First Contentful Paint (FCP)
01 Definition
First Contentful Paint (FCP) meaning: FCP measures when the first text or image appears on a loading page.
First Contentful Paint records the time from when a page starts loading to when the browser first renders any text or image. It signals to users that the page is working. Google considers 1.8 seconds or less a good FCP, though it is a supporting metric rather than a Core Web Vital.
Why it matters
How First Contentful Paint (FCP) fits the work
FCP marks the first sign that a page is loading, which helps you diagnose slow starts that also affect the more prominent Core Web Vitals.
In context
Removing two render-blocking stylesheets pulled the page's First Contentful Paint from 3.0 seconds down to 1.5 seconds.
Practical note
FCP is a useful diagnostic but is not a Core Web Vitals ranking metric itself. Render-blocking scripts and slow server response often delay it.