Link has empty anchor text — the fix
One or more links on this page have no visible anchor text. This means search engines cannot determine what the linked page is about from the link context.
Where this fits: internal linking in SEO
Internal links are how authority and discoverability flow through your site. They tell crawlers which pages exist, tell ranking systems which pages you consider important, and give users paths deeper into your content. Orphan pages (no internal links pointing to them) are nearly invisible to search engines regardless of quality. A deliberate internal-linking structure is one of the highest-leverage, fully-in-your-control SEO instruments.
Why link has empty anchor text hurts your rankings
Anchor text is one of the strongest signals search engines use to understand the content of the linked page. Empty anchor text wastes this signal entirely. It also creates accessibility issues, as screen reader users cannot determine the purpose of the link.
This is a medium-severity issue: individually modest, but it compounds — dozens of medium issues across hundreds of pages add up to a real quality deficit in how search engines assess the site.
How to fix it
Add descriptive anchor text to all links. For image links, ensure the image has descriptive alt text, which serves as the anchor text. Avoid using empty links for layout or styling purposes.
<!-- Before -->
<a href="/products/"></a>
<!-- After -->
<a href="/products/">View our products</a>Internal linking best practices
- Link every new page from at least two existing relevant pages the day it ships.
- Use descriptive anchor text — 'pricing for agencies', never 'click here'.
- Fix broken internal links weekly; every 404 wastes both crawl budget and user trust.
- Build hub pages for your main topics and spoke out to detail pages.
- Keep orphan-page count at zero — if nothing links to it, neither will Google.
The full library: SEO best practices, by category.
Frequently asked questions
What does "Link has empty anchor text" mean?
One or more links on this page have no visible anchor text. This means search engines cannot determine what the linked page is about from the link context.
Why does link has empty anchor text matter for SEO?
Anchor text is one of the strongest signals search engines use to understand the content of the linked page. Empty anchor text wastes this signal entirely. It also creates accessibility issues, as screen reader users cannot determine the purpose of the link.
How do I fix link has empty anchor text?
Add descriptive anchor text to all links. For image links, ensure the image has descriptive alt text, which serves as the anchor text. Avoid using empty links for layout or styling purposes.
How serious is this issue?
This is a medium-severity issue: individually modest, but it compounds — dozens of medium issues across hundreds of pages add up to a real quality deficit in how search engines assess the site. It belongs to the internal linking family of checks.
How do I find every page affected by this on my site?
Run a free Dr Urls audit: it crawls your site, detects link has empty anchor text on every affected page, shows example URLs, and generates a ready-to-use fix task. Re-scan after fixing to verify the issue is gone.
Does your site have this issue?
A free Dr Urls audit crawls your site, finds every page affected by link has empty anchor text, and hands you a ready-made fix task.
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