Reader's Favorite Nuggets
Recent Hits All Time Matt's Favorites
Recent Reader's Favorites

Our Nugget List

Hidden Text On Your Website Can Sometimes Be Used For Good

by
Hidden Text On Your Website Can Sometimes Be Used For Good daily-golden-nugget-1209-99
In this edition of #ThrowbackThursday, I'm jumping back to May 2, 2011 the Daily Golden Nugget on hidden text on a web page that is not considered Black Hat SEO.

I haven't mentioned Black Hat SEO in a while, so let me briefly explain what that is. Google ranking algorithm was less complicated prior to 2012, and many people figured out simple ways to exploit that simplicity for their own ranking gain. Those exploited procedures worked so fast, it was like using black magic to gain a financial foothold in your market.

Eventually, those wielders of digital black magic were viewed like the bag guys in old movies who always wore black hats. Many get-rich-quick schemes relied on black hat SEO techniques, while those people providing "White Hat SEO" had a longer term, more sustainable view of how search engine optimization should be performed.

One of the really effective black hat techniques was to add a lot of repetitive keywords on a single web page. Back then, Google was using a word counting process that simply matched keyword search requests with pages that had those keywords used the most number of times. Some pages were including keywords, like "engagement ring" hundreds of times, sometimes just by repeating the phrase many times at the bottom of the page.

These blocks of words looked very ugly, so black hat wizards started to hide them from view by making the words the same color as the background, or by using a few simple style sheet techniques that could hide text. Less sophisticated then, Google was unable to tell when words were hidden like this.

It was the Wild West of SEO and many people were capturing local business and e-commerce sales while Google was a baby dotCom company.

Google quickly learned how to detect hidden text and heavily penalized websites that used the technique.

Website programmers started using style sheets to provide more user friendly websites, eventually leading to the minimalist design trend of hiding more information behind tabs, buttons, or icons.

Google's penalties for hidden text were so severe that, for a while, there was a concern that hiding any text, even useful text, would trigger a penalty.

Eventually, Google had to go on record and explain to the web mastering world that they can tell the difference between a user friendly website using show/hide style techniques compared to a website using hidden text for nefarious purposes.

Don't hire an SEO agency that suggests the repetitive use of keywords on a web page. Especially avoid any that suggest they will hide information on a page that users won't ever see.







AT: 03/12/2015 09:37:42 AM   LINK TO THIS GOLD NUGGET
Confused and worried about your mobile website options? Click here to find out how to get your own website evaluation and a game plan to make it better.

Like This Jewelry Website SEO Gold Nugget? Please Share!

Like Our Site? Follow Us!


0 Comments on Hidden Text On Your Website Can Sometimes Be Used For Good

Post a Comment
Name:

Check here for Anonymous
Email

Website:

 
Please contact me at the phone number and address below
Phone Number

Address:

 
Comment:

 
User Verification
8 4 7 1 0 6 2 8
Please enter the number you see in the box.
[ What's This? ]
Sign Up For Emailed Daily Gold Nuggets

"...articles are easy to follow and seem to have information one can use right away."
-Ann, Gallery 4, Hamden CT


"...serious kudos to you. We love your straight talk, pertinent information and plain language. I don't know how many industries have something of jWAG's caliber available, but I learn from the emails every day. Really, really nice work, and very appreciated."
-Cheryl Herrick, Global Pathways Jewelry