So suppose I have legitimate content that's hidden through CSS, and I'm using javascript to selectively display it based on what the user clicks on. Also, non-javascript users can click on the same links and be taken to a new page with the requested content displayed. No hidden keywords or anything like that. I have about 15 paragraphs/mini-sections worth of hidden content that can be revealed by clicking links or using javascript.
How likely is it that this content will get flagged by search engines as putting keywords in hidden content, thus trying to artificially improve my ranking? Obviously this isn't what I'm trying to do -- all the hidden content can be viewed by javascript and non-javascript users. Not hiding the content would basically entail redesigning entire sections of my site, which I'd like to avoid.
For the record, I've done some research into this already, and I think the general consensus is that if you're hiding legitimate content you shouldn't have anything to worry about. Just wanted to get some other opinions and whether or not the fact that the content I'm hiding can be viewed by clicking on certain links will help at all.
So suppose I have legitimate content that's hidden through CSS, and I'm using javascript to selectively display it based on what the user clicks on. Also, non-javascript users can click on the same links and be taken to a new page with the requested content displayed. No hidden keywords or anything like that. I have about 15 paragraphs/mini-sections worth of hidden content that can be revealed by clicking links or using javascript.
How likely is it that this content will get flagged by search engines as putting keywords in hidden content, thus trying to artificially improve my ranking? Obviously this isn't what I'm trying to do -- all the hidden content can be viewed by javascript and non-javascript users. Not hiding the content would basically entail redesigning entire sections of my site, which I'd like to avoid.
For the record, I've done some research into this already, and I think the general consensus is that if you're hiding legitimate content you shouldn't have anything to worry about. Just wanted to get some other opinions and whether or not the fact that the content I'm hiding can be viewed by clicking on certain links will help at all.
Share Improve this question asked Feb 4, 2011 at 4:35 user599599user599599 1332 silver badges9 bronze badges 1- 1 If you're more interested in the SEO perspective rather than other JS solutions, then this should be moved to webmasters.stackexchange.. – Lèse majesté Commented Feb 4, 2011 at 4:46
7 Answers
Reset to default 6Why don't you make it so it degrades gracefully for user agents without JavaScript?
(function() {
var element = document.getElementById('some-element'),
previousDisplay;
window.onload = function() {
previousDisplay = element.style.display;
element.style.display = 'none';
};
document.getElementById('some-buton').onclick = function() {
element.style.display = previousDisplay;
}
})();
That way, on load, your element will be hidden via JavaScript, and then shown when you want it to.
Note: You are better off using a cross browser patible onDOMReady event here, otherwise your browser will download all assets before firing onload.
There are mixed answers on this topic, but hidden elements are generally considered a "black hat" Search Engine Optimization (SEO) technique. (See this reference) Google and other search engines have lowered the ranking of sites or removed site altogether based on results like this.
You may also want to check these two other similar, but not entirely related, StackOverflow questions:
- Google SEO and hidden elements
- SEO: does google bot see text in hidden divs
Ofcourse...Using hidden text (giving text and background same color) or hiding a div will cause you website rating down. As this is part of Blackhat SEO technique. Once google or any search engine find it out, they will remove or rank down your website from its indexing.
NO definitely not.
I haven't found any documentation yet but this would be pletely off, Google makes a living out of understanding how the internet and the web pages work, and they DO have to understand that display:none or visibilty:hidden.
By the way, check out their homepage source code they very actively use both mentioned resources.
Use it without fear, this will most likely not affect you SEO at all or in any case, this will be a infamous change, specially if you do the important stuff correctly!
Good luck!
I don't believe that Google et al check visibility of elements because it would be infeasible to do so reliably (imagine all the positioning and layering techniques you could use) and in a way that doesn't penalize legitimate uses (like yours). I've never noticed any problems with it personally, and I've never found any ments from Google employees mentioning it.
So I would say it's pretty safe.
It's been my experience that if you're hiding content, google and other search engines are going to rate you down. They are very, very picky about showing them the same content that users see. I worked on a product that had flash pages and we built non flash pages for SEO purposes (we'd sniff and if the user didn't have flash, we'd show the non flash stuff). As part of our SEO pliance stuff we have to make sure that everything on the non flash was exactly the same as the flash.
Hiding content is considered as a Black hat SEO technique and Google may flag those sites if they find anything suspicious. Back in days, people used CSS display: none feature to hide keywords and for stuffing it. Those illegitimate practices brought results in terms of ranking in early days, which isn’t the case now. With updated Google algorithms rolling out frequently, it has bee sophisticated enough to detect any discrepant or black hat SEO practices. So, if you have any hidden keywords or have tried practice of keyword stuffing then you should be wary as Google may flag the site for making such practices.
However, if you have used it for genuine purpose as mentioned here, then it shouldn’t affect your SEO practice or its ranking. You will be able to adapt feasible SEO techniques and boost your page’s ranking in Google’s SERP (search engine result page).
But, Google might consider it as a black hat technique and rank down your site even if there is legitimate content. If that’s the case, you should be very wary of the changes in results and must change your ways before its too late.