Is it better to use <b> or <strong>

[misteryou.]

hi

I am looing to know if is it better to use <b> or <strong> in your content

Is there any measurable difference between them ?

 

[BassTrackerBoats]

<strong>

Google gives that more credence and that is why wordpress uses it for you.

 

[trex191]

They are both treated the same.

 

[trex191]

<strong>

Google gives that more credence and that is why wordpress uses it for you.

This is false. Googlewebmaster or matt or whomever I watch said they are both treated the same. I tend to use strong as well because I see that it is highly use.

 

[Amsterdammer]

To put an end to this, lets copy paste a site that should know what they are talking about.

Often <strong> renders as <b>, and <em> renders as <i>.

However, there is a difference in the meaning of these tags:

<b> or <i> defines bold or italic text only.

<strong> or <em> means that you want the text to be rendered   in a way that the user understands as "important". Today, all major  browsers render strong as bold and em as italics. However, if a browser  one day wants to  make a text highlighted with the strong feature, it might be cursive for  example and not bold!

 

[seo445]

I used strong code only.

 

[lanbo]

I use <b> personally.

 

[youssfy]

I have read that <strong> is more effective.

 

[TheMatrix]

B is used to indicate that the enclosed text must be rendered in a bold typeface. It must be rendered distinct from I-italics text.

If you want to indicate strong emphasis, use the STRONG element instead. B should only be used when you want bold typeface for some other reason than to denote strong emphasis. While the two tags usually produce the same output, the B tag does not provide any reasons why the enclosed text is in boldface. This means an indexer or text-only browser cannot pick a good alternative. With STRONG this is possible.

<b> - Strictly a presentational element.
If you want text to be bold and not have any real semantic meaning, then wrap it in <b></b>.

<strong> - Strictly a structure element.
If you want text to be spoken with strong emphasis using a speech reader, then wrap it in <strong></strong>.

 

[river111]

just use them in your keywords..

 

[cruzino]

Although you can't follow every detail Matt Cutts says, if he says that they are both treated the same then this is probably a non-issue.

 

[monsterguts]

I nest them for extra emphasis

 

[misteryou.]

just use them in your keywords..

what a usefull post lol

 

[ohaider]

They are different:

<strong> Renders as strong (highlighted) text
<b> Renders as bold text

Strong will soon be deprecated as many of the older HTML tags have been. CSS styling should be used instead.


W3 says:

According to the HTML 5 specification, the <b> tag should be used as a LAST resort when no other tag is more appropriate. The HTML 5 specification states that headings should be denoted with the <h1> to <h6> tags, emphasized text should be denoted with the <em> tag, important text should be denoted with the <strong> tag, and marked/highlighted text should use the <mark> tag.

 

[AdnanMahmud]

They are both treated the same. But personally I use <strong>

 

[GuinnessMan]

They are different:

<strong> Renders as strong (highlighted) text
<b> Renders as bold text

Strong will soon be deprecated as many of the older HTML tags have been. CSS styling should be used instead.


W3 says:

Yeah was going to say...W3 has this posted on the page for the <b> and <strong> tags. My money is on anything that comes from W3.

I guess the question should be expanded really... is the OP asking if it matters in SEO or as a standard of code?

 

[seamate]

I prefer <b>. Its simple and effective

 

[misteryou.]

Yeah was going to say...W3 has this posted on the page for the <b> and <strong> tags. My money is on anything that comes from W3.

I guess the question should be expanded really... is the OP asking if it matters in SEO or as a standard of code?

for the SEO side

its seems that opinion's people diverge

 

[joaquin112]

strong is the right way to do it. From a usability standpoint, b doesn't convey much meaning. It's algo becoming deprecated, just like the font tag.

 

[Techxan]

Although you can't follow every detail Matt Cutts says, if he says that they are both treated the same then this is probably a non-issue.

The only constant in SEO is that Matt Cutts will lie to you.