Should I Use Tabbed & Accordion Content for SEO?
Learn how this formatting affects crawling and why you shouldn’t forget the user experience.
We often get this question: “Is it okay to use tabs or accordions in our web design?”
Short answer: Technically, yes.
Google says it can crawl and index hidden content just fine. But here’s the catch. OuterBox has run tests, and in many cases, obvious content (no tabs or toggles) performs better in search.
However, we agree that they can look nice, and the user experience matters, even when considering how Google ranks sites. So what’s the answer?
Let’s break down the pros and cons of formatting with tabs, accordions, and other design tricks that may hide content at first glance.
Accordion element used in conjunction with SEO content is featured above.
From a technical SEO standpoint, Google has said for years that it can crawl and index content tucked inside tabs and accordions. So, yes—your content can be seen by search engines. But here’s the thing: just because it’s indexed doesn’t mean it’s performing well.
At OuterBox, we’ve tested tabbed content vs. fully visible layouts, and in many cases, we’ve seen measurable improvements in organic traffic after removing these elements. However, just like a medication ad, results may vary. We’ve also seen no significant effect in traffic from sites that included some form of tabbed or accordion content. Some industries or page types may not see a drastic change.
The conclusion? It’s what’s in the content more so than the design element. If you have a keyword you want to rank for based on user intent, give it the limelight it deserves.
Card layout as a UX element and on-page navigation element.
Tabs and accordions aren’t the only way to organize content. Dropdowns and cards are another popular choice, especially for interactive experiences. Like accordions, dropdowns take the same UI as your navigation and bring it to other spots on your site. Card formats feature images until a user hovers or clicks, allowing text to appear like a tooltip.
This content only appears once a user interacts with it and is not visible by default, so the same caution applies to these elements. If your primary goal is SEO performance, rethink that setup and display content openly.
However, not every element on a web page is necessary for SEO goals. In cases like supporting content, engaging UX can be the goal. When SEO isn’t the priority, UX can take the lead.
Why User Experience Matters
While we’ve focused on SEO here, user experience (UX) plays a massive role in how your page performs in search. Enter Core Web Vitals—Google’s set of metrics designed to measure helpful UX. These vitals assess loading performance, visual stability, and interactivity.
If your tabbed or accordion content causes layout shifts, delays interactivity, or hides important info that users need, you could hurt your user satisfaction and rankings. So again, important content should be out front, while secondary content can go in UX features that clean up the design.
If you and your team decide to use this formatting, the golden rule is always to have the first tab, accordion, or dropdown default open.
Technical Tip: For devs and SEOs, be careful with how you implement JavaScript—when disabled, it can break tabbed or accordion functionality entirely. With JavaScript on, users see a plus sign and can expand content. But if it’s off, that icon disappears—and worse, the content behind it becomes completely inaccessible.
What About Mobile?
Tabs, accordions, and other elements like these can improve the mobile experience so that users can expand on the content they want without lots of scrolling. So they are important as long as they work.
Tabbed content can be problematic on mobile if it’s slow to load or difficult to interact with. Search engines take notice if users bounce because they can’t find what they need quickly.
When designing content for SEO, remember this: you’re designing for people first. Ask yourself—what information do your customers need to confidently take the next step? Put that content front and center. Make the experience smooth, fast, and intuitive on every device.
If Formatting is Your Goal, What About Structured Data?
There are other front and backend formatting tricks that can add value to your SEO. Google picks featured snippets based on how your content is structured, after quality content of course, and this can boost your odds of populating features that cause zero-click results.
- Paragraphs: Direct answers in clear, tight paragraphs often get pulled.
- Lists: Got steps or bullet points? Google loves them!
- Tables: Clean tables with useful data that’s easy to scan.
- Videos: If you have video that answers intent, it might get featured, too.
These items are all out front and can bring the desired design and UX needs as well as SEO advantages.
What’s Your Takeaway?
Tabs and accordions aren’t inherently bad. They can help keep pages clean and organized, especially for FAQs or long-form product details. But when it comes to core messaging, keyword-rich content, or conversion-critical info—make sure it’s visible by default.
The best approach? Test it. Monitor performance with and without tabs. Review your Core Web Vitals scores in Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights to understand how your layout affects performance.
UX and SEO are no longer separate disciplines. They’re intertwined. Designing for clarity, accessibility, and performance will always pay off.
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