Bread crumbs and the user's path

1) Role and value

• show where I am in the hierarchy;
• give a quick return path to the level above;
• reduce "back-bounce" (repeated clicks "back");
• increase the detectability of neighboring layers and improve SEO for content pages.

Principles: simplicity> detail, hierarchy> history of clicks, persistent structure> dynamic noise.

2) When to use

Deep catalogs and content (provider → category → game/article).
B2B admins and reports with 2-3 + nesting levels.
Longrides/docks with sections and table of contents (crumbs + TOC).
Not needed on top-level screens (lobby/deshboard), where there is no depth.

3) Types of crumbs

1. Hierarchical (structural) - reflect the IA, not the user route:

'Home › Providers › Play'n GO › Book of Dead'

2. Along the way (history-based) - display the actual route (rarely appropriate on the web; closer to "back").
3. Hybrid - hierarchy + last step with saved filters/context.

Recommendation: by default - hierarchical to avoid "noise" from random transitions.

4) Composition and format

Delimiter: '›' or '/' (consistent with design and locale).
Starting point: "Home "/logo is clickable.
Truncation: at depth> 4 levels, hide the middle links in... "" with disclosure.
The last element: the current page, non-clickable and visually accented.
Title lengths: clipped with ellipsis but full 'title '/tooltip at hover/focus.

5) Generation of crumbs (logic)

Build according to the canonical URL/IA hierarchy, not by referer'y.
For entities (game/article), take the main category (or "bread" category), and not random tags.
For dynamic pages (filters, sorting) - crumbs indicate the path to the base section, and the context is shown separately (filter chips).
With multi-tenancy, add the brand/operator context at the beginning or in the selector side by side, but do not overload the crumbs.

6) Filters, sorting, pagination

Filters should not "lengthen" the crumbs. Display them below in chips ("› Live Providers" + chips: Geo = CA, Device = Mobile).
Pagination is not included in the crumbs; the current page is shown in the list control.
Reset filters by clicking on the parent level: return to the "clean" category.

7) Mobile UX

Place crumbs under H1 in one line; in case of lack of space - horizontal scrolling or truncation of the middle links.
Tap-targets ≥ 44px, noticeable focus for keyboard navigation (for PWA).
Do not duplicate system "Back" - crumbs for structure, button - for history.

8) Availability (A11y)

Use the semantics' nav [aria-label = "breadcrumb"] 'and' ol> li '.
Specify'aria-current =" page"' on the last element.
The contrast of the references corresponds to WCAG AA; focus - visible.
The icon/separator is not the only signal (there are text labels).
The order in the DOM corresponds to the visual order.

9) SEO and data

For content pages, use the structured data BreadcrumbList (JSON-LD).
Canonical URLs and stable crumbs help search understand hierarchy.
Do not index "empty" intermediate nodes without content (avoid thin pages).

10) Display patterns

Classic series: 'Home › Section › Subsection › Page'.
Truncated: 'Home ›... › Category › Card'.
With Brand Context (B2B): 'Brand A › Reports › Revenue › NGR'.
With anchors in docks: 'Documentation › KYC › # Levels-checks' (anchor - in TOC, crumbs - before section).

11) Behavior and microinteractions

Hover/focus highlights the link and click area (the whole "crumb," not just the text).
The last "crumb" can have an additional menu with neighboring entities (for example, other games of this provider) - neatly, without overloading.
Going "up" preserves the position/page of the list unless it breaks the canon (e.g. to '? page = 2').

12) Metrics and telemetry

• `breadcrumb_click(level, label, url)`
• 'breadcrumb _ expand _ more '(for truncated)
• 'back _ to _ parent _ retained _ context '(if position/page is retained)

• Use Rate: the proportion of users who clicked on crumbs at ≥2 depth.
• Back-bounce ↓: reducing the amount of "back" immediately after logging on to the deep page.
• Time-to-Parent: time to return to a higher level.
• SEO CTR: Changing the CTR of crumb-marked pages.

13) Examples for iGaming

B2C (casino): 'Home › Providers › Pragmatic Play › Gates of Olympus'. On the provider's page - filter chips (Live/Slots/Megaways); crumbs - only structure.
Tournaments: 'Home › Tournaments › Autumn Cup › Rules'.
B2B (provider): 'Panel › Content › Releases › Book of Ra (ID 12345)' - the last element is not clickable; next to the Open in Statement button.

14) Antipatterns

Crumbs that repeat H1 word-to-word without benefit.
Historical routes instead of structure (chaotic "string").
Inclusion of filters and pagination in crumbs ("Games › Slots › page = 5").
The last crumb is a reference to itself.

Excessive depth, small size, low contrast - "invisible crumbs."

Inconsistent link names with menu/URL.

15) Implementation checklist

1. IA map: define canonical paths for entities.
2. Generator: function that builds crumbs from IA/URL (not dependent on referer).
3. Truncation: rules at depth> 4, popover with full path.
4. A11y/SEO: `nav[aria-label]`, `ol/li`, `aria-current`, JSON-LD.
5. Style: AA contrast, † on mobile, dividers, dimensions.
6. Context: filters/sorting - chips below, not in crumbs.
7. Telemetry: click events/expand, Time-to-Parent, back-bounce.
8. Documentation: examples, anti-cases, link naming guide.

16) The bottom line

1. based on canonical hierarchy,

2. readable and accessible,

3. resistant to filters/page states,

4. with measurable benefit (telemetry/SEO).

So they really help navigate and shorten the user's path to the goal.