Do Breadcrumb links helps in Search Ranking and PR of a webpage. If yes then How many Breadcrumb links should be placed on a webpage?
Breadcrumb navigation helps with search engine ranking by allowing spider's easier access to all pages within your site. It helps with the PR of your website by spreading out the distribution of your PR throughout your site. I don't understand your question about how many breadcrumb links should be placed on a webpage. Breadcrumb navigation should follow a natural method for usability. For example, look at the breadcrumb structure at the top of this page: Digital Point Forums > Marketing > Search Engine Optimization So you should use breadcrumbs on each of your pages, and they should show a visual representation of the layers and hierarchy of your site. I hope that helps.
It should be noted that adding breadcrumbs is unlikely to make a major difference to upward ranking movement. It's only going to help with getting your pages found and indexed.
Breadcrumbs push PR up to the highest level pages on your site because. The first level pages will have the most links, the second level will have less, etc. Basically, it shows google exactly what your site hierarchy is.
Breadcrumbs are mandatory for SEO. The links should be relative. And every page should have it. Not only does it help the SE index the site, but it give Google a PR Feedback link needed for good PR calculation. There should be only one on the page, with the Keyword Phrases in the anchor text.
You can say it works like sitemap. It makes easy for spider to visit your pages easily. It is the important part of website.