Are CSS Generated Content acceptable in terms of SEO?

Question

I run an online literary journal which leads to an indexing problem--our content is not "about" literature -- it is literature. As such, Google is really bad at identifying what's going on, and due to the very low keyword density we have to try and work with, I've been looking for ways to slash interface text and turn it into iconography where possible.

I've been looking for a way to do the same with our post dates, but it's been a long search. I stumbled across the idea of using CSS generated content content:attr(id) to substitute the ID attribute of an invisible image into the page itself.

This works on the display level, however, I haven't been able to track down anything conclusive on whether this interface-only text will still get indexed, or whether we'll be able to move away from months and days of the week being our most-frequent keywords. I know Google will still see it; anyone know if it'll "count"?

Answer 1

As far as I'm aware, the 'best' way to ensure something is hidden from a search engine is to either load it via AJAX or (shudder) include it with flash.

If you feel that the non-content aspects of your site are adversely affecting your site's standing in the various search engines, you could load these elements via AJAX.

Only if you really think these elements are seriously affecting your position.

Below is an image describing areas of this page that one could conceivably post-load via AJAX, if one was overly concerned about their impact on SEO:

I know this doesn't specifically answer your question, it's a suggestion for an alternative way to tackle your issue.