Google is changing how visible URLs are displayed in mobile search results globally. Since 2009, search results have shown "breadcrumbs," or a hierarchy of web page URLs, using ">" after the domain name, but starting today, it will only show the domain name on your smartphone or tablet.

Web developers have some control over how results are displayed, according to Google's Structured Data Guidelines, which also control how information is displayed in its snippet and other areas, and breadcrumbs will still appear in desktop searches.

Examples of the new URL result structure on mobile (top) and desktop (bottom)

Google said it made the change because "the breadcrumb element is less useful to people searching on mobile devices because it gets cut off on smaller screens."

This is true on smaller screens, such as on the discontinued iPhone 13 Mini, which can only display part of the first part of the URL.

Search results for best espresso machines, the first result on this page is "herworldSingapore" and shows the full URL, followed by the lifestyle section and the food and drink section. Next up is Forbes' Best Espresso Machines, and the last result is Hoons Coffee on YouTube.

On mobile: Trails following URLs will start to be suppressed, although some breadcrumbs will still be shown for now. (This is the iPhone13Mini screen)

On desktop: Structured websites show the URL hierarchy where the page is located after the domain name

But the changes Google is making will also affect larger mobile device screens, which otherwise don't have the problem of displaying breadcrumbs, which are useful for seeing at a glance which part of a website you're browsing.