don't lazy load largest contentful paint image

Lazy loading is a technique used to defer the loading of certain images that are not visible on the initial screen. This helps reduce the initial load time of a webpage and makes the webpage faster. One of the images that is often lazy loaded is the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) image. However, not lazy loading the LCP image can have some advantages. In this article, we will discuss why you shouldn't lazy load the LCP image.

What is the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) image?

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is a metric used by Google to measure the loading time of the largest image or text block visible within a viewport. The LCP image is an important image that significantly affects the user's perception of a webpage's loading speed. It is a part of the Core Web Vitals, which measures user experience on the web.

Why shouldn't you lazy load the LCP image?

Lazy loading the LCP image can negatively impact the user experience. When the user opens the page, they experience a \"flash of unstyled content\" (FOUC) while the webpage loads. This is because the browser has to wait for the LCP image to fully load before displaying the entire webpage. This can cause a delay in loading the entire webpage, even if the rest of the page has already loaded.Lazy loading the LCP image can also cause layout shifts. Layout shifts are changes in the position of the elements on the page as the page is loading. This can be very frustrating for the user and can negatively impact the user experience.

How to load the LCP image correctly

To load the LCP image correctly, you should load the image within the initial HTML of the webpage, before any other images or scripts. This ensures that the image is loaded quickly and that there are no delays in loading the rest of the webpage.You can also optimize the LCP image for faster loading. This can include compressing the image, reducing its size, or optimizing it for the web. By optimizing the image, you can ensure that it loads quickly, without negatively impacting the user experience.

Conclusion

Lazy loading the LCP image may seem like a good idea, but it can have negative consequences on the user experience. By loading the LCP image correctly and optimizing it for faster loading, you can ensure that your webpage performs well and provides a better user experience.In conclusion, don't lazy load the LCP image. Instead, load the LCP image correctly and optimize it for faster loading to provide a better user experience.