Has An Internal Link With No Anchor Text: How to Fix This Technical SEO Issue

Understanding Internal Links Without Anchor Text

What are internal links and anchor text

Internal links connect pages within your website, while anchor text is the clickable text forming the link. Together, they help search engines understand page relationships, enable user navigation, and distribute ranking authority across your site. Descriptive anchor text like “beginner’s guide to SEO” provides critical context about linked content for both users and search engines^[1].

Common causes of missing anchor text

Missing anchor text often stems from coding errors or oversight during development. Common culprits include empty <a> tags, hyperlinked images lacking alt text, and template errors stripping anchor text during page generation. Technical glitches in content management systems and improper HTML cleanup scripts can also inadvertently remove anchor text^[2].

Impact on user experience and accessibility

Empty anchor text creates significant barriers for users relying on assistive technologies. Screen reader users lose context about link destinations, while keyboard-only users struggle with navigation. This degraded experience increases cognitive load for all users, slowing navigation and creating comprehension barriers, especially for those with cognitive impairments^[3].

SEO Implications

How search engines interpret empty anchor text

Search engines view empty anchor text as a missed opportunity to understand page relevance and relationships. While Google can follow links without anchor text, it loses valuable context about the destination page’s topic. This makes it harder to evaluate internal linking patterns and potentially impacts how ranking authority flows between pages^[4].

Effect on crawling and indexing

Empty anchor text can slow down crawling efficiency and impact how quickly new content gets indexed. Without proper context, search engines must work harder to determine page hierarchy and content categorization. A high number of empty anchors may also signal poor implementation quality, potentially affecting how thoroughly search engines crawl and index your site’s content^[5].

Technical Detection and Analysis

Tools for identifying empty anchor text

Several specialized tools can help identify empty anchor text across your website. Web crawlers like Screaming Frog systematically scan sites and flag links missing descriptive text. Browser extensions and command-line tools offer additional options for manual review and programmatic analysis. Our SEO services at Loud Interactive include comprehensive link audits to identify and address these issues.

Automated scanning methods

Automated scanning tools streamline the process of finding empty anchor text issues. These tools typically offer features like bulk analysis, filtering by link position, and detailed reporting. Advanced solutions use natural language processing to analyze content semantics and suggest relevant anchor text improvements^[6].

Manual inspection techniques

Manual inspection complements automated tools by catching context-specific issues. Key inspection points include checking navigation menus, reviewing dynamically generated content areas, and examining template elements. Browser developer tools provide granular link inspection capabilities to identify empty <a> tags and catch JavaScript link generation errors.

Best Practices for Internal Link Implementation

Proper anchor text guidelines

Effective anchor text should clearly describe the linked page’s content while remaining concise and natural. Use descriptive phrases that provide context about the destination, and mix up anchor text variations to help search engines better understand the linked page’s topic range. Avoid using identical anchor text for different pages, as this confuses both users and search engines^[4].

Link structure optimization

Optimize your link structure by creating clear hierarchies where important pages receive more internal links from relevant, authoritative content. Keep navigation structures flat, with important pages no more than 3 clicks from the homepage. Regularly audit link structures to identify orphaned pages, broken links, and opportunities to better connect related content^[7].

Quality assurance procedures

Implement systematic quality assurance procedures for internal links, covering technical implementation, content relevance, and user experience. Set up monitoring alerts to catch new issues as they emerge, and establish clear internal linking guidelines for content creators. Conduct regular link audits to identify unnecessary redirects, orphaned pages, and opportunities to strengthen topic clusters^[8].

Fixing and Preventing Empty Anchor Text

Implementation solutions

Fix empty anchor text by adding descriptive phrases between <a> tags, ensuring proper alt text for image links, and modifying shared components like headers and navigation menus. Prioritize high-traffic pages and critical user paths when addressing empty anchors. Use automated scanning tools to verify fixes and catch any new issues introduced during content updates^[2].

Prevention strategies

Prevent empty anchor text issues by implementing automated validation checks, creating clear internal linking guidelines, and configuring development environments to detect empty anchors during testing. Regular technical audits and training for content creators can help maintain proper anchor text implementation across your site.

Monitoring and maintenance

Set up regular monitoring to catch empty anchor text issues before they impact users. Use automated scanning tools, configure alerts for critical pages, and track link changes in a central log. Review analytics data to spot potential navigation issues, and schedule manual audits of key conversion paths and landing pages to verify anchor text remains descriptive and functional.