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Largest Contentful Paint

LCP measures when the largest eligible element in the initially visible page area is displayed.

When does the main content become visible?

  1. Loading starts
  2. Large element loads
  3. Element is painted
LCP measures time until the largest eligible visible element is painted, not total page load time.

How it works

Check server response, the main image and blocking resources; measure real visits separately from lab tests.

Example

Example: A large main image is optimised and loaded without unnecessary delay.

Common mistakes

LCP is not the loading time of every part of the page.

How can you check this in practice?

In a performance trace, identify the actual LCP element and when it was discovered, downloaded and painted. Avoid unnecessary lazy loading for a main image. Compare the laboratory cause with available field data; the good threshold is at most 2.5 seconds.

Distinctions and limitations

LCP is not the time taken by all page requests. A large text block can be the LCP rather than an image. Optimising a small icon will not help when the largest visible element waits on a slow response.

Official sources

Editorial responsibility: Martin Zhelyazkov · Founder of Z-Consult

Updated: 05/11/2026

For a correction or question: office@z-consult.bg