One of the most pivotal performance metrics that's taking the spotlight - Largest Contentful Paint, or LCP as it is often abbreviated, is indispensable for SEO specialists and digital marketers, as it directly impacts site performance, and subsequently, user experience.
As we journey through this article, we will answer not only the question “what is LCP” but also explore the available tools to assess and analyze the LCP score of a website.
And the clincher? I'm going to unveil some tried and tested strategies on how to improve the largest contentful paint. Let’s start!
What Does LCP Mean?
Largest Contentful Paint, in layman's terms, is a user-oriented performance metric. It measures the time it takes for the most significant content element visible in the viewport to become fully rendered.
This is where it gets its name:
🌐 Largest referring to the most substantial content piece visually,
🌐 Contentful honoring the content that's more meaningful to the user, and
🌐 Paint symbolizing the timing when that content piece is painted or rendered on your screen.
But what falls into this category of 'largest contentful'?
Well, the 'largest contentful' object considered for LCP could be an image (including an image displayed via <img>, <image> in <svg> or css background images), a block of text (within a <p>, heading or any block-level text element) or a video's poster image.
An important thing to remember is that LCP considers the content within the viewport only. That essentially implies if your 'large contentful' is lying down somewhere at the end of the page, it won't be considered in the LCP calculation as it's not visible at first glance.
What is the Difference Between LCP and FCP?
Landing on this discussion about two dynamic website performance metrics, LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), and FCP (First Contentful Paint) is an indispensable milestone in your journey as an SEO enthusiast. Let me decode it for you!
First Contentful Paint (FCP) measures the time from when the page starts loading to when any part of the page's content is rendered on the screen. Essentially, it's the point at which users get the first visual signal that something is happening on the page.
On the other hand, Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) captures the moment when the largest visible content element in the user's viewport is fully painted during the loading process. This is what users perceive as the time it takes a web page to load. Hence the keyword here — 'largest'.
Unlike FCP, LCP is closely tied to user experience because it shows users when the bulk of the content has loaded, and the page is useful.
Consider them as two milestones in a user's page loading journey:
1. FCP - "Ah, something is happening!"
2. LCP - "Great, the page seems loaded!"
So, FCP is about the 'start' and LCP is all about the 'experience'.
While both FCP and LCP are crucial for understanding page load performance, they cover different aspects. FCP focuses on initial feedback to the user, while LCP emphasizes user engagement by measuring when the main content becomes visible.
When users navigate your website, they're not concerned about individual metrics or technical nuances. All they want is a speedy, fully interactive, and smooth web experience. While FCP offers the first visual response, LCP provides an indication of the page's readiness from the user's perspective.
By optimizing both FCP and LCP, you will ensure a high-performing website that captivates users right from the first paint to the point where they can start consuming your largest contentful element. After all, user experience is paramount, especially in the world of SEO!
Why is Largest Contentful Paint Crucial for SEO?
As an SEO expert, I cannot overstate the importance of user-centric metrics. A website's load time plays a pivotal role in determining its bounce rate and overall user experience.
Studies show that a delay in page load times by just 0.1 seconds can lead to a whopping 7% reduction in conversions. Imagine that!
And that's precisely where LCP steps in. For a user, the loading of the largest visible content on the page signifies that the page is "usable". It gives them the signal they can start interacting with the page.
This critical metric captures the very moment from a user's perspective when the web page seems to have loaded. In contrast, other performance metrics might consider a page loaded when there's still crucial visual content missing to deem it "usable".
The quicker the visitor can see and interact with your content, the more likely they will stay and explore further. Hence, a superior LCP score can lead to a drastic reduction in bounce rates and significantly improved user experience.
The target for a good LCP, according to Google guidelines, is 2.5 seconds or faster. Anything beyond 4 seconds, and you're risking losing your audience. Therefore, a fast LCP reassures users that the page is reliable, inviting them to delve deeper into your content.
Moreover, your users' behavior directly feeds into another critical space where LCP holds significant sway - your website's SEO. Yes, you read it right. Google announced in 2020 that LCP would be included in their "page experience" indicator - a component of their ranking algorithm. This change means that LCP isn't just a nice-to-have metric anymore - it's an SEO necessity!
A lower LCP score can give you a crucial edge over your rivals, boosting your website's visibility in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). A fraction of a second can make the difference between landing a top spot on Google's first page, or being relegated to the second page doom.
So, LCP directly impacts your SEO and user experience. Even the most brilliant of content marketing strategies can crumble due to a bad LCP score. Hence, it's crucial to take proactive measures to optimize this component and ensure the website runs speedily on all devices. A faster site means happier users, fewer bounce rates, and better rankings!
📌 You may also want to read: How to Recover Your SEO Rankings in 9 Steps
What is a Good LCP Score?
Google, the digital giant we all turn to for most of our online queries, definitions, and guidelines, sets the benchmark for good LCP scores.
According to Google's guidelines, to ensure a good user experience, the LCP should occur within the first 2.5 seconds of the page starting to load.
Let me break down this LCP categorization for better understanding:
⌛ Good: LCP happens within 2.5 seconds of the page starting to load. This is your target zone, the sweet spot you want to aim for.
⌛ Needs Improvement: LCP occurs between 2.5 and 4 seconds. This is a cautionary zone where you should start taking actions to improve.
⌛ Poor: LCP happens after 4 seconds. This is the danger zone, and you need immediate actions for enhancement.
To provide a seamless experience to your users, aim to have an LCP score of 2.5 seconds or less for 75% of your site visits. Anything beyond 4 seconds needs immediate attention and improvement.
What are the Main Factors Affecting LCP Scores?
The truth is, a good LCP score is a reflection of a smooth, enjoyable user experience.
When users access a page and the main content doesn't load quickly, they get annoyed, and the chances of them bouncing off increase. This can adversely affect your engagement rate, SEO, and ultimately, conversions.
That means, you must be aware of what could potentially inflate your LCP measurement.
Here are the main factors:
⏰Slow Server Response Times: The longer it takes for your server to respond to a browser request, the longer it will take for anything to appear on the screen.
⏰ Render-Blocking JavaScript and CSS: These are scripts that prevent your site from' painting' until they're loaded or run. It's best to eliminate these or defer non-critical JavaScript and CSS.
⏰ Slow Resource Load Times: This is especially true for heavy files like high-res images and videos. Optimize and compress files wherever possible.
⏰ Client-Side Rendering: This requires JavaScript to be downloaded, parsed, compiled, and executed, before the browser can even begin to render resources.
⏰ Heavy Image Files: High-resolution images might look stunning on your site, but they could heavily impact your LCP score if not optimized well.
Successfully optimizing these elements can lead to a drastic improvement in your LCP score.
However, website performance is a dynamic entity. And over time, as your site evolves and new content is added, elements that affect your LCP may also change. Hence, regular audits and optimization are key!
📌 You may also want to read: Important Website Load Time & Speed Statistics of 2025
How Can You Measure LCP?
Now that I’ve explained what LCP is, explored its significance, and examined what makes a good LCP score, there's a crucial aspect that unlocks the path to optimization - measuring your website's LCP.
Understanding how to find the LCP score of a website is essential in your quest to improve it. So, let me show you some useful tools for it.
SEOmator’s Free Website Speed Test
SEOmator's Free Website Speed Test is a valuable tool for understanding and optimizing your website's performance. Powered by Google Lighthouse technology, it’s free to use and requires no technical expertise to operate.
Simply enter your website URL, select your device type as well as categories and click “Generate Report” for a detailed analysis across critical performance metrics, including LCP.
By using this tool, you can identify and address performance bottlenecks, improve user experience, and boost your website's search engine rankings.
Google PageSpeed Insights
One of the simplest ways to measure the LCP of a website is by using Google's very own PageSpeed Insights tool. This free tool is super easy to use and provides a wealth of performance data.
After you enter the URL and click “Analyze”, the tool returns a report that includes your LCP score along with other critical metrics. It not only flags any issues that need attention but also suggests potential solutions.
This tool also provides data from the Chrome User Experience report, which offers real-world measurements of LCP and other user experience metrics.
8 Ways to Improve Your LCP Score
Improving the LCP revolves around identifying whatever is slowing down your page's load time and fixing it.
To put it simply, it's all about facilitating the fastest rendering of your page's main content.
Here are 8 best practices to improve your LCP score:
1. Identifying the LCP Element
The first step to optimize your LCP — find out what's causing the delay! Several development tools help you identify the LCP element of a page, but my personal favorite is the Google Chrome DevTools.
To use DevTools, right-click on the page you want to analyze and select 'Inspect'. On the console that appears, click on 'Performance', then hit 'Reload'.
This action will run diagnostics on the page and populate a visual breakdown of the loading process, including your LCP element. The element causing the delay will be highlighted.
Once you have identified the element, you stand in a better position to address optimizations specific to that element or file.
2. Optimizing Images and Fonts
High-resolution images and attractive custom fonts may make your site look fabulous, but they could significantly affect your LCP score if not optimized properly.
Use compression tools to reduce your image file sizes without compromising quality. Convert images to next-gen formats like WebP, JPEG 2000, or JPEG XR that provide superior compression.
Implement lazy loading, which delays loading of images not initially within the viewport and consider using CSS thumbnails for offscreen images.
Fonts can easily add to the weight of your pages and slow down your load time. Most websites use Google Fonts, which are typically loaded from Google's servers (also known as a "font request").
Minimize the number of font requests by limiting your usage to essential styles and weights. Preload prominent fonts that you use frequently on your website.
3. Minifying JavaScript, CSS, and HTML Files
Minification is the process of removing unnecessary or redundant data from your code without affecting the code's functionality.
This could include extra spaces, line breaks, comments, and block delimiters from your JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.
As per my learning, using various tools and plugins like can significantly help with this. This can reduce network latency, bandwidth usage, thus improving the load time and consequently, the LCP score.
4. Optimizing Loading of Critical Resources
Optimizing how critical resources load on your site can play an instrumental role in enhancing the LCP.
Use resource hints like 'prefetch', 'preconnect', 'preload' to establish early connections, load core page assets, and store necessary resources for when they are needed.
Fewer assets to fetch means fewer bytes to download, resulting in faster page loads. Use DevTools to view a comprehensive list of network requests, allowing you to understand what resources are needed for first paint and eliminate any unnecessary ones.
Optimizing the loading process can often feel like balancing on a tightrope. It's a delicate matter of prioritizing the right things at the right time to ensure quick, smooth rendering without sacrificing any important content.
5. Upgrading Web Hosting
The website's host can significantly impact the site's speed, and consequently, the LCP score. The faster the response time of your hosting server, the better the performance of your site.
This problem is best addressed by investing in better web hosting. The quicker your server can respond to an HTTP or HTTPS request, the faster your site becomes.
Choose a quality hosting plan that fits your site's size and traffic volumes.
📌 You may also want to read: 13 Common HTTP Status Codes + Explanations
6. Implementing Page Caching
Page caching can dramatically improve load speed for returning visitors.
When a user visits a page on your site, the rendered version can be cached, so it doesn’t need to be reloaded when the user revisits your page.
This can contribute to a significant reduction in LCP time.
📌 You may also want to read: What is Google Cache? & How to See Cache Date?
7. Using a CDN
Implementing a Content Delivery Network (CDN) helps reduce the load time for your web pages.
A CDN is a network of servers distributed across different locations worldwide.
They store copies of your website and serve it to your site visitors from the server located closest to them, thereby speeding up the process.
8. Dealing with Client-Side Rendering
If your site relies heavily on JavaScript, it's likely slowing down your LCP. Here are some steps you can take:
Splitting your code into various bundles or components that can then be loaded on demand or in parallel will be helpful.
At the expense of additional development complexity, Server-Side Rendering (SSR) can make your website's first rendering quicker, leading to faster LCP times.
Conclusion
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is a web performance metric that measures how quickly the largest content element on a page is rendered to the screen. This element could be an image, a block of text, or a video.
A faster LCP means a better user experience. Users want to see content quickly, and a slow-loading page can frustrate them and lead to them leaving your site. Also, Google and other search engines use LCP as a ranking factor. That means, a faster LCP can help your website rank higher in search results.
In this article, I demystified what LCP means and why you should prioritize it in your SEO efforts. By using the methods I introduced about improving your LCP score, you can significantly enhance user experience, improve search engine rankings, and ultimately drive more conversions!
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