Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
The time it takes for the largest visible element on a page to render.
Key takeaways
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is the time it takes for the largest visible element on a page to render.
- Find the LCP element on key templates; it's usually a hero image or heading.
- Avoid: lazy-loading the hero image, which delays the largest element.
What is Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)?
LCP is one of the three Core Web Vitals. Google's good threshold is 2.5s on the 75th percentile of real user data. We recommend a tighter 2.0s for conversion sensitive pages.
The thresholds and common causes are covered in web.dev's guide to Largest Contentful Paint.
Why Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) matters for SEO in 2026
LCP measures how long the main content takes to appear. It's the vital most closely tied to whether a page feels fast, and slow LCP is a common reason visitors leave before reading anything.
For a wider view of where this fits, see our full SEO glossary or explore the SEO and GEO service we run for clients.
How to apply Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) on your site
Knowing the concept is only half of it. Work through these steps in order to put Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) into practice on your own pages:
- Find the LCP element on key templates; it's usually a hero image or heading.
- Serve that image in a modern format at the right size, and preload it.
- Reduce server response time and render-blocking CSS and JavaScript.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most sites that struggle with Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) fall into the same traps. Check your pages against each of these before moving on:
- Lazy-loading the hero image, which delays the largest element.
- Loading web fonts in a way that hides text until they arrive.
- Measuring on a fast desktop connection instead of a mid-range phone.
Questions about Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
The time it takes for the largest visible element on a page to render.
LCP measures how long the main content takes to appear. It's the vital most closely tied to whether a page feels fast, and slow LCP is a common reason visitors leave before reading anything.
Start here: find the LCP element on key templates; it's usually a hero image or heading. Then serve that image in a modern format at the right size, and preload it.
The most common is lazy-loading the hero image, which delays the largest element. Another is loading web fonts in a way that hides text until they arrive.