H2 Tag Is Empty

What Is This Issue?

An empty H2 tag is an H2 element in your HTML that contains no text content. Like empty H1 tags, this creates a gap in your document's heading structure and provides no value to users or search engines. Empty H2s are often caused by CMS template issues, deleted content, or developer errors.

Why This Matters for Your Website

Accessibility Impact

Screen readers announce all headings, including empty ones. An empty H2 creates a confusing gap in navigation, with the screen reader announcing a heading level but no content. This violates WCAG guidelines requiring headings to describe their content.

Search Engine Impact

While not as critical as an empty H1, empty H2s signal poor page quality and can indicate technical issues that search engines may interpret negatively. They also waste the opportunity to reinforce topical relevance.

Common Causes

• CMS section templates with unfilled heading fields
• Content that was deleted without removing the heading tag
• JavaScript-dependent content that failed to load
• Copy-paste errors during content creation

How to Fix This Issue

1. Locate Empty H2s: Use Screaming Frog or browser DevTools to find empty H2 elements
2. Determine Intent: Should this section have a heading, or should the tag be removed?
3. Add Content or Remove: Either add descriptive text or delete the empty tag entirely
4. Check Templates: If this is a recurring issue, fix the source template

Tools for Detection

• Screaming Frog: Filter for empty H2 tags in Page Titles report
• WAVE: Flags empty headings as accessibility errors
• axe DevTools: Reports empty heading violations