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( Perceivable / WCAG 1.3.1 )

Presentational markup used instead of semantic elements

This check maps to Info and Relationships. Use the guidance below to confirm the issue, understand who it affects and ship a fix.

Minor Level A WCAG 1.3.1 — Info and Relationships

What’s wrong

The page uses <b> or <i> elements instead of <strong> or <em>, losing semantic meaning.

Why it matters

<b> and <i> are purely visual — they convey no meaning to screen readers. <strong> signals strong importance and <em> signals stress emphasis. Some screen readers change their voice tone when reading these elements.

How to fix it

Replace <b> with <strong> for important text, and <i> with <em> for stressed emphasis. For visual-only styling, use CSS.

Before
<p>Please <b>do not</b> submit the form twice.</p>
<p>The event is on <i>Friday</i>, not Thursday.</p>
After
<p>Please <strong>do not</strong> submit the form twice.</p>
<p>The event is on <em>Friday</em>, not Thursday.</p>

<!-- Visual styling only: use CSS -->
<p>The product is <span class="brand">RedFlag</span>.</p>

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