How to Improve Largest Contentful Paint on WordPress

Do you want to improve Largest Contentful Paint on WordPress or WooCommerce? If you are looking for a simple guide, keep reading this article.

Improve your WordPress website speed by optimizing Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Core Web Vitals. Learn how to fix slow loading times using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, WP Rocket, and Perfmatters plugin.

This guide covers Lazy Loading, Critical CSS, server response time, render-blocking resources, and image optimization to enhance your website’s user experience. Discover how to optimize hero images, preload fonts, and manage unused CSS or JavaScript for faster rendering.

Whether you use LiteSpeed Cache, Cloudflare Enterprise, or other caching tools, these practical steps will help you boost LCP performance, reduce page speed warnings, and achieve better rankings on Google Search Console.

First, let’s see what Largest Contentful Paint is and why you need to monitor it.

What Is Largest Contentful Paint

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is one of the key metrics in Google’s Core Web Vitals. It measures how long it takes for the main content of a web page to become visible to users.

In simple terms, it tracks when the largest visible element, such as a hero image, heading, or featured post grid, appears on the screen.

A good LCP score indicates that your page’s main content loads quickly, improving the overall website’s user experience.

According to Google PageSpeed Insights, a good LCP should occur within 2.5 seconds of when the page starts loading. If your LCP is higher than that, you may have issues such as render-blocking resources, slow server response time, unoptimized images, or large CSS and JavaScript files.

How to Find Largest Contentful Paint

Finding the Largest Contentful Paint is simple. All you need to do is use a platform like Google PageSpeed Insights or GT Metrix. For this blog post, we will be using the PSI tool to find the data.

The first step is to visit Google PageSpeed Insights. There, enter your website’s URL and start analyzing.

The process will take some time. So, wait for it to complete. Once the test is finished, you can view your score.

As you can see, we have got a 2.7-second score.

That is it!

This is how you can find the Largest Contentful Paint score of your website.

What Is a Good Largest Contentful Paint Score

A good LCP score helps ensure a fast-loading WordPress page and a better website’s user experience. Google recommends the following benchmarks:

LCP Score	User Experience	Notes
0 – 2.5 seconds	Good	LCP element loads quickly; passes Core Web Vitals.
2.5 – 4.0 seconds	Needs Improvement	Users may notice delay; optimize hero images, render-blocking CSS, or server response time.
4.0+ seconds	Bad	LCP element takes too long to load; significant impact on user experience and search rankings.

What Are the Reasons for a Bad Largest Contentful Paint Score

A poor Largest Contentful Paint score can negatively impact your website’s user experience and Core Web Vitals. Several factors can contribute to slow LCP on WordPress:

• Slow Server Response Time: If your server-side rendering is delayed or DNS host performance is poor, the LCP resource will take longer to load, increasing Time to Interactive and DOM content load time. Using Edge Caching and a content delivery network (CDN) can help.
• Render-Blocking Resources: Render-blocking JavaScript, CSS/JS files, or stylesheets prevent LCP elements from appearing quickly. Minifying CSS, minifying JavaScript, and optimizing render-blocking stylesheets reduces element render delay.
• Unoptimized Images: Large or unresponsive images, logos, carousel blocks, hero images, or CSS background images can delay Above the Fold Content. Using an Image Optimization Plugin, responsive images, preloading critical images, and lazy load improves LCP.
• Web Fonts and Custom Fonts: Google Fonts, web fonts, and custom fonts can block rendering. Using Fetchpriority hints, Google Fonts Display, or preloading fonts can help.
• Excessive Third-Party Scripts: Plugins like Hubspot, Google AdSense, Beaver Builder,: Avada theme features, Jetpack Boost, or other third-party connections can increase resource load duration and network calls, affecting LCP.
• Large CSS and JavaScript Files: Unused JavaScript, CSS files, and render-blocking stylesheets can increase the network waterfall and slow the LCP element. Optimizing CSS/JS, combining files, and reducing DOM size helps.
• Other Factors: Signed Exchanges, data URLs, 404 Errors, Post Grid, Mega Menus, carousel blocks, and service workers not properly configured can delay resource load and affect First Contentful Paint and First Input Delay. Using Real User Monitoring, Chrome DevTools, GT Metrix, and Chrome User Experience Report can help identify specific bottlenecks.

How to Improve Largest Contentful Paint on WordPress

In a nutshell, the methods you need to follow are:

• Optimize server response time
• Use a content delivery network (CDN)
• Enable page caching with WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache
• Minify CSS and JavaScript files
• Remove unused CSS and JavaScript
• Defer or async render-blocking JavaScript
• Implement Critical CSS
• Use Lazy Loading for images and videos
• Optimize hero images and above-the-fold images
• Preload critical images and fonts
• Optimize Google Fonts and custom fonts
• Compress and serve responsive images
• Reduce DOM size and simplify HTML markup
• Limit heavy plugins and third-party scripts
• Optimize mega menus and carousel blocks
• Use service workers for caching
• Monitor with Google PageSpeed Insights, Chrome DevTools, GT Metrix, and Real User Monitoring

Below, we will explain how to achieve the best score you can on your website.

1. Optimize Server Response Time

Server response time plays a critical role in improving Largest Contentful Paint. A slow server delays your LCP resource and increases Time to Interactive and DOM content load time, negatively affecting your website’s user experience and Core Web Vitals.

Optimizing server response can be achieved through better hosting, enabling server-side rendering, and using Edge Caching. Plugins like WP Rocket or FlyingPress can help by managing cache, reducing network calls, and optimizing server requests.

Monitoring your server performance with Chrome DevTools, GT Metrix, or Real User Monitoring allows you to identify bottlenecks.

Faster server response ensures that your LCP element, hero images, and above-the-fold content appear quickly, improving both user satisfaction and search rankings.

2. Use A Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) distributes your website’s resources across multiple servers globally, reducing resource load duration and improving element render delay.

Using a CDN helps deliver hero images, CSS/JS files, and other critical LCP resources faster to users, enhancing the website’s user experience. Popular options include Cloudflare Enterprise, BunnyCDN, and StackPath, which also handle edge caching and optimize network calls.

CDNs work well alongside caching plugins like WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache. Implementing a CDN reduces server response time, decreases resource load delay, and minimizes render-blocking resources.

By delivering Above the Fold Images and LCP elements quickly, a CDN ensures your WordPress site achieves a better LCP score and passes Core Web Vitals.

3. Enable Page Caching With WP Rocket Or LiteSpeed Cache

Page caching stores a static version of your WordPress page, reducing server load and resource load duration.

Plugins like WP Rocket, FlyingPress, and LiteSpeed Cache handle page caching efficiently, including edge caching and service workers. Cached pages load faster, improving Largest Contentful Paint and reducing Time to Interactive.

These plugins also help manage cache-control policy, minimize network calls, and preload critical images and fonts. Proper caching reduces element render delay and DOM content load time, ensuring that hero images, logo images, and carousel blocks appear quickly.

Combining caching with a CDN further optimizes resource load and enhances Core Web Vitals, making your website faster and improving user experience.

4. Minify CSS And JavaScript Files

Minifying CSS and JavaScript files reduces their size, improving element render delay and decreasing resource load duration. Render-blocking JavaScript and CSS can delay your LCP resource and negatively impact First Contentful Paint and Time to Interactive.

Plugins like WP Rocket, Perfmatters, and LiteSpeed Cache help minify CSS/JS files, combine them where necessary, and remove render-blocking stylesheets. Minification also optimizes network calls and reduces DOM content load time, helping your Above the Fold Content load faster.

Ensuring that CSS background images and critical CSS are optimized alongside minified scripts helps improve the website’s user experience, resulting in faster hero images, carousel blocks, and logo images that boost your WordPress LCP score.

5. Remove Unused CSS And JavaScript

Unused CSS and JavaScript increase network calls, resource load duration, and element render delay, harming your Largest Contentful Paint score.

Plugins like Perfmatters, WP Rocket, and Asset CleanUp allow you to selectively disable unused JavaScript and CSS files, including those added by heavy plugins like Hubspot, Beaver Builder, or Avada theme features.

Removing unnecessary CSS/JS reduces the DOM size, improves First Input Delay, and enhances the performance of Above the Fold Images and hero images.

Optimizing these files also helps prevent render-blocking stylesheets, improves cache-control policy efficiency, and lowers resource load delay. This results in faster Time to Interactive and a smoother website’s user experience on WordPress.

6. Defer Or Async Render-Blocking JavaScript

Render-blocking JavaScript delays LCP resources and slows the display of Above the Fold Content, hero images, and carousel blocks.

Deferring or using async loading for JavaScript code allows critical content to render faster without waiting for all scripts to load. Plugins like WP Rocket, FlyingPress, and Perfmatters offer options to defer or async render-blocking scripts safely.

This optimization reduces resource load duration, network calls, and element render delay while improving DOM content load time and Time to Interactive.

Combined with monitoring through Chrome Developer Tools or Google PageSpeed Insights, deferring scripts ensures that your WordPress site’s Largest Contentful Paint improves while maintaining the functionality of essential plugins and features like Google AdSense or Hubspot integrations.

7. Implement Critical CSS

Critical CSS ensures that only the CSS required to render Above the Fold Content loads immediately, reducing render-blocking resources and element render delay.

By prioritizing critical CSS, your hero images, logo images, and LCP resources appear faster, improving Largest Contentful Paint and First Contentful Paint.

Plugins like WP Rocket, FlyingPress, and Perfmatters can automatically generate and apply critical CSS while deferring the rest. This optimization reduces DOM content load time, network calls, and resource load duration.

When combined with Lazy Loading and preloading critical images, it enhances the website’s user experience and Core Web Vitals. Monitoring through Google PageSpeed Insights or Chrome Developer Tools ensures your Above the Fold Images render quickly for all users.

8. Use Lazy Loading For Images And Videos

Lazy loading delays the loading of below-the-fold content while prioritizing Above the Fold Images and hero images, reducing element render delay and improving LCP.

Plugins like a3 Lazy Load, WP Rocket, and FlyingPress handle lazy loading efficiently for images, videos, carousel blocks, and other media. Combined with preloading critical images and optimizing responsive images, lazy load reduces resource load duration, network calls, and render-blocking resources.

This optimization also improves First Contentful Paint and Time to Interactive. Monitoring through Chrome Developer Tools, GT Metrix, or Real User Monitoring ensures that lazy-loaded elements do not negatively affect DOM content load time or cumulative layout shift, maintaining a smooth WordPress website user experience.

9. Optimize Hero Images And Above-The-Fold Images

Hero images and Above the Fold Images often contribute the largest contentful element on a WordPress page. Unoptimized images increase resource load duration and element render delay, affecting Largest Contentful Paint and Core Web Vitals.

Plugins like ShortPixel, Smush, Imagify, and WP Rocket help compress, resize, and serve responsive images without losing quality. Preloading critical images ensures hero images and logo images load quickly, improving First Contentful Paint and Time to Interactive.

Combined with Lazy Loading and proper caching, this optimization reduces render-blocking resources, DOM content load time, and network waterfall. Optimizing Above the Fold Content ensures a faster, smoother website’s user experience, boosting your WordPress LCP score.

10. Preload Critical Images And Fonts

Preloading critical images and fonts prioritizes the loading of essential resources, reducing element render delay and LCP resource load times. Fonts like Google Fonts or custom fonts can block rendering if not preloaded, affecting First Contentful Paint and website’s user experience.

Plugins like WP Rocket, FlyingPress, and Perfmatters offer font preloading and image preload options. Preloading reduces resource load duration, network calls, and render-blocking CSS or JavaScript, ensuring hero images, carousel blocks, and logo images appear quickly.

This strategy, combined with Lazy Loading, Critical CSS, and caching, improves Core Web Vitals, decreases Time to Interactive, and allows Above the Fold Content to render instantly for visitors on your WordPress site.

11. Optimize Google Fonts And Custom Fonts

Web fonts, including Google Fonts and custom fonts, can block rendering and delay LCP if not optimized. Preloading critical fonts, using Google Fonts Display, or implementing Fetchpriority hints ensures fonts load faster, reducing element render delay and improving First Contentful Paint.

Plugins like WP Rocket, FlyingPress, and Perfmatters can handle font optimization and preloading efficiently. Properly optimized fonts reduce network calls, resource load duration, and render-blocking CSS, helping hero images, logo images, and carousel blocks appear quickly.

Combining font optimization with caching, Lazy Loading, and Critical CSS enhances Above the Fold Content rendering. This results in a faster Time to Interactive and a better website’s user experience for WordPress visitors.

12. Compress And Serve Responsive Images

Serving compressed and responsive images ensures that the LCP resource loads quickly on all devices. Unoptimized images increase resource load duration, network calls, and element render delay.

Plugins like ShortPixel, Smush, Imagify, and WP Rocket compress images and automatically serve responsive sizes for desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. Preloading critical images and combining this with Lazy Loading reduces render-blocking resources and improves First Contentful Paint.

Optimizing hero images, carousel blocks, and Above the Fold Images enhances Time to Interactive and DOM content load time. A properly compressed and responsive image setup improves your WordPress site’s Largest Contentful Paint score and overall Core Web Vitals performance.

13. Reduce DOM Size And Simplify HTML Markup

A large DOM size slows down rendering and increases element render delay, negatively affecting Largest Contentful Paint, Time to Interactive, and First Input Delay. Simplifying HTML markup, removing unnecessary wrappers, and optimizing Post Grid or carousel blocks can reduce DOM complexity.

Plugins like Perfmatters and WP Rocket help by disabling unused JavaScript, CSS, and third-party scripts, lowering resource load duration and network calls. Optimized HTML markup allows hero images, logo images, and Above the Fold Content to render faster, improving the website’s user experience.

Monitoring DOM content load time using Chrome Developer Tools, GT Metrix, or Real User Monitoring ensures LCP and Core Web Vitals are continuously optimized on WordPress sites.

14. Limit Heavy Plugins And Third-Party Scripts

Heavy plugins and third-party scripts, including the HubSpot plugin, Beaver Builder, Avada theme features, Google AdSense, and Jetpack Boost, increase resource load duration and element render delay.

Disabling unnecessary plugins or using alternatives like Perfmatters to selectively manage scripts reduces render-blocking resources, network calls, and LCP resource delays. Optimizing these scripts also improves DOM content load time, Time to Interactive, and First Input Delay.

Lightweight, optimized plugins help hero images, carousel blocks, and Above the Fold Images appear faster.

Combined with caching, Lazy Loading, and Critical CSS, limiting heavy plugins ensures a better website’s user experience and helps WordPress sites achieve faster Largest Contentful Paint scores and improved Core Web Vitals.

15. Optimize Mega Menus And Carousel Blocks

Mega menus and carousel blocks often include large images, scripts, and CSS, which can delay Largest Contentful Paint.

Optimizing these elements reduces element render delay and resource load duration. Plugins like WP Rocket, FlyingPress, and Perfmatters can help by deferring or async loading JavaScript, minifying CSS/JS files, and removing unused resources.

Compressing carousel images and preloading hero images ensures Above the Fold Content loads quickly. Reducing DOM size and limiting unnecessary scripts in mega menus improves First Contentful Paint and Time to Interactive.

Monitoring performance with Chrome DevTools, GT Metrix, or Google PageSpeed Insights helps identify specific bottlenecks, ensuring your WordPress site maintains fast LCP and improved Core Web Vitals.

16. Use Service Workers For Caching

Service workers enhance caching and resource delivery, reducing LCP resource load times and network calls. They allow repeated visits to load hero images, logo images, and above-the-fold content faster.

Plugins like WP Rocket and LiteSpeed Cache support service worker implementation for WordPress, improving element render delay and resource load duration. Combining service workers with page caching, CDN, and Edge Caching ensures optimal delivery of critical LCP resources.

This optimization reduces DOM content load time, Time to Interactive, and First Input Delay while improving the website’s user experience. Monitoring through Real User Monitoring or Chrome Developer Tools ensures service workers are configured properly, maintaining fast Largest Contentful Paint scores consistently.

17. Monitor With Google PageSpeed Insights, Chrome DevTools, GT Metrix, And Real User Monitoring

Monitoring your WordPress site’s performance is key to maintaining a low Largest Contentful Paint score.

Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Chrome DevTools, GT Metrix, and Real User Monitoring help identify slow LCP resources, render-blocking CSS/JS, and delayed hero images. They provide insights into network waterfall, resource load duration, Time to Interactive, DOM content load time, and cumulative layout shift.

Regular monitoring allows you to optimize Above the Fold Images, LCP elements, and carousel blocks, and adjust caching, Lazy Loading, or Critical CSS settings. Combining these tools with plugins like WP Rocket, FlyingPress, or Perfmatters ensures your WordPress site delivers fast Core Web Vitals and an improved website’s user experience.

Bonus: Best Plugins to Keep LCP Score Low

Using the right plugins can make it much easier to optimize your WordPress site and maintain a fast Largest Contentful Paint score.

• WP Rocket – Handles page caching, lazy loading, and minification of CSS and JavaScript files to reduce element render delay.
• LiteSpeed Cache – Offers server-side caching, edge caching, and image optimization to improve LCP and overall Core Web Vitals.
• Perfmatters Plugin – Disables unused JavaScript and CSS, controls third-party scripts, and optimizes network calls to reduce resource load duration.
• Jetpack Boost – Provides lazy load for images, minifies CSS/JS files, and improves above-the-fold content performance.
• Image Optimization Plugins (e.g., ShortPixel, Smush) – Compresses and serves responsive images, preloads critical images, and reduces LCP resource delays.
• Cloudflare Enterprise – Enhances content delivery network performance, edge caching, and reduces server response time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now, we will take a look at some of the frequently asked questions and answers regarding this topic.

Conclusion

Improving Largest Contentful Paint on WordPress is essential for delivering a fast, smooth, and engaging website’s user experience.

By addressing slow server response time, render-blocking CSS and JavaScript, unoptimized images, and heavy third-party plugins, you can significantly enhance your Core Web Vitals.

Implementing Lazy Loading, Critical CSS, preloading critical images, optimizing hero images and logos, and using caching solutions like WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, or Cloudflare Enterprise reduces resource load duration and element render delay.

Monitoring your LCP using Google PageSpeed Insights, Chrome User Experience Report, GT Metrix, or Real User Monitoring ensures ongoing performance improvements. Optimizing fonts, CSS/JS files, and above-the-fold content helps your WordPress site load faster, improves search rankings, and creates a better browsing experience for visitors.

Do you know any other methods to reduce your Largest Contentful Paint?

Let us know in the comments.