What Is Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

Short answer

Largest Contentful Paint measures the time it takes for the largest visible content element to render in the viewport. It is a Core Web Vital that reflects perceived load speed.

How it works

The browser tracks the largest image or text block visible within the viewport. As the page loads, the candidate element may change. The final LCP is recorded when the user interacts or the page finishes loading.

Example

A hero image that loads at 1.2 seconds becomes the LCP candidate. If a large paragraph renders earlier at 0.8 seconds, that paragraph is the LCP until the image appears.

Why it matters

Google uses LCP as a ranking factor. A good LCP is under 2.5 seconds. Slow LCP frustrates users and increases bounce rates, especially on mobile.