Google’s mobile search results are dropping the ‘breadcrumbs’ from URLs

Image: Google

Google is changing the way visible URLs show up on mobile search results worldwide. Search results since 2009 have shown breadcrumbs" or the hierarchy of a webpage's URL using >" after the domain name, but starting today, it will only show the domain on your smartphone or tablet.

Web developers have had some control over how results show up according to Google's structured data guidelines that also control how info shows up in its snippets and other areas, and the breadcrumbs will still show up in searches from your desktop.

Image: Google Example of the new URL result structure on mobile (top) and desktop (bottom).

Google says it's making this change because the breadcrumb element isn't as useful to people who are searching on mobile devices, as it gets cut off on smaller screens."

It's certainly true on much smaller screens, like on the discontinued iPhone 13 Mini, which can only show part of the first section of the URL.

Screenshot: The Verge On desktop: Structured websites show the URL hierarchy where the page exists after the domain name. Screenshot: The Verge On mobile: The trail after the URL will start getting suppressed, although some breadcrumbs are still showing up for now. (This is an iPhone 13 Mini screen).

But the changes Google is making also affect much larger mobile device screens that would otherwise have no issue displaying the breadcrumbs, which are useful for seeing at a glance what section of a site you're browsing.