LCP > 2.5s
Largest Contentful Paint is how long it takes for the biggest thing on screen, usually the hero image or headline, to appear. Past 2.5 seconds Google considers it slow, and slow pages frustrate users and lose ground in close rankings.
Largest Contentful Paint slower than the ‘good’ threshold.
Why it matters
Part of page-experience; poor LCP correlates with worse UX and is a (light) signal.
How to fix it
Optimise server response, critical render path, images.
How to find it on your site
- Run the page through PageSpeed Insights and read the field LCP from real-user data, not just the lab score.
- Check the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console for the LCP group.
- Identify the LCP element and what delays it: server time, render-blocking resources or a heavy image.
- Prioritise the LCP element: preload it, serve it efficiently and remove what blocks it.
Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors
Core Web Vitals are a confirmed, if lightweight, ranking signal and a strong user-experience one. LCP is the vital most tied to perceived load speed.
Impact
Low-medium ranking; meaningful UX. Direct (threshold) + lightweight-signal caveat.
Evidence
LCP ‘good’ < 2.5s; page experience is a signal among many. web.dev, Core Web Vitals (Google); Google Search Central, Understanding page experience in Google Search results
Sources