Site Speed Playbook

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One of the first elements of the customer's experience is the speed at which a page loads. Use lazy loading, manage render-blocking resources, and apply JavaScript to reduce page load time.

Expectations are clear: Consumers expect a page to load in under 2 seconds and will abandon the session if the page takes more than 3 seconds to load. Google has indicated that page speed is one of the signals used by its algorithm to rank pages.

Within site speed, First Contentful Paint (FCP) is a critical performance metric that indicates when the first content element (such as text, images, or non-white canvas elements) is displayed on the user's screen after navigating to a page. This helps users perceive that the page is loading and makes the site feel faster and more responsive. A fast FCP reassures users, while a slow FCP can lead to frustration as users wait for content to appear.

FCP is measured from the moment a user navigates to a page until the first contentful element is rendered. This includes any visible text or images, but does not account for elements within iframes or background color changes.

Expert sites should aim for a FCP of 1.8 seconds or less. Scores between 1.8 and 3.0 seconds are considered "needs improvement," while scores above 3.0 seconds are "poor."