| CSS Image Replacement is a web design technique | | | | called spam. I’m not saying that mouseovers or |
| that calls a logo or specific image via the CSS | | | | DHTML text or have-a-logo-but-also-have-text is |
| stylesheet, while hiding some text behind it on the | | | | spam; I answered that last one at a conference |
| web page. | | | | when I said “imagine how it would look to a |
| The normal code for a logo would look like this: | | | | visitor, a competitor, or someone checking out a |
| | | | spam report. If you show your company’s name |
| Using the CSS Replacement technique, first you | | | | and it’s Expo Markers instead of an Expo |
| would create a CSS class that would look like this: | | | | Markers logo, you should be fine. If the text you |
| | | | decide to show is ‘Expo Markers cheap online |
| And then you would call the logo on the web page | | | | discount buy online Expo Markers sale …’ then I |
| with the following code: | | | | would be more cautious, because that can look bad. |
| | | | So according to him it depends on how you use the |
| The visual result would be the same in both cases, | | | | technique. He does mention that it can be a reason |
| but with the CSS Image Replacement you would | | | | to get your website flagged for spam though. |
| have the “logo name” text hidden in the | | | | Who Uses It? |
| page. | | | | Apart from checking what people are saying about it, |
| Why? Why Not? | | | | it would be nice to see who, among the SEO |
| Why did people started using this technique? Mainly | | | | experts, is actually using the technique, right? |
| because it makes the logo more accessible. Search | | | | Rand Fishkin from SEOMoz seems to be a big |
| bots, for example, will be able to know what it is | | | | proponent of that. He uses CSS Image Replacement |
| about (they can read text, but not images). | | | | on the logo of his popular website, and he also wrote |
| Why there is some controversy regarding this | | | | a post once defending the idea behind it. |
| technique, though, if it makes the web design more | | | | Aaron Wall from SEOBook, on the other hand, does |
| accessible? Simply because it can be exploited for | | | | not use it. |
| SEO purposes. Hidden text is a very old SEO trick, | | | | Wikipedia seems to be using CSS Image |
| and today most search engines penalize it. | | | | Replacement, while Google does not use it on any of |
| CSS Image Replacement in theory is a legitimate | | | | its properties. |
| reason to hide text, but it is not always clear if | | | | What Do You Think? |
| Google and the other search engines are fine with it. | | | | Do you think that CSS Image Replacement could |
| What Does Google Say? | | | | cause SEO problems to a site using it? Obviously we |
| Matt Cutts, who is head of Google’s Web Spam | | | | are considering a site using it legitimately, and not |
| team, once wrote: If you’re straight-out using | | | | abusing it. Let us know what you think and leave a |
| CSS to hide text, don’t be surprised if that is | | | | comment. |