How to Improve Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

Learn how to optimize your Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) score with practical techniques including image optimization, server response time improvements, and render-blocking resource elimination.

lcpcore-web-vitalsperformance

What is LCP?

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures how long it takes for the largest content element visible in the viewport to render. This is typically an image, video, or large text block. Google considers a good LCP score to be under 2.5 seconds.

Why LCP Matters

LCP is one of the three Core Web Vitals that Google uses as a ranking factor. A poor LCP score can hurt your search rankings and user experience.

Steps to Improve LCP

1

Optimize Images

Use modern formats like WebP or AVIF, implement lazy loading for below-the-fold images, and serve responsive images with srcset.

2

Improve Server Response Time

Use a CDN, enable server-side caching, and optimize your backend code to reduce Time to First Byte (TTFB).

3

Remove Render-Blocking Resources

Inline critical CSS, defer non-critical JavaScript, and preload key resources.

4

Preload LCP Element

Use <link rel='preload'> to prioritize loading of your LCP element.

Frequently Asked Questions

A good LCP score is under 2.5 seconds. Scores between 2.5-4 seconds need improvement, and over 4 seconds is poor.
You can use Chrome DevTools Performance panel or run a Lighthouse audit to identify your LCP element.

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