This is going to be a very short one, but it needs its own lesson since it will save you a lot of headache in the long run.
The Problem with Wrong Formats
Does the following code look like trash to you?
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:14.0pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-hansi-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';">
This is an example with an
<u style="text-underline:single;">underlined</u>
word.
</span>
</i>
</p>
If you said yes, then I agree – and I build websites for a living.
In contrast, here is how that exact same sentence should look in pure, clean HTML code:
<p><em>This is an example with an <u>underlined</u> word.</em></p>
So why is this?
We see this issue with many of our clients. Here is a typical conversation:
Client: “Hey! The fonts on the website look messy. Can you take a look?”
Us: “Sure thing!”
We scan the fonts, analyze the code, deactivate plugins and try to figure out where this “malformed text” is coming from (all while billing the client for the investigation).
And eventually, we notice that it is the client who put it there!
Us: “Hey! So, it turns out the formatting was brought in with the text. Do you use a tool like MS Office for your drafts?”
Client: “Yes, that’s where I do all my editing. Once I’m finished, I just copy and paste it into the product page.”
Us: “Yeah, don’t do that!”
The Problem:
When you copy-paste directly from Word or Google Docs into a WordPress editor, you aren’t just copying text – you’re copying hidden HTML and styling code. This “junk code” conflicts with your site’s styling, leading to weird fonts, broken layouts, and unnecessary bloat.
Why This Hurts Your Website
This doesn’t just look ugly – all that junk code actively harms the website:
- SEO & Page Speed: Search engines like Google hate bloated code. It makes the page size larger and load slower.
- Accessibility: Screen readers used by visually impaired visitors get very confused by ‘mso-bidi-font-style’ and other proprietary tags.
The Solution: Strip the Formatting
So what is the answer?
Shift!
While you paste it using Ctrl + V, additionally hold down the Shift key. So, Ctrl + Shift + V, and this will clear the formatting.
The issue isn’t Windows vs. Mac – operating system clipboards handle “Rich Text” vs. “Plain Text” exactly the same way. Mac users will destroy a webpage’s formatting just as easily. Here are the exact commands:
- Windows: Ctrl + Shift + V
- Mac: Cmd + Shift + V (officially called “Paste and Match Style”)
Alternative Tricks
If shortcuts aren’t your thing, here are two more ways to keep your code clean:
1. The Intermediary App Trick
Open a plain text editor on your computer – like Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac, set to Plain Text). Paste your Word document in there first. Then, copy it from Notepad and paste it into the website. Notepad automatically strips away all the Microsoft junk code.
2. The WordPress Buttons
Most website text editors actually have built-in tools for this. If you are using the WordPress Classic Editor, there is a button that looks like a clipboard with a “T” on it called “Paste as text”. There is also an eraser icon called “Clear formatting” which you can use to highlight messy text and strip the MS Word code out of it after you’ve pasted it.
In Conclusion
So, save yourself the hassle and do it right the first time. Otherwise you might end up with 500 products that need to be cleaned up. A simple fix (1 key press) will save you trouble in the long run.