How valuable is content "hidden" behind a JavaScript dropdown really?

[jfkorn]

I've come across a method implemented by some SEO agencies to fill up pages with somehow relevant text and hide it behind a javascript dropdown. Does Google fall for such cheap tricks?

You can see this method used on these pages for example (just scroll down to the bottom) - it's all in German, but you get the idea I guess:

http://www.insider-boersenbrief.de/

http://www.deko-und-kerzenshop.de/

How is you experience with this way of adding content to a site? Do you think it is valuable or will it get penalised?

[Mark_Jay_Apsey_Jr.]

UNANIMOUS.  Dont do it. We had several sites we were working on, from an acquisition, that had it hidden and did some extensive research last month and got consistent feedback that it will be picked up by google.

This guys name is john doherty. He is an active contributor to seomoz and I have read some great seo articles from him.....in this one he gives an example of an seo audit and what to make sure you look for.....

http://www.johnfdoherty.com/seo-facepalms-dont-hide-content-behind-javascript/

Without any lack of clarity he tells you not to do it.....we got the same feedback from several other folks in seo at the agency level.

Good luck.

[jfkorn]

Thank you for the reply. I checked the link you posted, good information there. The only thing I was thinking about: The scenario John described wasn't necessarily content hidden behind an accessible dropdown. I'm still wondering if this makes any difference to Google. Hiding content to users completely or giving them the choice to display it by clicking the dropdown button seems different to me. One could also do this using CSS, just like with CSS dropdown navigation. There wouldn't even have to be any JS involved. Seems all pretty grey-hat to me though.

[dohertyjf]

Hey guys -

Good question here. You are right, JFKORN, that the scenario I described in my post was where content that should be accessible to Google was hidden behind Javascript. Of course, Google is now indexing Javascript and can parse it quite well, so I'm not sure it still holds true, but I still recommend, to be safe, to not serve content using Javascript.

It seems to me, though, that you are asking the opposite. But what they are doing here seems to be legit to me. In my mind, it is not any different from simply using a collapsible DIV to put tabs onto a page, like on this page: http://www.rei.com/product/812097/black-diamond-posiwire-quickpack-quickdraw-set-package-of-6. I would actually say that it's fine to do this. But, be careful with the content because you do not want to get into "stuffing" the pages with keywords, which can hurt your rankings, even without an official penalty. I've seen this more as an assumed algorithmic penalty that then went away when the text was removed.

So be careful, but I don't think you'd be doing anything greyhat here.