SEO Tycoon

**Seafoam** · 12-20-2007, 08:29 PM

(Note, I did a search on "image replacement" here but can't post the URL because I'm so new)

It's an old dilemma... you want to have a nice "400x60" -ish banner jpeg with a fancy photoshopped font of your websites name... but you still want to get the SEO benefits of having that title between <H1> tags. Supposedly omitting the <H1> and just relying on the "alt" part of the img tag isn't that great.

There are several image replacement techniques available by Fahrner, Leahy/Langridge, Rundle, etc. But Google has rules that you can't present one thing to a SE, and another to a user... image replacement techniques can constitute deception, and can be penalized.

Most of the tutorial webpages I'm finding are slanted more toward accessibility than SEO... and that's noble... but all I really just want is a good looking banner jpeg *and* good SEO. What techniques does anyone here recommend?

**beley** · 12-23-2007, 06:50 PM

I use the text-indent w/ CSS and haven't been penalized yet. Search engines can see all the image replacement methods, so the key is to have the text in your image be exactly the same as the text in your header tag.

I always give the H1 tag a width and height, and a background image using CSS. Then I give it a text-indent: -9999px which pushes the text out of the way leaving the background image there.

Again, I'm not sure if search engines care, but I've not been penalized for it yet. But I always have the exact same text in my image as is in the header tag, just in case a real human looks at the site (from the search engines).

**Seafoam** · 12-31-2007, 04:02 PM

Thanks, I had let this go because of the Holidays.

I had also thought about using the indent technique, but for now I decided to go with Fahrner image replacement. It...works. I might switch to Leahy/Langridge IR later. Not sure.

Anyone else have any thoughts on what IR might be best for SEO?

**F1SEO** · 12-31-2007, 04:19 PM

There used to be a popular one called Phark image replacement, which like you said throws an off-page piece of text and then uses the image in its place.

It's a fairly old technique and is not one I would recommend owing to the aspect of 'the SEs not seeing the same as human'. You might never get a penalty from using it, but there is a chance that it might get caught.

There are ways of attacking this if you have a little time. Use your logo, attach an img alt tag - standard stuff. But can you break up your header box into different zones? Perhaps use the logo and then use some some real h1 text next to it?