Does Google discourage HTML5 hidden attribute on links

Question

We have a widget which is inserted via Javascript.

<div class="tp_-_box" data-tp-settings="domainId:7913" hidden>
  <a href="http://www.trustpilot.dk/review/demoshop.com">Demoshop Reviews</a>
</div>

We change the div and link with the widget that also links to Demoshop Reviews on Trustpilot.

Will Google punish us for using the hidden attribute in ths case?

Answer 1

It is likely but not confirmable as the current algorithm for page ranking is not public and a moving target. Google adjusts their rules as untrustworthy sites shift their tactics. I would recommend reading Google's guidelines on what they deem to bee untrustworthy: Hidden text and links.

Further reading seems to suggest this is not a good practice. In this article, hidden divs are called out as an "old method" for SEO. Which makes it very likely Google already knows about it and probably scores pages negatively for using this tactic.