Member Avatar for Freeman45

Hi,
Both the above appear to do the same thing to text on a web page.
Have I misunderstood their use?
Do Search engines view them differently?
Thanks

  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 86 Views
  • 1 Day Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by aniseed

Dani AI

Generated

asked whether the two tags are interchangeable and whether search engines care; and started the conversation. Here is a concise, standards‑based clarification and practical guidance.

The living HTML specification gives each element a distinct purpose: one is a semantic marker for strong importance, while the other is a presentational offset used where text should appear stylistically distinct without implying greater importance. See the spec definitions for the strong element and the b element for the exact wording and typical use cases (strong element, b element).

Practical advice: prefer the semantic element when the content actually carries added importance (it helps assistive tech and keeps intent explicit). Use the presentational element or a CSS class when the goal is purely visual styling (typography, keywords, lead‑ins). When updating older pages, prioritize fixing structure and clarity rather than swapping tags purely for SEO. For accessibility checks and real‑world behavior across screen readers, include a quick test in the workflow (automated axe/ Lighthouse checks plus a manual pass with NVDA or VoiceOver). WebAIM offers a good overview of semantic structure and accessibility best practices (WebAIM semantic structure).

There is no public documentation from major search engines that these inline tags by themselves give ranking boosts. Choose the element that best communicates meaning to people and assistive tools; that approach has the most reliable long‑term benefit.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for stymiee

According to Google their isn't much of a difference between the two. In practical use, <strong> is useful to screenreaders as it makes them give the text encased by it more emphasis. Otherwise there is no difference between the two tags.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.