How to Fix: LCP image preloaded

LCP image preloaded is an important SEO check in the Image SEO category. This is a medium-priority issue. While not urgent, fixing it will improve your overall SEO health.

Largest Contentful Paint is the Core Web Vital most people feel and most sites get wrong in the same way: the biggest above-the-fold image — usually a hero — is discovered too late by the browser, so it paints slowly and drags the score. The fix is not a faster server or a smaller image, though both help. It is telling the browser to start fetching that one specific image early. Small change, measurable win, and it is one of the cleanest performance fixes I know.

What is This Check About?

This check verifies that the image responsible for your Largest Contentful Paint — the largest visible element in the initial viewport, often a hero or featured image — is being prioritised for loading. When it fails, that image is being discovered late: it might be lazy-loaded when it should not be, or it waits behind CSS and scripts before the browser even knows to fetch it. Preloading and prioritising the LCP image is what closes that gap.

Why Does This Matter for SEO?

LCP is a ranking-relevant metric, and the LCP image is usually the thing standing between you and a good score:

• LCP is one of Google’s Core Web Vitals and directly feeds the page experience signal
• A late-loading hero image is the single most common cause of a poor LCP score
• Faster perceived load reduces bounce and improves the experience on the first thing a visitor sees
• The fix is cheap and targeted, so the return on effort is high relative to most performance work

How to Check This Issue

You can identify this issue by:

1. Running an SEO audit using the SEO Roadmap tool
2. Running the page through PageSpeed Insights, which names the specific LCP element and its load time
3. Using the Performance panel in browser developer tools (F12) to see when the LCP image is fetched
4. Checking whether your hero image has a loading="lazy" attribute it should not have

How to Fix This in WordPress

Difficulty Level: MEDIUM – This fix requires some technical knowledge or familiarity with WordPress settings and plugins.

Estimated Time: 15 min

The job is to identify the LCP image, stop it being deprioritised, and tell the browser to fetch it early. Here is the sequence.

Step 1: Identify the real LCP element

Do not guess. Run PageSpeed Insights or the browser’s Performance panel and let it name the LCP element for you. It is usually the hero image, but on some templates it is a background image or even a large heading. Fix the element that is actually measured, not the one you assume.

Step 2: Stop lazy-loading the hero

WordPress adds loading="lazy" to images by default, which is right for below-the-fold images and wrong for the LCP image. Make sure your above-the-fold hero is loaded eagerly. Most performance plugins (WP Rocket, Perfmatters) have an “exclude above-the-fold images from lazy load” setting; use it, or exclude the specific image, so the browser fetches it immediately.

Step 3: Preload and prioritise it

Add a <link rel="preload" as="image"> for the LCP image so the browser starts fetching it before it finishes parsing the page, and set fetchpriority="high" on the image itself to push it ahead of lower-priority resources. WP Rocket, Perfmatters, and similar plugins can generate the preload automatically; on a custom theme you can add it in the template head for the relevant page. Preload only the LCP image — preloading everything defeats the purpose.

Step 4: Verify the fix

After making changes:

1. Clear your WordPress cache if you’re using a caching plugin
2. Re-run PageSpeed Insights and confirm the LCP time has dropped
3. Confirm in the Network panel that the LCP image now starts loading early with high priority
4. Re-run the SEO Roadmap audit to confirm the issue is resolved

Recommended Tools & Plugins

These tools can help you fix and prevent this issue:

• WP Rocket / Perfmatters – Handle LCP preload, fetchpriority, and lazy-load exclusions
• PageSpeed Insights – Names the LCP element and measures the improvement
• Google Search Console – Monitor Core Web Vitals across your site
• SEO Roadmap – Complete SEO audit and action plan tool

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Leaving loading="lazy" on the above-the-fold hero image
• Guessing at the LCP element instead of measuring it
• Preloading many images, which dilutes priority and hurts rather than helps
• Optimising server speed while ignoring that the hero image is discovered too late

Need More Help?

If you’re still having trouble fixing this issue, consider:

• Consulting with a WordPress developer or performance specialist
• Checking your caching plugin’s documentation for LCP and preload settings
• Reviewing your theme’s handling of featured and hero images
• Running a complete site audit with SEO Roadmap for a prioritized action plan

This guide is part of the SEO Roadmap knowledge base – your complete resource for WordPress SEO optimization.