diff --git a/cypress/integration/markdown_widget_hotkeys_spec.js b/cypress/integration/markdown_widget_hotkeys_spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4c80a3dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cypress/integration/markdown_widget_hotkeys_spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+import '../utils/dismiss-local-backup';
+import {HOT_KEY_MAP} from "../utils/constants";
+const headingNumberToWord = ['', 'one', 'two', 'three', 'four', 'five', 'six'];
+const isMac = Cypress.platform === 'darwin';
+const modifierKey = isMac ? '{meta}' : '{ctrl}';
+const replaceMod = (str) => str.replace(/mod\+/g, modifierKey).replace(/shift\+/g, '{shift}');
+
+describe('Markdown widget', () => {
+  describe('hot keys', () => {
+    before(() => {
+      Cypress.config('defaultCommandTimeout', 4000);
+      cy.task('setupBackend', { backend: 'test' });
+      cy.loginAndNewPost();
+
+    });
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      cy.clearMarkdownEditorContent();
+      cy.focused()
+        .type('foo')
+        .setSelection('foo').as('selection');
+    });
+
+    after(() => {
+      cy.task('teardownBackend', { backend: 'test' });
+    });
+
+    describe('bold', () => {
+      it('pressing mod+b bolds the text', () => {
+        cy.get('@selection')
+          .type(replaceMod(HOT_KEY_MAP['bold']))
+          .confirmMarkdownEditorContent(`
+            <p>
+              <strong>foo</strong>
+            </p>
+          `)
+          .type(replaceMod(HOT_KEY_MAP['bold']));
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('italic', () => {
+      it('pressing mod+i italicizes the text', () => {
+        cy.get('@selection')
+          .type(replaceMod(HOT_KEY_MAP['italic']))
+          .confirmMarkdownEditorContent(`
+            <p>
+              <em>foo</em>
+            </p>
+          `)
+          .type(replaceMod(HOT_KEY_MAP['italic']));
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('strikethrough', () => {
+      it('pressing mod+shift+s displays a strike through the text', () => {
+        cy.get('@selection')
+          .type(replaceMod(HOT_KEY_MAP['strikethrough']))
+          .confirmMarkdownEditorContent(`
+            <p>
+              <s>foo</s>
+            </p>
+          `).type(replaceMod(HOT_KEY_MAP['strikethrough']));
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('code', () => {
+      it('pressing mod+shift+c displays a code block around the text', () => {
+        cy.get('@selection')
+          .type(replaceMod(HOT_KEY_MAP['code']))
+          .confirmMarkdownEditorContent(`
+            <p>
+              <code>foo</code>
+            </p>
+          `).type(replaceMod(HOT_KEY_MAP['code']));
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('link', () => {
+      before(() => {
+        cy.window().then((win) => {
+          cy.stub(win, 'prompt').returns('https://google.com');
+        });
+      });
+      it('pressing mod+k transforms the text to a link', () => {
+        cy.get('@selection')
+          .type(replaceMod(HOT_KEY_MAP['link']))
+          .confirmMarkdownEditorContent('<p><a>foo</a></p>')
+          .type(replaceMod(HOT_KEY_MAP['link']));
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('headings', () => {
+      for (let i = 1; i <= 6; i++) {
+        it(`pressing mod+${i} transforms the text to a heading`, () => {
+            cy.get('@selection')
+              .type(replaceMod(HOT_KEY_MAP[`heading-${headingNumberToWord[i]}`]))
+              .confirmMarkdownEditorContent(`<h${i}>foo</h${i}>`)
+              .type(replaceMod(HOT_KEY_MAP[`heading-${headingNumberToWord[i]}`]))
+        });
+      }
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/cypress/support/commands.js b/cypress/support/commands.js
index 23401a9d..6dbb9626 100644
--- a/cypress/support/commands.js
+++ b/cypress/support/commands.js
@@ -295,11 +295,14 @@ Cypress.Commands.add('confirmMarkdownEditorContent', expectedDomString => {
     // Slate makes the following representations:
     // - blank line: 2 BOM's + <br>
     // - blank element (placed inside empty elements): 1 BOM + <br>
-    // We replace to represent a blank line as a single <br>, and remove the
-    // contents of elements that are actually empty.
+    // - inline element (e.g. link tag <a>) are wrapped with BOM characters (https://github.com/ianstormtaylor/slate/issues/2722)
+    // We replace to represent a blank line as a single <br>, remove the
+    // contents of elements that are actually empty, and remove BOM characters wrapping <a> tags
     const actualDomString = toPlainTree(element.innerHTML)
       .replace(/\uFEFF\uFEFF<br>/g, '<br>')
-      .replace(/\uFEFF<br>/g, '');
+      .replace(/\uFEFF<br>/g, '')
+      .replace(/\uFEFF<a>/g, '<a>')
+      .replace(/<\/a>\uFEFF/g, '</a>');
     expect(actualDomString).toEqual(oneLineTrim(expectedDomString));
   });
 });
@@ -335,7 +338,7 @@ function removeSlateArtifacts() {
       delete node.properties;
 
       // remove slate padding spans to simplify test cases
-      if (['h1', 'p'].includes(node.tagName)) {
+      if (['h1', 'h2', 'h3', 'h4', 'h5', 'h6', 'p'].includes(node.tagName)) {
         node.children = node.children.flatMap(getActualBlockChildren);
       }
     });
diff --git a/cypress/utils/constants.js b/cypress/utils/constants.js
index 786eef64..a04ebef0 100644
--- a/cypress/utils/constants.js
+++ b/cypress/utils/constants.js
@@ -19,6 +19,19 @@ const notifications = {
     },
   },
 };
+const HOT_KEY_MAP = {
+  'bold': 'mod+b',
+  'code': 'mod+shift+c',
+  'italic': 'mod+i',
+  'strikethrough': 'mod+shift+s',
+  'heading-one': 'mod+1',
+  'heading-two': 'mod+2',
+  'heading-three': 'mod+3',
+  'heading-four': 'mod+4',
+  'heading-five': 'mod+5',
+  'heading-six': 'mod+6',
+  'link': 'mod+k',
+};
 
 module.exports = {
   workflowStatus,
@@ -27,4 +40,5 @@ module.exports = {
   setting2,
   notifications,
   publishTypes,
+  HOT_KEY_MAP
 };
diff --git a/packages/netlify-cms-widget-markdown/src/MarkdownControl/plugins/Hotkey.js b/packages/netlify-cms-widget-markdown/src/MarkdownControl/plugins/Hotkey.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..830a72a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/netlify-cms-widget-markdown/src/MarkdownControl/plugins/Hotkey.js
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import isHotkey from 'is-hotkey';
+
+export const HOT_KEY_MAP = {
+  bold: 'mod+b',
+  code: 'mod+shift+c',
+  italic: 'mod+i',
+  strikethrough: 'mod+shift+s',
+  'heading-one': 'mod+1',
+  'heading-two': 'mod+2',
+  'heading-three': 'mod+3',
+  'heading-four': 'mod+4',
+  'heading-five': 'mod+5',
+  'heading-six': 'mod+6',
+  link: 'mod+k',
+};
+
+const Hotkey = (key, fn) => {
+  return {
+    onKeyDown(event, editor, next) {
+      if (!isHotkey(key, event)) {
+        return next();
+      }
+      event.preventDefault();
+      editor.command(fn);
+    },
+  };
+};
+
+export default Hotkey;
diff --git a/packages/netlify-cms-widget-markdown/src/MarkdownControl/plugins/visual.js b/packages/netlify-cms-widget-markdown/src/MarkdownControl/plugins/visual.js
index d5d58087..a55139df 100644
--- a/packages/netlify-cms-widget-markdown/src/MarkdownControl/plugins/visual.js
+++ b/packages/netlify-cms-widget-markdown/src/MarkdownControl/plugins/visual.js
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import Link from './Link';
 import ForceInsert from './ForceInsert';
 import Shortcode from './Shortcode';
 import { SLATE_DEFAULT_BLOCK_TYPE as defaultType } from '../../types';
+import Hotkey, { HOT_KEY_MAP } from './Hotkey';
 
 const plugins = ({ getAsset, resolveWidget }) => [
   {
@@ -22,6 +23,17 @@ const plugins = ({ getAsset, resolveWidget }) => [
       next();
     },
   },
+  Hotkey(HOT_KEY_MAP['bold'], e => e.toggleMark('bold')),
+  Hotkey(HOT_KEY_MAP['code'], e => e.toggleMark('code')),
+  Hotkey(HOT_KEY_MAP['italic'], e => e.toggleMark('italic')),
+  Hotkey(HOT_KEY_MAP['strikethrough'], e => e.toggleMark('strikethrough')),
+  Hotkey(HOT_KEY_MAP['heading-one'], e => e.toggleBlock('heading-one')),
+  Hotkey(HOT_KEY_MAP['heading-two'], e => e.toggleBlock('heading-two')),
+  Hotkey(HOT_KEY_MAP['heading-three'], e => e.toggleBlock('heading-three')),
+  Hotkey(HOT_KEY_MAP['heading-four'], e => e.toggleBlock('heading-four')),
+  Hotkey(HOT_KEY_MAP['heading-five'], e => e.toggleBlock('heading-five')),
+  Hotkey(HOT_KEY_MAP['heading-six'], e => e.toggleBlock('heading-six')),
+  Hotkey(HOT_KEY_MAP['link'], e => e.toggleLink(() => window.prompt('Enter the URL of the link'))),
   CommandsAndQueries({ defaultType }),
   QuoteBlock({ defaultType, type: 'quote' }),
   ListPlugin({ defaultType, unorderedListType: 'bulleted-list', orderedListType: 'numbered-list' }),