Heading is empty

Why it matters

Screen reader users navigate by a list of headings. An empty heading shows up in that list as a blank entry. It is usually a leftover Heading block, or a heading used to add space.

Who it affects: Screen reader users, who jump from heading to heading to understand and skim a page, and people with cognitive disabilities who rely on clear structure.

What Lumtera flags

Headings with no text content.

Check ID heading-empty — use it to filter the content report or with wp lumtera issues --rule.

How to fix it in WordPress

Type the heading text, or delete the block. To add space between sections, use a Spacer block rather than an empty heading.

In the block editor, this issue has a Fix button: one click repairs the block, and Undo puts it back.

Example

<h2></h2>

<h2>Opening hours</h2>

How to check your fix

1. Update the post. The issue disappears from the Accessibility sidebar on the next check, and from the site report on the next scan.
2. Use a headings outline — the block editor's Document Overview (List View → Outline), or a browser extension such as HeadingsMap — and check the levels read like a table of contents.