Monday, September 15, 2025

The Digital Press

All the Bits Fit to Print

Ruby
Web Development Artificial Intelligence Urban Planning Astronomy

Nicu Tests Google's SVG Indexing with Inkscape Website

Testing Google's indexing of SVG text and links on a website

From Hacker News Original Article Hacker News Discussion

A developer created a test website entirely in SVG using Inkscape to explore how well Google indexes SVG text and follows links within the file. The experiment aims to assess whether SVG can be a practical alternative for authoring web pages.

Why it matters: Understanding SVG indexing impacts web design choices for SEO and accessibility when using vector graphics for entire sites.

The big picture: SVG is a W3C web standard, but browser support for advanced features and indexing behavior varies, affecting usability and search visibility.

The other side: Some users report sluggish text selection and poor reflow on mobile, raising concerns about accessibility and user experience.

Commenters say: Many find SVG-based sites intriguing and nostalgic, but note performance issues, limited search results, and question accessibility for assistive technologies.