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Overview
- Data Source: Page Speed Insights
- Type: Numeric (Time, Score)
Description
First Contentful Paint (FCP) measures the time it takes for the first piece of content from the DOM to be rendered visibly on the screen. This content could be text, images, SVGs, or any other content that gives the user an indication that the page is loading. Page Speed Insights categorizes FCP scores into three groups:
- Good FCP Score (Green): FCP of 1.8 seconds or less.
- Needs Improvement (Orange): FCP between 1.8 and 3.0 seconds.
- Poor FCP Score (Red): FCP longer than 3.0 seconds.
FCP is an important performance metric because it helps gauge the perceived load speed of a page, which can impact user satisfaction and engagement.
Use Cases
- User Experience Improvement: Optimize FCP to ensure that users see the first visual response from the site quickly, improving the initial user experience and reducing the likelihood of page abandonment.
- SEO Optimization: Enhance FCP to potentially improve search engine rankings, as faster page load times are favored by search engines, particularly for mobile users.
- Performance Monitoring: Regularly check FCP using Page Speed Insights to identify and address performance bottlenecks, maintaining a fast and responsive user experience.
- Web Development Focus: Prioritize development tasks that improve FCP, such as optimizing critical rendering paths, reducing server response times, and minimizing render-blocking resources.
- Conversion Rate Enhancement: Improve conversion rates by ensuring that the first content appears quickly, encouraging users to stay on the site and engage further.
Indicators
- Positive Indicator: A low FCP score (1.8 seconds or less) indicates that the initial content is loading quickly, contributing to a positive user experience and potentially higher search engine rankings.
- Negative Indicator: A high FCP score (longer than 3.0 seconds) suggests that the initial content is taking too long to load, which can lead to higher bounce rates, lower user satisfaction, and reduced SEO effectiveness. An FCP between 1.8 and 3.0 seconds indicates room for improvement to enhance the user experience.
