How Will I Know Where Should I Use Tags Or Tags?

Skip to ContentSubmitted by chipJumper19895over 10 yearsHow will I know where should I use <b> tags or <strong> tags?

I want to know which option should I use generally? I know or tags only goes for the modern browsers but or tags go for all of em. I want to know whats the recommended practice for this?

Answer 551b2ee076b8fee489000066

0 votes

Permalink

The simple answer is to read the text back to yourself out loud. Pretend you are a screen reader and your user has limited vision (or is blind) and must listen to the reader. For ever phrase you have wrapped in <strong></strong> raise your voice a notch and add emphasis to what you read. Does it sound like you are shouting? Does the phrase need this kind of emphasis? If not, use <b></b>. This will only alter the way sighted users see the text, and will not alter the way blind people hear it.

We need to use bold text and strong emphasis very sparingly. Even sighted people will see it as shouting, and nobody likes to be yelled at.

You’ll find that we can use the same reasoning with <i></i> and <em></em>. The latter adds aural emphasis in a screen reader, while the other does not.

The general rule is to only use STRONG or EM when emphasis is justified and reasonable, and only ever on short phrases. Sparingly, in other words. And only use bold or italics to create slight visual emphasis, without adding too much meaning. If added meaning is implied, then use STRONG or EM so screen reader users get a sense of it, too.

Lastly, don’t let people tell you that you should use <strong> and not <b>, or, <em> and not <i>. That is pure poppycock. Use the markup that best suits the situation. This is a very important concern that bears some further reading, starting with W3C (not the schools, the WWW Consortium). WAI WCAG is a good place to start, once you have read the specs on strong vs b, and em vs i.

Submitted by mtfover 10 years

Popular free courses

• Free course

  Learn SQL

  In this SQL course, you'll learn how to manage large datasets and analyze real data using the standard data management language.
  • Checker DenseBeginner Friendly.Beginner Friendly4 Lessons4 Lessons
  
• Free course

  Learn JavaScript

  Learn how to use JavaScript — a powerful and flexible programming language for adding website interactivity.
  • Checker DenseBeginner Friendly.Beginner Friendly11 Lessons11 Lessons
  
• Free course

  Learn HTML

  Start at the beginning by learning HTML basics — an important foundation for building and editing web pages.
  • Checker DenseBeginner Friendly.Beginner Friendly6 Lessons6 Lessons
  

Explore full catalog