone who shared how to transfer your SEO settings from All In One SEO Pack to Yoast SEO
Because in the training it says that you will get a message asking if you want to transfer your settings, I didn't see that message but when I read the comments under the training, I found a comment that helped me.
Here is how to transfer your SEO settings after installing and activating Yoast, you type your website, for example,
mysitedotcom/wp-admin/admin.php?page=wpseo_tools&tool=import-export#top#import-seo
And then click where it says import from another SEO Plugin
Anyway, here is the training, Why Yoast Should Be Your SEO Plugin you will understand better what I mean if you check out the training
Rose, you said you are concerned with putting a code into your site. Do you have the plugin “insert header footer?” With this plugin you put the code into the plugin and do not have to alter your site.
Laura
Yes I do have that plugin and I use it for my Pinterest code and Google and Bing Codes, but it sounds like the code the Yoast or the other breadcrumb plugin, the Breadcrumb NavXT want me to place does not go to the header or the footer, it goes to a place between content at the very end of the header.
I don't know what they mean, I did try placing the code into the plugin but that did not help, the breadcrumb trail did not appear.
but when I place the shortcode manually into a post, the breadcrumb trail does appear. But its a lot of work.
Yes it is a lot of work. Maybe someone will have a suggestion to prevent all of that work.
If they don’t then the work to fix it may be worth it to save the hard work you have put in so far.
As for generatepress. I use it with Elementor. But Elementor is also a block editor.
It can be so frustrating but keep going and I know you will find a solution.
Laura
PS maybe ask in questions under SEO. If you haven’t already.
Don't worry, I actually feel better now because even though it will be a lot of work, at least I know Yoast works and by placing the shortcode into posts, the breadcrumb trail appears.
However, I will not switch my other websites to Yoast, I will try with my SAC website first which is the one I have installed Yoast if after a couple of weeks, things look good, then I will switch all my websites to Yoast.
I have resubmitted 5 pages to Google Search Console so I will wait and see what happens because after submitting I clicked on the validate fix but it did not validate.
Google works at their own pace and will take time to validate a fix. I have waited 3 weeks in the past.
Sounds like a really good plan.
Laura
I know that but if they accept your validate submission they tell you they are working on it, in my case the pop up that says affected pages detected and cannot proceed with the fix, is what I got.
I had the same on one site, so I turned the breadcrumbs off. The theme must have come with it already switched on because I wouldn't have done so originally without knowing what it was.
I had fiddled with it turning it off and on to see if it made a difference to the look of the site, as it didn't either way I left it on. I asked support, they gave me a link to a page to read, that was double dutch, way over my head.
I looked at various things on here relating to breadcrumbs and know what they are for, sort of, but fixing it was beyond me.
Yes, I have done the same as you, switching the breadcrumb feature on and off on one of my websites but that didn't make a difference so I have left the feature on.
I think I might just ignore the breadcrumbs and just go back to creating content on my websites.
I will try and place the shortcode on a few posts as Yoast suggests and if that doesn't work, I will just leave it alone.
So, I have placed the shortcode on 5 posts and the breadcrumb trail seem to be there, so now I will resubmit those pages to Google Search Console and then validate the fix and see what happens.
Hi Rose,
I'm sorry about your breadcrumb issues. Unfortunately, I won't be of much help. I do hope it gets sorted.
All the best
Jane
Hi Rose.
As you know I have had this. I am going to give it time then reassess.
Regards Mike
Sorry to hear of your troubles. I have to say I have seen several posts recently on the topic of “breadcrumbs” and I haven’t the faintest idea what they are talking about. 🤔
I’ll follow this thread to see if someone will enlighten us both...
See more comments
so if you have to add the shortcode to each page - like an ad - could you use ad inserter and add the shortcode as an ad- then use the power of ad inserter to attach the code to each post.
good luck sorting it Rose
phil
this is the plugin i use now for head and footers and you can add the adsense txt file in here, and possibly add shortcodes to every post. i have got rid of headers and footers, reducing my plugins by one.