Check anchor links and missing jump targets

What is a Defective Anchor Link?

A link to /ratgeber#checkliste can open the correct page without jumping to the expected section. The cause is often a changed or missing ID. An ordinary status code check only sees the accessible page; the fragment behind the double cross is not sent to the server as part of the HTTP request. This checker therefore additionally examines the HTML content.

Typical triggers are revised headings, newly created tables of contents, a CMS change or a copied section with duplicate ID. Check especially long-lasting guides and documentation, on the subsections of which other pages link.

Read the results list correctly

• Found: A suitable ID or an older a-name target is in the examined HTML.
• The goal is missing in the HTML: The fragment has no suitable target there. Then, check if JavaScript creates the section.
• ID multiple: Several elements have the same ID; the address is therefore not uniquely assigned to a section.
• Top of the page: An empty fragment or the top fragment intended for this purpose can lead intentionally upwards.
• Untested or untestable: The target is outside the selected sample or could not be loaded. It is not issued as a missing jump target.

How to Repair Table of Contents and Cross-References

1. Using the HTML line and the link text, find the position in the template or editor.
2. On the landing page, check the actual ID of the desired section. Please note upper and lower case.
3. Adjust the link or get the previous ID as a stable destination if it is already externally linked.
4. Clean up duplicate IDs and switch affected references to the unique goals.
5. Check the published page again and also try the jump in the browser.

A found anchor says nothing about whether a fixed header covers the headline. For this display case, a suitable CSS distance at the target often helps, for example over scroll-margin-top. Control it on desktop and smartphone.

Unicode, other sites and JavaScript

The checker takes into account URL-encoded fragments such as #h%C3%A4ufige-fragen, relative addresses and an existing base indication. For each landing page, the document is loaded only once. Further landing pages are only accessed with the same protocol, host and port; external domains remain visible as open checks.

Text fragments such as #:~:text=Beispiel require the text search of the browser and are marked separately. Dynamic tabs, routers, shadow DOM, PDF jump targets and JavaScript-generated IDs cannot be reliably confirmed from static HTML. The technical basis for classic HTML jump goals is the HTML standard for fragment navigation.

Frequent questions