How should I format this text? Is bold or italic better? “I am not sure! ” Have you ever wondered about it when writing a blog post?
It must have happened a lot, right? I’m sure that bolding, italicizing and underlining looks good. What’s the best way to use them? How do you use them? We are going to discuss these exact topics in this post.
Ways in which underlining, bolding, and italicizing are beneficial:-
In most copywriting practices, keywords are italicized, bolded, and underlined for SEO purposes. The problem arises when over-optimization is performed.
Does text formatting only benefit SEO?
No, definitely not.
In blog posts, bolding, italicizing, and underlining can provide some benefits.
1. Increase average read time:
Blog readers are mostly speed readers. Blog posts are usually read quickly.
It is my opinion that text-formatting tags should be considered speed-breakers, without which you could lose readers quickly.
Using text formatting tags to highlight content slows down the reader’s reading speed and makes them read more carefully.
2. Content will be more scannable:
It will be a hit with readers. You might think of a post written like a story without any formatting tags. A reader might be searching for as much information as possible in the post.
Typography lovers are the majority of readers. They enjoy posts with great typography.
3, Bold tags can act as a substitute for headings:
Heading tags can harm SEO if they are used excessively. A minimum of 100 words should be provided beneath every heading tag, which is not possible most of the time. Instead of heading tags, bold tags are used.
4, Bolding, Italicizing, and Underlining keywords:
The aim of this is to make blog posts keyword-optimized using SEO techniques. In Google’s eyes, this may look like over-optimization when done with exact keywords. Consider using LSI keywords instead.
5. The formatting tags perfectly match the design of the blog:
All types of blog layouts look great with formatting tags. They help your blog look more professional and eye-catching.
Bold, italics, and underlines offer these benefits. The article will also be more visually appealing with these features.
Where To Use Bold, Italics, And Underlines?
How to Use Bold or strong?
- Phrases of importance.
- Keywords are highlighted in bold.
In bold, the text is highlighted to grab the readers’ attention.
Strong emphasis is conveyed by the bold tag. It’s best to use italics first when highlighting something, and bold text is only needed if you’re unhappy with the emphasis that italics have given to your text.
People who overemphasize have a tendency to bold or italicize a whole paragraph or combine italics with bold-like text.
Don’t follow their example.
All the highlighting means that nothing will be emphasized.
How To Use Or Emphasis?
Here are the common uses of italics.
- A quote is highlighted (some blockquotes are used).
- Books, blogs, newspapers, and other names are highlighted with italics.
- Discussions or dialogues.
- I was walking one day and I had an idea (blah…blah…).
- Words from another language.
Sentences, dialogues, and names that are conversational are written in italics.
In sentences, they are also used as an accent. In terms of emphasis, italics are considered weaker than bold. Start with italics, if you don’t like it, use bold.
You should not drink more than two cups of coffee per day, for example.
The word ‘not’ may be missed by readers if it is not italicized.
Using sans-serif typefaces such as Georgia or Times New Roman with italic words quickly catches the eye. As the slant will be lower in sans-serif fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, and Verdana, these don’t tend to stand out as much.
Where To Use Underline?
You should underline. Links stand out a lot when it’s underlined!
Underlined text and links are difficult to differentiate.
The web uses underlining less than textbooks and newspapers.
When writing for the web, it is highly recommended to use the underline tag as little as possible. To emphasize points, use bold or italic instead of underlining.
Underlines are appropriate in the following circumstances:
- Search Engine Optimization is what SEO stands for.
- Hyperlinks are links.
The assumption that an underlined text contains a link is common in the online world. So, you shouldn’t put underlines in your writing.
Where to Use CAPS?
It is common for writers and bloggers, including me, to use caps to denote shouting or screaming when they write blogs?
- Include acronyms where appropriate (e.g., SEO).
- Screaming or shouting is denoted by the word
In other words, you should not use caps except to indicate acronyms. You should only use caps when expressing extremely strong emotions.
Quick Links
- On Page Optimization SEO Tips for Bloggers
- Best Tips to Improve SEO Rankings Of Your Website
- How Matt Diggity Sold Multiple 6-7 Fig Sites Through SEO
Conclusion- Bold, Italics, And Underlines- How To Use Them In SEO?
If you want to use bold or italics in your web content, don’t underline (besides the links). Italics serve as a weak emphasis, while bold serves as a strong one.
By using these formatting tags correctly, bounce rates can be reduced and average visits can be increased. However, most bloggers do not get this correct.
How do you feel about this? Is there anything else you would like to share with us? Do drop a comment below.
