Glossary · SEO & AI searchTOFU
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
The short answer
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) measures how long it takes for the largest visible element — usually a hero image, video poster or headline — to render on screen. It's the Core Web Vital that best reflects "has the page loaded?" from a user's perspective.
Good LCP is 2.5 seconds or less for at least 75% of visits.
Common causes of slow LCP
- Hero images that are huge, uncompressed or lazy-loaded
- Slow server response times
- Render-blocking CSS and JavaScript
- Web fonts delaying text rendering
- Content that only appears after JavaScript runs
Fixes
- Serve the LCP image in a modern format at the right size
- Give the LCP image high fetch priority and don't lazy-load it
- Use a CDN and caching
- Inline critical CSS and defer non-critical scripts
- Server-render the main content
LCP thresholds
| Rating | LCP |
|---|---|
| Good | ≤ 2.5 s |
| Needs improvement | 2.5–4 s |
| Poor | > 4 s |
Source: web.dev. See website speed optimisation.
LCP in practice
A landing page's hero image takes four seconds to load on mobile. Compressing it, serving modern formats and preloading it brings LCP under 2.5 seconds.
How to improve LCP
- Optimise and preload the largest image
- Improve server response times
- Remove render-blocking resources
Common LCP mistakes
- Lazy-loading the hero image
- Huge uncompressed images
- Slow server response
Frequently asked questions
What's usually the LCP element?
On most pages, the hero image or the main headline.
Can a text headline be the LCP element?
Yes — and text usually renders faster than images, which is one reason text-led heroes can perform well.
Should the hero image be lazy-loaded?
No. Lazy-loading the LCP image delays it. Load it with high priority.
Does a CDN improve LCP?
Often, by serving files from locations closer to users.
What counts as the largest contentful paint?
The largest image or text block visible in the viewport as the page loads.
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