How can I conceal text using css in specific situations without risking a penalty from search engines?

Currently, I'm developing an illustration tool that needs to be visually appealing to users, while also being accessible to screen readers and search engines. Below is the HTML code I'm working with:

<span class="card">A new idea is presented to the group. </span>
<span class="spoke userOne active understands">
  <span class="node">
    <span class="label">User one </span>
    <span class="relationship">is engaged in the conversation</span>
    <span class="user"><span class="status"> and understands. </span></span>
  </span>
</span>

To view the illustration rendering with and without CSS, visit the following links:

http://jsfiddle.net/FnBd4/

http://jsfiddle.net/FnBd4/1/

EDIT: Some feedback has led me to adjust the question slightly. I'm aiming to keep the visual representation clean without cluttering it with text, while still ensuring accessibility to screen readers and search engines. Currently, I'm achieving this by setting the font-size to 0px for most elements. I'm concerned if this might negatively impact SEO. If so, I'd like to know the best approach to achieve my goal (besides using an image tag with an alt attribute).

htmlcss

Answer №1

I really love the hide-text technique by Zeldman, which allows text to be hidden using CSS. You can find more information about it here: 

.hide-text {
    text-indent: 100%;
    white-space: nowrap;
    overflow: hidden;
}

Answer №2

When it comes to search engines, they primarily analyze the visible content on a webpage. Consider using img elements with alt attributes to enhance optimization.

Answer №3

As per the findings presented in this WebAIM article on Accessibility, experts suggest relocating screen-reader only text to the far left, outside the browser window, for optimal usage by screen readers.

.hidden{ position:absolute; left:-10000px; top:auto; width:1px; height:1px; overflow:hidden; }

Furthermore, I find Jason Lydon's suggestion of using text-indent quite intriguing, even though it may only offer marginal performance improvements on older devices. The choice is yours!

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