What is First Contentful Paint (FCP)?
First Contentful Paint (FCP) is a user-centric metric that measures the perceived page load speed. FCP captures how users perceive the performance of a website, rather than simply what a speed testing tool measures.
FCP differs from First Paint, which marks the point in the page load timeline when any render is detected in the browser. In contrast, FCP requires some actual content to be rendered. This can include text, images (including background images and logos), or non-white <canvas> elements.
FCP is also different from Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which is another Core Web Vitals metric that measures how long it takes for the largest element to become visible in the viewport.
To put it simply, you can think of FCP as the time it takes for any content to appear in the user’s browser. A fast FCP reassures the user that something is happening and keeps them engaged with the site.
How is First Contentful Paint (FCP) Measured?
FCP can be measured through lab testing and real user experience (field data). Here are some tools you can use to measure FCP:
Lighthouse
WebPageTest
Chrome DevTools
PageSpeed Insights
Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX)
Firebase Performance Monitoring (beta)
Google measures 75% of page loads on your site across both mobile and desktop to ensure the data reflects real user experiences accurately.
How to Improve First Contentful Paint (FCP) Time in WordPress
Now that we’ve covered what FCP is and why it matters, here are 10 ways to improve First Contentful Paint on your WordPress site and fix a poor score. The goal is to bring FCP time below 1.8 seconds:
Reduce Server Response Time (TTFB)
Eliminate Render-Blocking Resources
Generate Critical Path CSS
Avoid Above-the-Fold JavaScript-Dependent Elements
Avoid Loading Large Images Early
Optimize Your Site’s DOM Size
Ensure Text Remains Visible During Web Font Load
Use Resource Hints (Preload, Preconnect, etc.)
Avoid Multiple Page Redirects