This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung
Indexing
Why can a loading animation harm findability?
Because a loading overlay can cover the content at exactly the moment the search engine looks at the page — what gets assessed then is a blank layer. The same thing happens if the entire page body starts invisible and is only revealed via JavaScript. The "Indexing" audit area searches the delivered HTML for both patterns: covering overlays and a page body set to invisible.
Overlays that cover the content
Many websites place a layer over the page while it loads: a spinning circle, an animated logo, a welcome screen. Cookie walls, age checks, and paywalls belong to this family too — they all get between the visitor and the content. If the layer reliably disappears, that's mostly a matter of taste. But if the script meant to hide it stumbles, it stays put — and both visitors and the search engine see only the overlay. The check recognises such elements by their typical names in the source code, and reports every layer that isn't hidden from the outset.
The page body that starts invisible
A second variety is more subtle: some designs start the entire page body invisible — fully transparent or hidden from display — and only fade it in gently once loading finishes. The effect looks elegant, but has a downside: if the browser doesn't run the responsible script, the page stays permanently blank, even though the content would technically be there. The check therefore reads the body element of the delivered HTML and flags it if it starts invisible. A finding like this, or a covering overlay, costs all 10 points of this rule.
Content revealed on scroll
Related, but milder: elements that fade in gently only on scroll. The content is fully present in the document and readable to search engines — only the visible display comes later. The check counts such effects and records them as a note, not a shortcoming. It only becomes critical once content doesn't appear at all without JavaScript. The rule of thumb for your website: every piece of text should be readable even when not a single script runs — animation is a bonus, not a requirement. You can test this with JavaScript switched off in the browser.
- Try switching off JavaScript in the browser and opening your page — if it stays blank, covered, or invisible, this is exactly the problem.
- Avoid loading animations that cover the whole screen.
- Have overlays like cookie notices implemented so that the content behind them stays fully present and readable in the document.
- Ask your agency to have the page body start visible — reveal effects may be a bonus, never a requirement.
