The keyword in bold or strong tag specifies that it has slightly more importance than other text on the web page. These bold keywords are given a second look and taken into account by the search engines. Therefore, with specific SEO algorithms, the search engines such as Google, MSN, and Yahoo will give emphasis to the keywords that are highlighted using bold or strong tag.



The bold tag <"b"> represents the encapsulated keyword in ?bold? font. But, with the change of font, it does not change the semantic meaning of keyword. If you read the sentence that contains keyword inside <"b"> tags for instance, then you will read encapsulated text with no special stress at all. The syntax for bold tag is:

your text is typed here .

The strong tag <"strong"> represents the encapsulated keyword in ?bold? font. Unlike the bold tag, it changes the semantic meaning of keyword. If you read the sentence that contains keyword in side <"strong"> tag for instance, then you will the read encapsulated keyword louder and more boldly when compared with bold tag. The syntax for strong tag is

<"strong">your text is typed here

According to Matt Cutts's SEO video on qualities of a good site video, he said that Google treats the bold and strong tag with the same weight-age. Well, if you are into the finer details of the semantics of markup then it is prefer to use <"strong"> tag. On other hand, if you are into minimizing typing time then it is prefer to use <"b"> tag. Therefore, <"strong"> tag is used to maximize the compliance with standards and recommendations.

On the internet, there are many websites that have bold the entire web page or paragraph. Many people do the same to make the letters stand out, but in return it affects their web page as they can lose the effect of using these tags. It does not give priority to the words that you may want to stand out for readers. Therefore, it is necessary to use ?b? or ?strong? tags to emphasize on particular keywords on a web page rather than irrelevant words. By bolding the keywords, the search engine bots scan the page and gives more importance to the keyword in the bold or strong font.

Lastly, while preparing the web page, one should not bold the entire page or paragraph by using ?b? or ?strong? tag. Importantly, one should only bold keywords or links with anchor text.