MediaVision Blog : Search Engine Marketing

If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? Similarly, if a webmaster hides text under images using the z-index and no one sends it to the Google spam report team, is it unethical SEO?

For those less in the know, the Z-index is the 3rd dimension in a web page that the programmer uses to declare which content sits on top of what. And yes, some less than ethical SEO’s actually place images and other content on top, to hide keyword rich text beneath, in a cunning yet perilous attempt to fool the search engines and users simultaneously.

Google Webmaster Central team say that the practise is ok as long as the images placed over the text are nothing more than a visual version of the text that is beneath, for the purpose of enhancing the page’s aesthetics. My opinion is concurrent. The line here is not a vague one, it is quite obvious. How many words under the image should justify a penalty? The answer is simple, if a word is not represented visually on the page, then it is outside of the ethical boundary. At least, Google needs to employ such austerity to enforce good web practise by webmasters. The rate of those honest webmasters falling into spamming sin is too high for Google to pay individual attention to each case.

The Search engines should not restrict webmasters from furthering technology in design and media online. So much brilliance and creativity is being injected into how information is represented on the web. If a designer needs to use visual stimuli to inspire his audience, then he should not be hindered in any way. The web should not have to be flooded with kitsch looking HTML-only sites forever. Some day, search engine robots may be advanced enough to interpret whether images and videos are spammy or not. For the meantime, if they haven’t already, Google should establish some universal standard that allows for images and Flash to be used freely without being penalised. One solution would be an in-house “standards bureau” that verifies Flash and image-heavy sites. In this way, webmasters would not be deceiving visitors and themselves, and have sites that are regularly stamped with the seal of approval.