HTML Formatting: A Complete Guide

Introduction: What Is HTML Formatting?

HTML formatting is used to style and structure text on a webpage so it becomes:

  • Easy to read

  • Visually clear

  • Meaningful for browsers, search engines, and screen readers

When you create a webpage, plain text alone is not enough.
HTML formatting helps you:

  • Highlight important words

  • Emphasize meaning

  • Display quotes, code, or special text

  • Improve accessibility and SEO

This guide explains HTML formatting tags step by step, written in a teacher-style, beginner-friendly tone, perfect for first-time learners.

What Is HTML Text Formatting?

HTML text formatting means using special HTML tags to change how text:

  • Looks (bold, italic, underline)

  • Behaves (deleted, inserted)

  • Communicates meaning (importance, emphasis)

👉 Formatting does not replace CSS, but it adds semantic meaning to text.

Common HTML Formatting Tags (Overview)

TagPurpose
<b>Bold text (visual only)
<strong>Important text
<i>Italic text (visual only)
<em>Emphasized text
<u>Underlined text
<mark>Highlighted text
<small>Smaller text
<del>Deleted text
<ins>Inserted text
<sub>Subscript
<sup>Superscript
<code>Code text
<pre>Preformatted text
<blockquote>Long quotation
<q>Short quotation

Bold Text: <b> vs <strong>

<b> – Bold (Visual Only)

 
<p>This is <b>bold</b> text.</p>

<strong> – Important Text (Recommended)

 
<p>This is <strong>important</strong> text.</p>

✅ Difference

<b><strong>
Styling onlyMeaning + styling
No SEO benefitBetter SEO & accessibility

👉 Use <strong> when importance matters.

 Italic Text: <i> vs <em>

<i> – Italic (Visual)

 
<p>This word is <i>italic</i>.</p>

<em> – Emphasis (Semantic)

 
<p>This is <em>very important</em>.</p>

👉 Screen readers emphasize <em> text.

Underlined Text: <u>

 
<p>This is <u>underlined</u> text.</p>

⚠️ Use carefully—underlines can look like links.

 Highlighted Text: <mark>

 
<p>This is <mark>highlighted</mark> text.</p>

✅ Commonly used for:

  • Search results

  • Important notes

Small Text: <small>

 
<p>Copyright <small>© 2025</small></p>

Deleted and Inserted Text: <del> & <ins>

Deleted Text

 
<p>Price: <del>₹1000</del> ₹800</p>

Inserted Text

 
<p><ins>New feature added</ins></p>

👉 Useful for updates and revisions.

Subscript and Superscript

Subscript (<sub>)

 
<p>H<sub>2</sub>O</p>

Superscript (<sup>)

 
<p>10<sup>2</sup> = 100</p>

 Code Formatting: <code> and <pre>

Inline Code

 
<p>Use <code>console.log()</code> in JavaScript.</p>

Preformatted Text

 
<pre> function hello() { return "Hello World"; } </pre>

👉 Preserves spaces and line breaks.

 Quotations: <blockquote> and <q>

Long Quote

 
<blockquote> Learning never exhausts the mind. </blockquote>

Short Quote

 
<p>He said, <q>Practice daily</q>.</p>

HTML Formatting vs CSS Styling

HTML FormattingCSS Styling
Adds meaningControls appearance
SemanticVisual
Improves accessibilityImproves design

👉 Best practice:
Use HTML for meaning, CSS for design.

Common Beginner Mistakes

  • Using formatting tags only for styling
  •  Using <b> instead of <strong>
  • Overusing <u> and <mark>
  • Ignoring semantic meaning
  •  Formatting entire paragraphs unnecessarily

Best Practices for HTML Formatting

  • Use semantic tags (<strong>, <em>)
  •  Keep formatting minimal
  • Use CSS for design changes
  • Focus on readability
  • Think about accessibility

Accessibility & SEO Benefits

  • Screen readers understand semantic tags

  • Search engines identify important text

  • Content becomes more structured

  • Better user experience

👉 Proper formatting improves SEO indirectly.

FAQs: HTML Formatting

What is HTML formatting?

Using HTML tags to style and give meaning to text.

Is <b> deprecated?

No, but <strong> is preferred for importance.

Can I use CSS instead of formatting tags?

Yes, for styling—but semantic tags are still important.

Which formatting tag is best for emphasis?

<em>