diff --git a/org/html.go b/org/html.go
index 1db4ab4..ea7afce 100644
--- a/org/html.go
+++ b/org/html.go
@@ -188,9 +188,12 @@ func (w *HTMLWriter) writeFootnoteLink(l FootnoteLink) {
 
 func (w *HTMLWriter) writeRegularLink(l RegularLink) {
 	url := html.EscapeString(l.URL)
-	descriptionWriter := w.emptyClone()
-	descriptionWriter.writeNodes(l.Description...)
-	description := descriptionWriter.String()
+	description := url
+	if l.Description != nil {
+		descriptionWriter := w.emptyClone()
+		descriptionWriter.writeNodes(l.Description...)
+		description = descriptionWriter.String()
+	}
 	switch l.Protocol {
 	case "file":
 		url = url[len("file:"):]
diff --git a/org/inline.go b/org/inline.go
index df7bade..5b71d8a 100644
--- a/org/inline.go
+++ b/org/inline.go
@@ -144,8 +144,7 @@ func (d *Document) parseAutoLink(input string, start int) (int, int, Node) {
 	if path == "://" {
 		return 0, 0, nil
 	}
-	link := RegularLink{protocol, []Node{Text{protocol + path}}, protocol + path, true}
-	return len(protocol), len(path + protocol), link
+	return len(protocol), len(path + protocol), RegularLink{protocol, nil, protocol + path, true}
 }
 
 func (d *Document) parseRegularLink(input string, start int) (int, Node) {
@@ -157,18 +156,15 @@ func (d *Document) parseRegularLink(input string, start int) (int, Node) {
 	if end == -1 {
 		return 0, nil
 	}
-
-	rawLink := input[2:end]
-	link, description, parts := "", []Node{}, strings.Split(rawLink, "][")
-	if len(parts) == 2 {
-		link, description = parts[0], d.parseInline(parts[1])
-	} else {
-		link, description = rawLink, []Node{Text{rawLink}}
+	rawLinkParts := strings.Split(input[2:end], "][")
+	description, link := ([]Node)(nil), rawLinkParts[0]
+	if len(rawLinkParts) == 2 {
+		link, description = rawLinkParts[0], d.parseInline(rawLinkParts[1])
 	}
 	consumed := end + 2
-	protocol, parts := "", strings.SplitN(link, ":", 2)
-	if len(parts) == 2 {
-		protocol = parts[0]
+	protocol, linkParts := "", strings.SplitN(link, ":", 2)
+	if len(linkParts) == 2 {
+		protocol = linkParts[0]
 	}
 	return consumed, RegularLink{protocol, description, link, false}
 }
diff --git a/org/org.go b/org/org.go
index b2aedea..4b77b43 100644
--- a/org/org.go
+++ b/org/org.go
@@ -247,14 +247,14 @@ func (w *OrgWriter) writeFootnoteLink(l FootnoteLink) {
 }
 
 func (w *OrgWriter) writeRegularLink(l RegularLink) {
-	descriptionWriter := w.emptyClone()
-	descriptionWriter.writeNodes(l.Description...)
-	description := descriptionWriter.String()
 	if l.AutoLink {
 		w.WriteString(l.URL)
-	} else if l.URL != description {
-		w.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("[[%s][%s]]", l.URL, description))
-	} else {
+	} else if l.Description == nil {
 		w.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("[[%s]]", l.URL))
+	} else {
+		descriptionWriter := w.emptyClone()
+		descriptionWriter.writeNodes(l.Description...)
+		description := descriptionWriter.String()
+		w.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("[[%s][%s]]", l.URL, description))
 	}
 }