Does putting content in tabs devalue it at all?

[davegtt]

Hello! Still very new to the SEO world and just trying to soak in as much information as I can.

The site I work for took a substantial hit with the panda update, so we are looking into adding as much quality content as we can in the upcoming months.

With our current site layout, space will quickly become an issue. Assuming the content is relevant and useful for the page, will putting the content into tabs be counter productive or devalue it at all?

[DavidKauzlaric]

Can you give me an example of "tabs"? Generally, drop downs and other forms of navigation do not hurt you. But please show me an accurate example so I can give you reliable information.

[alhallinan]

I think I know what you're asking.  Basically, using a "read more" type situation where the content is on the website in the code, but not visible to the user until they click on that area.  Is that correct?

If so, the answer is no, it does not devalue the content at all, and you shouldn't be penalized for it.

Matt Cutts discusses this topic in this video:

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[davegtt]

Thanks for the quick response! I should have mentioned this in the original post, but this is an ecommerce site.

A basic example would be a department/category page that shows products and sub-departments/categories. It would have a tab for a buying guide for that particular department or category. We aren't trying to add fluff and hide the guides from our customers, but we aren't sure what the best or "correct" tactic is to get the information on the most relevant pages.

[alhallinan]

Can you show me the specific URL and example?  That way I'll be able to answer clearly.

[DavidKauzlaric]

I understand exactly what you mean. Like underneath the product there is a box that has basic info and 5 tabs that say "Reviews - Detailed Info - Etc..." and when you click on the tab it shows you more content. This is perfectly acceptable for SEO. Just make sure that the tabs work in a way where all the content is there in the HTML and the tabs use Javascript to hide it/show it, so Search engines see it no matter what. Make sense? In other words, set your user-agent to googlebot and turn off everything and take a peek at your site and see what content you can see. YOu can do this via Webmaster Tools as well!

[davegtt]

My concern with this video is that he says to make sure it is not pages and pages of content. Granted, not all of these guides are going to be super long and this will probably be one of the longest, but the first complete guide is just over 1000 words.