WordPress has announced that version 6.3, expected to release in August 2023, will enhance websites’ Core Web Vitals SEO scores, especially regarding Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).
Even though page speed is a minor ranking factor for Google, it is crucial for higher sales and improved ad interactions. Prioritizing user experience can significantly impact user engagement, site recommendations, and repeat visits.
A good user experience is foundational for gaining popularity. Google Search tends to show users what they anticipate for any given query.
Largest Contentful Paint
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures how long it takes to render the largest image or text block on a webpage. This metric reflects how quickly a user perceives a page to load. It monitors what the site visitor sees in their browser (the viewport).
The updates in WordPress 6.3 target optimizing HTML attributes on specific elements to enhance Core Web Vitals performance.
Fetch Priority HTML Attribute
The Fetch Priority attribute, written as fetchpriority in HTML, is linked to webpage elements like images, CSS, and JavaScript. Its purpose is to inform the browser which resources need to be loaded fastest to render what’s visible to the user in the viewport.
Content outside the viewport, which a user must scroll to see, has a lower priority than elements within the initial view. The fetchpriority attribute allows publishers to manage the loading priority of various resources.
WordPress 6.3 introduces a feature that assigns the fetchpriority attribute to the image most likely in the user’s viewport.
WordPress Announcement Highlights:
"WordPress now automatically adds the fetchpriority attribute with a high value to the image it determines to be the ‘LCP image,’ the largest content element in the viewport. This attribute tells the browser to prioritize this image, improving LCP by 5-10%."
Interestingly, WordPress applies the fetchpriority attribute only to images of significant size, excluding small elements like navigation buttons. It also respects existing fetchpriority attributes, never overriding them.
Perfected Lazy Load Implementation
The first elements a visitor sees in their browser when visiting a site are in the viewport. Ideally, webpage elements essential for rendering the initial viewport should be prioritized, while those below the viewport can load later. Lazy loading marks images and iframes that aren’t crucial for the first viewport, letting essential elements download first.
Initially, WordPress applied the lazy load attribute to all images, even those critical for above-the-fold content. While not ideal, it was better than not using the attribute at all. WordPress 6.3 improves this by detecting critical images and not applying lazy load to them, ensuring faster download times.
WordPress Insights:
"Further adjustments have been made to improve the handling of lazy-loading via the loading attribute, more reliably omitting this attribute when necessary."
Finally, the new mechanism for detecting the initial viewport and applying fetchpriority and loading attributes may lead to further optimizations in future WordPress versions.
Impact on Third-Party Plugins
WordPress informs plugin developers relying on the core lazy-loading logic that changes have been made. A new function now governs both fetchpriority and loading attributes. Developers must update their plugins to align with these changes, ensuring compatibility and leveraging the updates.
WP 6.3 Will Respect Custom Optimizations
The update ensures that automatic applications of fetchpriority and lazy load do not override custom settings. This allows for fine-tuning without disrupting existing configurations.
WordPress Clarification:
"The new function will not override existing fetchpriority or loading attributes, allowing for customization and avoiding conflicts."
Better Core Web Vitals SEO for WordPress
Beyond these enhancements, WordPress 6.3 addresses multiple bugs that impacted the correct implementation of these attributes, optimizing LCP further. For image SEO, WordPress 6.3 delivers an enhanced experience that will elevate LCP scores for websites.
Image performance enhancements in WordPress 6.3
Featured image by Shutterstock/Ljupco Smokovski
