Does hidden text on a page help with SEO?

Ever heard of hidden text on a website? That’s when the text font colour is changed to white — so viewers cannot see it.

It’s often used to try and manipulate search engines, with the idea that the hidden text is packed with keywords that would not really be an elegant read if they were a visible part of the page text.

But let’s dispel the myth: Google ignores that “invisible” text.

In a recent conversation that took place on Twitter, Google’s SEO go-to guy, John Mueller, was asked about hidden text. His response was as expected: “Google’s systems are pretty good at recognizing hidden text and ignoring it.”

While the debate around SEO is just about always littered with reference to tricks and shortcuts, such tactics – even if they get through Google’s filters – won’t get you that far. As we like to remind: SEO is about relevant, quality content that answers the user search query best. That’s the focus of any good SEO pro worth their salt.