<b> or <strong> ?

Discussion in 'Search Engine Optimization' started by atomique, Jan 23, 2007.

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  1. #1
    I've been reading about the importance of <strong> over <b> in SEO.

    From what i've read <strong> is better than <b> since <b> is mainly for esthetics.

    Is it true or false ? What's your personal experience on this ?
     
    atomique, Jan 23, 2007 IP
  2. TheMadHat

    TheMadHat Peon

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    #2
    False. Exactly the same for SEO purposes. Directly from Matt Cutts:

     
    TheMadHat, Jan 23, 2007 IP
    Dudibob and KC TAN like this.
  3. empservices

    empservices Peon

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    #3
    I'd say start converting your pages to use divs and CSS classes, less for the spiders to read through and gives you more denser keyword content
     
    empservices, Jan 23, 2007 IP
  4. xfiver

    xfiver Peon

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    #4
    I thought that those bold tags were not usefull at all for SEO ? I thought it was a big myth.
     
    xfiver, Jan 23, 2007 IP
  5. cmpolis

    cmpolis Peon

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    #5
    You should use some <h#> tags...
     
    cmpolis, Jan 23, 2007 IP
  6. dam_sid

    dam_sid Banned

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    #6
    i would say that <strong> is better than <b>.
     
    dam_sid, Jan 23, 2007 IP
  7. htmlindex

    htmlindex Prominent Member

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    #7
    I think I remember seeing on one of those Matt Cutts videos that the <strong> tag gets a very slight benefit over a <b> tag
     
    htmlindex, Jan 24, 2007 IP
  8. KC TAN

    KC TAN Well-Known Member

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    #8
    He later clarifies that there are no difference between the two :)
     
    KC TAN, Jan 24, 2007 IP
  9. theseokit

    theseokit Banned

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    #9
    I agree, no difference. Just use what you think is best, test both out. Each field for SEO may be a tad different.
     
    theseokit, Jan 24, 2007 IP
  10. T-Shirt Gal

    T-Shirt Gal Peon

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    #10
    <b> is easier to type :D
     
    T-Shirt Gal, Jan 24, 2007 IP
  11. cldnails

    cldnails Well-Known Member

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    #11
    Wow, something I had never thought of, but does remind me to start emphasizing more content.
     
    cldnails, Jan 24, 2007 IP
  12. Rapesco

    Rapesco Peon

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    #12
    hmmm im sure we had this thread a few weeks ago, dont think there is any difference myself.
     
    Rapesco, Jan 24, 2007 IP
  13. hhheng

    hhheng Banned

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    #13
    Will it help in SEO? I don't think so. It's only for human eyes. h tags is more SEO friendly.
     
    hhheng, Jan 24, 2007 IP
  14. PoohBear88

    PoohBear88 Active Member

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    #14
    <strong> vs <b> is no longer an SEO related matter. Same exact thing.

    I would highly suggest to start using <strong> tags, as well as every other W3C format coding.
     
    PoohBear88, Jan 24, 2007 IP
  15. pagespank

    pagespank Peon

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    #15
    Exactly. I'd use <strong> as <b> is deprecated in the XHTML specs. But I wouldn't even consider the SEO aspects of this - there are waaay more important things to worry about ;)
     
    pagespank, Jan 25, 2007 IP
  16. oupe

    oupe Active Member

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    #16
    i would say that <b> is better than <strong>.
     
    oupe, Jan 25, 2007 IP
  17. intothemiddle

    intothemiddle Peon

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    #17
    I'd go with <strong> also because of it fitting into the xhtml strict etc. I'd also go for it because as Matt says bold was used in the 'dinosaur days' and so is probably more common as a tag on the net, therefore I'd also choose <strong>.

    If everyone uses <h1> tags for all headings then I'd probably use <strong> for the same reason. Lead don't follow. (Both tags are mainly for aesthetics!)
     
    intothemiddle, Jan 25, 2007 IP