How is the Largest Contentful Paint measured right now?
The Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is a critical performance metric that measures the time it takes for the main content element to be displayed on a user's screen. It gives insight into the user's loading experience, making it a crucial aspect of website performance optimization. In Chrome 112, Google has updated the LCP measurement to provide more accurate metrics.
Limited availability
Largest contentful paint (LCP) is not Baseline because it does not work in some of the most widely-used browsers.
- Only supported in Chrome 77, Edge 79 and Firefox 122
- Continue reading about largest contentful paint
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Changes in Chrome Version 112
Previously, the LCP only ignored full-screen background images and gradient backgrounds implemented through CSS. But with Chrome 112, the LCP will now extend its heuristics to ignore other low-content images that don't contribute much to the overall user experience. This change will mainly impact large background images or viewport overlays used for lazy loading. The threshold is set at 0.05 bits of image data per displayed pixel.
Why is the LCP getting an update?
The update to LCP is part of Google's ongoing effort to improve the Core Web Vitals, which focus on providing a real-world experience for users. The Core Web Vitals were introduced in May 2020, and Google has been making continuous updates to ensure that websites are fast and user-friendly.
Only field measurements can accurately capture the complete picture.
How will this impact your LCP?
The update to LCP in Chrome 112 may result in different metrics for websites. By ignoring low-content images, Chrome will report the first paint with either text or a more contentful image as the LCP. This may result in longer LCP times if a low-content background was painted early or if a low-content placeholder reserved space for a more contentful image that loaded later. On the other hand, LCP times may improve if a low-content background or viewport overlay was added after other content.
When will you receive Chrome version 112?
The changes to LCP were introduced to Chrome users on April 6, 2023, and are available in Chrome version 112 and previous versions (back to Chrome 109).
Conclusion
The Largest Contentful Paint update in Chrome 112 aims to provide more accurate metrics by ignoring low-entropy images. Web developers should stay informed about this crucial update and make necessary adjustments to optimize their websites' performance. Developers can ensure a better user experience and improved site metrics by understanding and adapting to these changes.
