Performance fix guide
LCP Image is Lazy Loaded
The Largest Contentful Paint image has loading="lazy", which delays its load and makes LCP worse. Above-the-fold images should load eagerly.
Issue ID: CWV-LCP-LAZY-001
Severity: major
Impact: High
Effort: S
Use this article when
- You need deeper remediation guidance than the issue card can show.
- You want CMS-specific steps before handing the fix to a developer.
- You want a repeatable re-check path after shipping the change.
What this issue is
The Largest Contentful Paint image has loading="lazy", which delays its load and makes LCP worse. Above-the-fold images should load eagerly.
Why it matters
The Largest Contentful Paint image has loading="lazy", which delays its load and makes LCP worse. Above-the-fold images should load eagerly. This affects load speed, Core Web Vitals, and how many visitors stay long enough to convert.
How we detect it
- FreeSiteAudit flags this issue when the rule for CWV-LCP-LAZY-001 fails and the page evidence points to Performance tool.
- You can usually confirm this by checking the page source or the relevant page settings inside your CMS.
Evidence examples
Check the affected page source, rendered output, or relevant CMS setting to confirm the missing or incorrect element.
How to fix it
- 1Remove loading="lazy" from the LCP image element
- 2Add fetchpriority="high" to the LCP image instead
- 3Only use lazy loading for below-the-fold images
How to re-check it
- Confirm the LCP image does not have loading="lazy" attribute
Related tools
This issue is best verified with the full FreeSiteAudit crawl rather than a single-point mini tool.