LCP image loading attributes on top 1M homepages by platform
| Platform | loading=lazy | fetchpriority=high | Good LCP if lazy | Good LCP if not lazy | Homepages with image LCP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webflow | 49.5% | 12.8% | 62.1% | 61.7% | 749 |
| Squarespace | 45.4% | 24.5% | 62.9% | 60.1% | 306 |
| Shopify | 22.4% | 42.6% | 75.5% | 80.2% | 35,426 |
| WordPress | 11.9% | 31.6% | 59.2% | 65.3% | 54,315 |
| Wix | 3.8% | 90.0% | n/a (20 sites) | 64.3% | 530 |
| Other or custom | 9.7% | 12.8% | 62.0% | 64.6% | 274,232 |
| All homepages | 11.4% | 18.6% | 64.5% | 66.3% | 365,558 |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Sept 2026. Good LCP is a CrUX p75 LCP of 2.5 s or less, among homepages with CrUX data.
Summary
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures when the biggest element in the viewport finishes rendering. On many homepages that element is an image, often the hero banner. Marking that image loading="lazy" tells the browser to hold it back until layout shows it is near the viewport, which delays the very thing LCP measures. Marking it fetchpriority="high" does the opposite and asks the browser to fetch it early.
We checked 365,558 top-1M homepages whose LCP element is an image. 11.4% lazy-load it, and only 18.6% give it high fetch priority. Some site builders lazy-load the LCP image on close to half of their homepages.
What we measured
We used the HTTP Archive crawl from September 2026, mobile, covering the top 1M sites by Chrome traffic. For each homepage we identified the LCP element in a mobile lab load. We kept the 365,558 homepages where that element is an image and read its loading and fetchpriority attributes.
Platform is the detected site platform, and popularity tiers come from the Chrome traffic rank. For real-user speed, we used Chrome UX Report data at the 75th percentile, for homepages that have it. A good LCP is 2.5 s or less.
The LCP element comes from a lab crawl at one mobile viewport. Real visitors on other screen sizes can get a different LCP element. The real-user LCP gaps below are small and are correlations.
Most LCP images load eagerly, but few get priority
11.4% of the 365,558 homepages with an image LCP, 41,530 in total, mark that image loading="lazy". Most homepages get the basic part right and let the LCP image load normally.
The next step is much rarer. Only 18.6% of these homepages (68,089) give the LCP image fetchpriority="high". Without that hint, the browser has to discover the image and decide its priority on its own, and the hero image can end up queued behind scripts and stylesheets.
Lazy loading the LCP image is likely an accident in most cases. Many themes and plugins add loading="lazy" to every image on the page, including the first one, unless the template marks the hero as an exception.
11.4%
Share of 365,558 top-1M homepages with an image LCP element that mark that image loading="lazy".
Site builders differ sharply
The platform makes a large difference. 49.5% of 749 Webflow homepages and 45.4% of 306 Squarespace homepages with an image LCP lazy-load it. That is close to half. Shopify follows at 22.4% of 35,426 homepages, then WordPress at 11.9% of 54,315 and Wix at just 3.8% of 530. Homepages on other or custom stacks sit at 9.7%.
The priority hint shows the same split in reverse. Wix sets fetchpriority="high" on the LCP image on 90.0% of 530 homepages, Shopify on 42.6% and WordPress on 31.6%, against 12.8% for Webflow and for other or custom homepages.
These patterns likely come from platform and theme defaults. When a builder handles the hero image the same way for every site, most of its sites end up with the same attributes, good or bad.
Lazy-loaded LCP images go with slightly slower LCP
In the field, the difference is small but points the expected way. 64.5% of 35,567 lazy-LCP homepages with CrUX data have a good LCP of 2.5 s or less, against 66.3% of 257,387 homepages that do not lazy-load it. Median p75 LCP is 2,132 ms for the lazy group and 2,036 ms for the rest.
The gap is larger on some platforms. On WordPress, 59.2% of lazy-LCP homepages have a good LCP against 65.3% of those that load it normally. On Shopify the figures are 75.5% and 80.2%. On Webflow and Squarespace the lazy group is level or slightly ahead, and Wix has too few lazy-LCP homepages with CrUX data to compare.
Homepages that give the LCP image fetchpriority="high" reach a good LCP more often: 74.5% of 60,762 with CrUX data do, higher than either group above. That fits how the hint is meant to work, though sites that set it may also be better optimized in other ways.
The rate is flat across popularity tiers
Popular sites make this mistake about as often as everyone else. 13.3% of 360 Top 1K homepages with an image LCP lazy-load it, against 12.6% of 3,250 in the Top 10K, 11.5% of 31,428 in the Top 100K and 11.3% of 330,520 across the rest of the top 1M.
Bigger teams and budgets do not seem to catch it. Platform lines up with the rate far more closely than traffic does.
What this means for your site
Find your LCP element first. Run the page through PageSpeed Insights or the Performance panel in Chrome DevTools, which name the LCP element, and check its attributes in the HTML.
- If the LCP image has loading="lazy", remove it. Keep lazy loading for images further down the page.
- Add fetchpriority="high" to the LCP image so the browser fetches it early.
- On WordPress and Shopify, check the theme or image plugin settings. Many have an option to skip lazy loading for the first image or the hero section.
- On Webflow and Squarespace, check the image settings on the hero block, since those platforms show the highest lazy-load rates.
- Test at more than one screen size. The LCP element on mobile can differ from desktop, so check both.
Sources
- HTTP Archive crawl, September 2026, mobile, top 1M sites by Chrome traffic, LCP element attributes
- Chrome UX Report (CrUX), real-user LCP at the 75th percentile, September 2026
- web.dev, Optimize Largest Contentful Paint: https://web.dev/articles/optimize-lcp
- web.dev, guide to fetch priority: https://web.dev/articles/fetch-priority
Frequently asked questions
How many websites lazy-load their LCP image?
11.4% of 365,558 top-1M homepages whose LCP element is an image mark it loading="lazy". Only 18.6% give it fetchpriority="high".
Should the LCP image be lazy loaded?
No. Lazy loading holds the image back, and in our data 64.5% of lazy-LCP homepages have a good LCP against 66.3% of those that load it normally. Homepages that set fetchpriority="high" on the LCP image reach a good LCP 74.5% of the time.
Which platforms lazy-load the LCP image most often?
Webflow (49.5% of 749 homepages) and Squarespace (45.4% of 306), followed by Shopify (22.4%) and WordPress (11.9%). Wix lazy-loads it on only 3.8% of homepages and sets fetchpriority="high" on 90.0%.
How do I check if my LCP image is lazy loaded?
Run the page through PageSpeed Insights or the Chrome DevTools Performance panel to find the LCP element, then check whether that image has loading="lazy" in the HTML. If it does, remove it and add fetchpriority="high".
A lazy-loaded hero image is usually a single theme or template setting, and changing it is one of the quickest LCP fixes there is. Need help with this? See our technical SEO services.