Find which element is your LCP, usually the hero image or headline, and make it load first. Compress it and size it properly, never lazy-load it, give it fetchpriority high, cut render-blocking CSS and JavaScript, and make sure no animation hides it. Aim for 2.5 seconds or less.
What counts as good
Google calls LCP good at 2.5 seconds or less and poor above 4 seconds, measured at the 75th percentile of real visits. Lighthouse is useful for finding problems. Search Console shows what your visitors actually get.
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A hero image with loading=lazy on it. Huge or uncompressed images and video. Render-blocking CSS and scripts in the head. A slow server. An LCP image that only gets requested after a script runs. Third-party apps and intro animations that hide the content.
The fix, in order
Find the LCP element in PageSpeed Insights or DevTools. Serve it as AVIF or WebP at the right size and preload it. Remove lazy-loading from it. Defer scripts you don't need for the first view. Cut third-party apps. Then wait for field data to confirm.
For Vela Jewellers this took LCP from 5.0s to 3.5s.
Questions
Does LCP affect SEO?
Yes. It's one of the Core Web Vitals Google uses in page experience.
Why is Lighthouse different from Search Console?
Lighthouse is one simulated load. Search Console is real visitors on real devices over 28 days.
Can animation slow down LCP?
Yes, if it hides or delays the main content. Let the content paint first.
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Written by Mohamed Habib
I'm a certified Webflow Expert in Manila. I spent four years as a marketing coordinator in Saudi Arabia, earned a BSBA in Marketing Management with University Honors, and worked as a web developer at Headspace shipping about five pages a day. Now I build websites for clients directly.