Technical SEO

Title: Understanding Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Its Importance in Website Performance Optimization

Photo of SEO SEO Send an email October 14, 2024
0 5 3 minutes read

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is a Google user experience metric integrated into ranking systems in 2021. LCP is one of the three Core Web Vitals (CWV) metrics that track technical performance metrics impacting user experience. Core Web Vitals exist paradoxically, with Google providing guidance highlighting their importance while downplaying their impact on rankings. LCP, like the other CWV signals, is useful for diagnosing technical issues and ensuring your website meets a base level of functionality for users.

What Is Largest Contentful Paint?

LCP measures how long it takes for the main content of a page to download and be ready for interaction. Specifically, it is the time from page load initiation to the rendering of the largest image or block of text within the user viewport. Elements below the fold aren’t included. Common elements measured include images, video poster images, background images, and block-level text elements like paragraph tags. Optimizing for LCP involves optimizing these metrics so that they take less than 2.5 seconds to load and display LCP resources.

Sub-Metrics of LCP

Time To First Byte (TTFB)

TTFB is the server response time, measuring how long it takes for the user’s browser to receive the first byte of data from your server. This process includes DNS lookup time, request processing time on the server, and redirects. Optimizing TTFB can significantly decrease overall load time and improve LCP. Server response time relies on several factors including database queries, CDN cache misses, inefficient server-side rendering, and hosting.

  1. Database Queries: If response time is high, investigate the source. Poorly optimized queries or a high query volume can slow down the server’s response time. Logging slow queries in databases like MySQL or using tools like the Query Monitor plugin for WordPress can help identify issues. Tools like Blackfire or Newrelic can be used for broader applications but require installation on your hosting/server.

  2. CDN Cache Misses: A CDN cache miss occurs when a resource is not found in the CDN’s cache and must be fetched from the origin server, increasing latency and load times. Most CDNs provide reports on cache misses. A high percentage of cache misses might require consulting with your CDN provider or hosting support. Cache misses can be caused by search spam attacks, where random search queries linked to your internal pages are not cached, potentially leading to high server response times.

  3. Inefficient Server-Side Rendering: Some components of your website may rely on third-party APIs. Instead of fetching data when a request is made to the server, prefetch it and store it in your database for faster display. This prevents delays caused by inefficient server-side rendering.

  4. Hosting: Selecting the right hosting can significantly reduce TTFB by two to three times. Choose a host with CDN and caching integrated, saving time on maintenance and potentially avoiding separate CDN purchases.

Other Metrics Impacting LCP

Resource Load Delay

This is the time it takes for the browser to locate and start downloading the LCP resource. If a resource requires additional files like CSS for identification, this can delay the download. Optimize by preloading CSS files and LCP images or inlining critical CSS to avoid long download times. Inline critical CSS can be beneficial for optimizing load times, helping to load images faster.

Resource Load Duration

This refers to the time spent on downloading the LCP resource. Optimize by implementing WebP formatting, ensuring properly sized images, using fetchpriority attributes, and a CDN to improve download speeds.

Element Render Delay

This metric measures the time needed to process and render the LCP element. It is affected by the complexity of your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. To minimize delays, reduce render-blocking resources and optimize code. Low Total Blocking Time (TBT) values are key as they measure main thread blocks by heavy scripts, delaying rendering and responsiveness.

Scoring and Measurement of LCP

All elements visible in the user’s viewport are considered for LCP calculation. Tools for scoring LCP include "Field Tools" for actual site measurements and "Lab Tools" for virtual scores based on simulated conditions. You can assess LCP resources and measure display times via DevTools > Performance report.

Final Thoughts

Improving LCP is essential for enhancing CVW and presents a complex challenge due to its multiple sub-metrics. This guide outlines basic improvements, but there is more to learn, and future guides will focus on optimizing each sub-metric.

Additional Resources

Featured image credit: BestForBest/Shutterstock

Photo of SEO SEO Send an email October 14, 2024
0 5 3 minutes read
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