White text on a web page is SPAM?

I couldn't believe it when I read this SEO Tip of the Day from John Alexander. He said that white text on a web site with a white background page color raises a flag with search engines because of the potential for "hidden text." That I understand. What surprised me is that even if that white text is in a table that has a dark background, it will STILL raise a flag! I have so much to learn.

Just something to keep in mind when you are designing web pages for your articles.

Here is the tip text in full:

Are you aware of the penalties for using hidden text? This out dated technique is Spam. Never try to add keywords or text to a page, in the same color font as the exact background color, thus making text appear hidden.

Spam Alert: Don't EVER use hidden text, hidden links or hidden "anything" on a page unless you want to risk setting off some warning flags and risk getting in trouble.

Special Tip: Be sure to use care with text color inside of a table too.
Example: If your background is a white page and you are using a table filled with dark Navy Blue (for example.) Be careful not to use a white colored font text. Although the text is not hidden, you could still accidentally set off some flags by using a white text with a white background (regardless of the fact that the table is blue.)

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