How to animate text in Webflow so it appears to type out letter-by-letter on page load?

Animating Text in Webflow to Type Out Letter-by-Letter

Animating text in Webflow to appear as though it's typing out letter-by-letter can add a dynamic element to your website, engaging users from the moment they land on the page. This guide will walk you through the entire process, from the initial setup in Webflow to adding custom code for smooth animation.

Prerequisites

• An existing Webflow account with a project where you wish to animate text.
• Basic knowledge of how to navigate and use Webflow's interface.
• Access to add custom code snippets in your Webflow project.

Creating the Text Element in Webflow

• Open your Webflow project and navigate to the page where you want to add the typing animation.
• Add a new text element (e.g., Text Block) to your page from the add panel on the left sidebar.
• Type the full text you want to animate, as this will be necessary for spacing and styling.
• Style your text element as needed using the typography settings: font size, color, weight, etc.
• Give your text element a class name (e.g., "typing-animation") for easier identification and styling through custom CSS and JavaScript.

Adding Custom Code for Typing Animation

• In Webflow's Designer, go to the page's settings where you want to insert the animation.
• Scroll down to the "Custom Code" section, where you'll add CSS and JavaScript.
• Insert the following CSS in the <style> tags within the “Head Code” section to hide the text initially:

    <style>
      .typing-animation {
        white-space: nowrap;
        overflow: hidden;
        border-right: 3px solid;
        animation: typing 3s steps(30, end), blink-caret 0.6s step-end infinite;
      }
  
      @keyframes typing {
        from {
          width: 0;
        }
        to {
          width: 100%;
        }
      }
  
      @keyframes blink-caret {
        from, to {
          border-color: transparent;
        }
        50% {
          border-color: black;
        }
      }
    </style>
    

• Add the following JavaScript in the “Before </body> tag” section to ensure animation triggers smoothly upon page load:

    <script>
      document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(event) {
        var element = document.querySelector('.typing-animation');
        var text = element.textContent;
        element.textContent = '';
        var i = 0;
  
        function type() {
          if (i < text.length) {
            element.textContent += text.charAt(i);
            i++;
            setTimeout(type, 150); // Adjust typing speed here
          }
        }
  
        type();
      });
    </script>
    

Finalizing and Testing the Animation

• Ensure the custom code is saved and publish your Webflow project to a testing domain.
• Open the published site in a web browser to ensure that the text appears with a typing effect on page load.
• If necessary, adjust the timing within the JavaScript timeouts or CSS animation properties to match your exact speed and style preference.
• Verify that the animation performs adequately on various devices and browsers. Check the site's responsiveness to ensure the animation scales and works well with different viewport sizes.

Polishing Your Page

• Consider combining this animation with other entry animations on your website for a more seamless user experience.
• Use browser developer tools to monitor performance and correctness, ensuring no scripts conflict with other page elements.
• Remember to keep the user experience in mind; ensure the animation does not draw too much focus away from other important content on your site.

Following these steps will allow you to successfully implement a letter-by-letter text animation in Webflow. Such enhancements help engage site visitors more dynamically, contributing to an interactive and visually appealing web presence.