What it is
Without font-display set, the browser can hide text while a web font loads, the flash of invisible text. Using swap shows fallback text immediately and swaps the font in when ready. Flash of invisible text during font load. Delays text visibility (UX, perceived LCP).
Why does fonts without font-display: swap matter for AI search?
Delays text visibility (UX, perceived LCP).
How do you fix it?
Use font-display: swap/optional.
How do you find it on your site?
- Check the font-face rules or font loading config for font-display.
- Watch the page load for any flash of invisible text.
- Set font-display: swap, or optional, on web fonts.
- Re-test that text is visible immediately on load.
Which ranking and citation factors does it touch?
Visible text sooner improves perceived load and avoids layout shift from late fonts, supporting both LCP and CLS.
What is the impact?
Low. Inferred.
What is the evidence?
font-display improves perceived load. web.dev, Core Web Vitals (Google)
Frequently asked questions about fonts without font-display: swap
What does "Fonts without font-display: swap" mean?
Flash of invisible text during font load.
How do you fix fonts without font-display: swap?
Use font-display: swap/optional.