Text-indent=-9999em = Bad SEO ?

[Osanda]

Since we weren't the ones who designed above mentioned website there is something we really don't understand. They have replaced images with text using css as below examples.

CSS --------->

div#logo { background: #fff url(../images/logo.gif) no-repeat 20px 0px; margin-bottom: 30px; } div#logo a { height: 148px; text-indent: -1000em; display: block; }

HTML ----------- >

******************

What my question is out of 100 scale how much does this affect SEO ? What if we keep H1 tags black without putting any text between tags ?

[RyanKent]

If you hide any H1 tags or content on your site, you will surely be caught and penalized. It's just a question of time.

How costly will the penalty be? Log into Google WMT and see what % of your site's traffic comes from organic search. No imagine that being 0% for a few weeks that is will take Google to review your reconsideration request. Now weigh the relatively minor benefit this manipulation offers your site.

[Osanda]

Well How Can I google find that Im hiding any text between tags unless one of my competitors report them ?

What If I block Stylesheet using robots.txt ?

[RyanKent]

When any crawler visits your site, they can see all of your web code. They definitely can see your CSS and will de-index a site for this form of manipulation.

Blocking your CSS files would yield the same result. You are required to present the same code to search engines that you do for users.

It's called Black Hat SEO. The company you are trying to cheat is the world's #1 search company with 30+ billion in revenue last year. There are a million other websites trying to get away with cheating. This has all been tried before.

Even if you devised a brilliant new method of cheating the system, it is only a matter of time until you are caught and your site is de-indexed. You would lose 100% of traffic along with any revenue from organic search.

[Osanda]

This site wasn't designed by me . So I cannot change any code at the moment . This site uses alot of hidden texts . such as navigation , company logo etc . What If I just keep the image without putting any text between those tags . That why search engines don't find any text in HTML at least.

[RyanKent]

I understand your situation and am sympathetic. I am simply trying to offer you the information you are seeking.

If you are performing SEO work on a site, then it is your role to educate the owner / developer on the risks associated with the site in it's present condition and to make recommendations.

I am in the fortunate position where I can turn down a client. I would turn away a client who was unwilling or unable to make changes which involved black hat methods. I would not want my name associated with such a site, nor the headaches that are involved with such sites.

If you choose to continue working with the site, I would strongly recommend a written document where you advised the client of these issues along with the consequences and they have acknowledged (i.e. signed) the document.

As far as making other changes, you are still breaking the rules but are fixing some of the violations. The changes may or may not help you avoid a penalty.