The Evidence Against Text Formatting As A Ranking Factor In the earlier-referenced video, Cutts is saying Google treats the two types of HTML elements the same from a ranking perspective.

Tips for formatting text If you pasted text from another program like Microsoft Word or Google Drive into CORE, the text can carry over hidden styling that interferes with how your content displays.

See, these days I post a very occasional comment to Ars in article comments, not forums. I don't get the blindingly obvious formatting tag buttons that head the textarea here in the forum posts ...

Sometimes you don't want all the formatting and links that are included when you copy text.