This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung →
Checking LCP: when a page is "here" for visitors
Largest Contentful Paint measures when the largest visible element in the viewport has finished rendering — usually the main image or the headline. It's the value that comes closest to the subjective feeling of "the page is here".
- LCP is made up of several stages: server response, resource loading, rendering. A high LCP with a low TTFB points to a large or late-requested image; a high LCP with a high TTFB comes from the server, and image optimisation would change little about that.
- The most common single reason is a main image only loaded in afterwards by JavaScript. The browser only finds out late that it needs it at all.
- Important for context: LCP relates to the visible area at load time. What sits further down doesn't count — even if it's larger.
