Inline icons work best when they add genuine meaning — helping users quickly identify content categories, actions, or concepts. Consistent sizing, optical alignment with adjacent text, and a cohesive icon style ensure they enhance readability rather than creating visual clutter.
Decorative inline icons should be hidden from screen readers with aria-hidden, while meaningful icons need descriptive aria-labels. SVG is the preferred format for its scalability and styling flexibility, and icons should maintain adequate contrast with their background.