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Updated on Oct 4, 2025
PageSpeed Plus surfaces the Largest Contentful Paint Element of a page every time it scans a URL. It does this for mobile and desktop and presents these in the dashboard for you to see.
Detailed analysis is provided such as element selector, bounding rectangle coordinates, and node labels. This proves invaluable for programmatic analysis and monitoring systems. Timing breakdowns separate server response time from element render delays, helping identify whether optimization should focus on backend or frontend performance.
The Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is a Core Web Vital measuring loading performance by tracking when the largest visible element appears on screen. Identifying your website's LCP element is crucial for optimizing user experience and search rankings. This guide covers multiple methods to accurately identify and analyze LCP elements.
The LCP metric focuses on the largest visible element within the viewport during initial page load, representing when main content has likely finished loading from the user's perspective. The browser considers several element types when calculating LCP.
Image elements, including those within SVG containers, are prime candidates when they occupy significant viewport space. Video poster images qualify as initial visual content before playback. Block-level elements containing text nodes, such as paragraphs, headings, and divs with substantial text content, are equally important considerations.
| Element Type | Examples | Common Scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| Images | img, image, svg | Hero images, product photos, banners |
| Video Elements | video with poster attribute | Landing page videos, promotional content |
| Block Elements with Text | h1, p, div with text | Headlines, article content, text blocks |
| Background Images | Elements with CSS background-image | Hero sections, card backgrounds |
Anoter method of LCP identification is Chrome DevTools which provides the most direct method for identifying LCP elements. The Performance panel offers real-time LCP tracking showing exactly which element contributes to your score. Open DevTools, navigate to Performance, and record a page load with "Web Vitals" enabled.
During recording, the LCP marker appears in the timeline when the largest element becomes visible. Clicking reveals detailed information including DOM path, dimensions, and timing. The timeline shows how LCP candidates change throughout loading.
The Elements panel highlights the LCP element in the DOM tree. Right-click and select "Reveal in Elements panel" to see HTML structure, CSS styles, and computed properties. This helps understand why an element became the LCP candidate and what optimizations might improve loading time.
Automated monitoring systems like PageSpeed Plus provide ongoing LCP visibility across user conditions and device types. It tracks LCP scores on mobile and desktop so you can see real time and historical scores.
In addition, the Real User Monitoring (RUM) feature collects LCP data from actual visitors, reflecting real-world conditions including varied network speeds and device capabilities. It shows you the exact URL and location a user visited from so you have all the information needed to debug properly.
If you are unsure what real user monitoring is vs synthetic monitoring, this chart summarises:
| Monitoring Method | Advantages | Best Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Synthetic Testing | Consistent conditions, detailed diagnostics | Development, regression testing, competitor analysis |
| Real User Monitoring | Actual user conditions, geographic diversity | Performance optimization, user experience analysis |
| Manual Testing | Complete control, detailed investigation | Troubleshooting, initial analysis, QA processes |
LCP identification becomes complex with dynamically loaded content or single-page applications. JavaScript-rendered content often appears after initial load, changing the LCP element from static analysis suggestions. Performance monitoring tools capturing complete loading sequences become essential for accurate identification.
Responsive design adds complexity, as different viewport sizes may have entirely different LCP elements. Desktop layouts might feature large hero images while mobile versions prioritize headlines or different image ratios. Testing across multiple device types ensures comprehensive optimization.
Once LCP elements are identified across scenarios, optimization becomes more targeted. Image-based LCP elements benefit from preloading directives, optimized formats like WebP or AVIF, and responsive implementations. Text-based elements improve through font optimization, critical CSS inlining, and reducing render-blocking resources.
Understanding LCP element position in loading sequence helps prioritize resource delivery. Above-fold elements should receive higher priority while less critical resources can be deferred. This targeted approach focuses optimization efforts on elements directly impacting user-perceived performance.
Regular LCP monitoring should become part of ongoing performance workflows. As websites evolve with new content and features, LCP elements may shift, requiring updated strategies. Automated alerts when performance degrades help maintain optimal user experience as sites grow and change.
Q: Is the LCP element always an image?
A: No. The LCP element can be an image, text, heading, paragraph, table.
Q: How to identify the Largest contentful paint element in pagespeed insights
A: PageSpeed Insights doesn’t show the LCP element. That’s why we added the feature to PageSpeed Plus
Q: How to improve Largest Contentful Paint
A: Start by reading this detailed guide on LCP.
Q:What is First Contentful Paint
A: First Contentful Paint (FCP) measures the time from when a page starts loading to when any part of the page’s content (like text, images, or SVGs) is first rendered on the screen.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures the time it takes for the largest visible content element (usually a hero image or main text block) to render, representing when the main content of the page is fully visible to the user.
Q:How to fix Largest Contentful Paint element on WordPress
A: Start by reading this guide on LCP.