{"id":4118,"date":"2025-08-22T13:22:54","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T13:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/?p=4118"},"modified":"2025-10-29T07:14:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T07:14:54","slug":"google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Warns: Lazy Loading Above-the-Fold Images Can Hurt LCP"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In a recent episode of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XgkhNF1gDKA&amp;list=PLKoqnv2vTMUMxMs2PdBlDULqybdlPZxrk\">Google\u2019s Search Off the Record podcast<\/a>, Martin Splitt issued a caution many developers and SEOs can\u2019t afford to ignore.<\/p>\n<p>Lazy loading of all images by default especially hero images can delay Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and degrade user experience.<\/p>\n<p>Splitt explained how even Google\u2019s own site, developers.google.com, fell into this trap because its CMS automatically applied lazy loading to every image. His warning was clear:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you are using lazy loading on an image that is immediately visible, that is most likely going to have an impact on your largest contentful paint. It\u2019s like almost guaranteed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How many websites right now are unknowingly hurting their LCP scores by telling browsers to wait on the very content users expect to see first?<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s see what Splitt really meant and why it matters.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lazy loading demystified\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XgkhNF1gDKA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\"><\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#why-lcp-is-such-a-big-deal\" >Why LCP Is Such a Big Deal<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#how-lazy-loading-can-delay-lcp\" >How Lazy Loading Can Delay LCP<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#the-extra-risk-of-layout-shifts\" >The Extra Risk of Layout Shifts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#the-seo-danger-of-old-lazy-loading-libraries\" >The SEO Danger of Old Lazy-Loading Libraries<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#how-to-check-if-your-sites-is-affected\" >How to Check If Your Sites is Affected<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#ranking-impact-should-you-panic\" >Ranking Impact: Should You Panic?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#best-practices-what-you-should-do\" >Best Practices: What You Should Do<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#real-world-context-of-wordpress-as-a-case-study\" >Real-World Context of WordPress as a Case Study<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#treat-lazy-loading-as-opt-in\" >Treat Lazy Loading as Opt-In<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#-lets-see-if-were-doing-it-right\" >\u00a0Let\u2019s See If We\u2019re Doing It Right<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"why-lcp-is-such-a-big-deal\"><\/span><b>Why LCP Is Such a Big Deal<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Before we explore more about this, a quick refresher: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/google-pagespeed-insights\/lcp\/\">Largest Contentful Paint <\/a>measures the time it takes for the biggest element\u2014usually a hero image or large text block in the initial viewport to render.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/chrome-user-experience-report-public-data.png\" alt=\"What is Largest Contentful Paint?\" width=\"467\" height=\"244\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">A \u201cgood\u201d LCP is 2.5 seconds or less.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Anything slower can frustrate users and hurt your Core Web Vitals score.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">And since Core Web Vitals are part of Google\u2019s ranking signals, poor LCP could mean slipping behind competitors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, when lazy loading delays that hero image, the biggest piece of your content shows up late. And on slower networks, the delay feels even more jarring.<\/p>\n<p>Which brings me back to the question: is your \u201coptimization\u201d strategy actually slowing your site down?<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how-lazy-loading-can-delay-lcp\"><\/span><b>How Lazy Loading Can Delay LCP<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Here is what usually happens behind the scenes:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4119\" title=\"How Lazy Loading Can Delay LCP\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/How-Lazy-Loading-Can-Delay-LCP.avif\" alt=\"How Lazy Loading Can Delay LCP\" width=\"831\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/How-Lazy-Loading-Can-Delay-LCP.avif 831w, https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/How-Lazy-Loading-Can-Delay-LCP-300x154.avif 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 831px) 100vw, 831px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Without lazy loading:<\/b> The browser\u2019s preload scanner detects the hero image early, requests it right away and renders it quickly.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>With lazy loading on the hero image:<\/b> The browser deprioritizes it. Scripts, styles and other assets take over first. The hero image request comes later\u2014competing for bandwidth when the pipeline is already full.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Result? The most visible part of your page gets delayed and LCP increases.<\/p>\n<p>Splitt\u2019s own site became a case study of this problem. And if Google can make that mistake, how many other CMS-powered sites are doing the same?<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-extra-risk-of-layout-shifts\"><\/span><b>The Extra Risk of Layout Shifts<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There is another layer of trouble. If you forget to set width and height for your lazy-loaded hero, the late arrival of the image can cause the layout to shift.<\/p>\n<p>Users see text jump around as the hero loads, which is a visual stutter that feels unpolished. Google calls this Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) and yes, it is another Core Web Vital that affects rankings.<\/p>\n<p>So now you are not just delaying your LCP and you are even potentially hurting CLS too.<\/p>\n<p>Do you see how a \u201cdefault lazy load everything\u201d approach can create a domino effect of performance issues?<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-seo-danger-of-old-lazy-loading-libraries\"><\/span><b>The SEO Danger of Old Lazy-Loading Libraries<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Lazy loading is not new and before browsers introduced native support, developers relied on JavaScript libraries. Some of these older scripts still linger and they create a unique SEO hazard.<\/p>\n<p>Splitt pointed out:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have seen multiple lazy loading libraries \u2026 that use some sort of data-source attribute rather than the source attribute\u2026 If it is not in the source attribute, we won\u2019t pick it up if it\u2019s in some custom attribute.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Translation? If your lazy-loading script hides image URLs in data-src or similar nonstandard attributes, Googlebot may never see them. That means your images might never get indexed.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine you are running an e-commerce site where product images don\u2019t appear in Google Images just because of a lazy-loading quirk. Would you even know it was happening?<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how-to-check-if-your-sites-is-affected\"><\/span><b>How to Check If Your Sites is Affected<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Splitt\u2019s advice: don\u2019t rely on screenshots or assumptions. Use Search Console\u2019s URL Inspection Tool to check the rendered HTML.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what you should confirm:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Hero and above-the-fold images are not lazy loaded.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">All images appear with proper src or srcset attributes in the rendered HTML.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Width and height are explicitly defined.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As Splitt put it:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the rendered HTML looks like it contains all the image URLs in the source attribute of an image tag \u2026 then you will be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The key is not just to trust how your page looks in the browser but to verify how Googlebot sees it.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ranking-impact-should-you-panic\"><\/span><b>Ranking Impact: Should You Panic?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Now, before we all rush to strip lazy loading from every site, Splitt offered perspective: the ranking impact is modest.<\/p>\n<p>Core Web Vitals are part of Google\u2019s algorithm, yes, but he described them as a \u201ctiny minute factor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, think about it this way: in competitive niches, small differences decide who outranks whom. If your competitor\u2019s LCP is consistently faster, who do you think users and Google will favor?<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes the margin of victory is measured in milliseconds.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"best-practices-what-you-should-do\"><\/span><b>Best Practices: What You Should Do<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>So, what is the takeaway for site owners and developers? Google\u2019s guidance boils down to a few practical rules:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Don\u2019t lazy load above-the-fold images.<\/b> Keep hero images eager, always.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Use native lazy loading (<\/b><b>loading=&#8221;lazy&#8221;<\/b><b>)<\/b> for below-the-fold content and iframes.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Check your libraries.<\/b> If you must use scripts, ensure final markup exposes URLs in src or srcset.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Define dimensions.<\/b> Always set width and height for images to prevent layout shifts.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Verify in rendered HTML.<\/b> Don\u2019t guess\u2014use Search Console to confirm.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Track your Core Web Vitals.<\/b> Watch LCP trends over time to see if changes help or hurt.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"real-world-context-of-wordpress-as-a-case-study\"><\/span><b>Real-World Context of WordPress as a Case Study<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>WordPress played a big role in spreading lazy loading by enabling it by default in 2020. For most cases, this was a net positive\u2014it cut down unnecessary requests and sped up mobile browsing.<\/p>\n<p>If your WordPress theme or plugin applies lazy loading blindly to every image, including the hero, you have fallen into exactly the trap Splitt warned about.<\/p>\n<p>It is a reminder that best practices aren\u2019t universal. Context matters.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"treat-lazy-loading-as-opt-in\"><\/span><b>Treat Lazy Loading as Opt-In<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Splitt closed with a balanced perspective: lazy loading is not bad bad powerful when applied selectively. But it should be treated as an opt-in optimization, not a blanket rule.<\/p>\n<p>Hero images, banners or above-the-fold content? Keep them eager.<br \/>\nSecondary galleries, below-the-fold visuals, videos? That is where lazy loading shines.<\/p>\n<p>Because at the end of the day, the real goal is not just passing a Core Web Vitals report\u2014it is making the site feel fast and smooth to users.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"-lets-see-if-were-doing-it-right\"><\/span><b>\u00a0Let\u2019s See If We\u2019re Doing It Right<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Listening to this podcast made us think about an important question: are we doing lazy loading responsibly? Or are we defaulting to convenience at the cost of user experience?<\/p>\n<p>Lazy loading is like any tool\u2014it can speed you up or slow you down depending on how you use it. And when it comes to something as critical as LCP, even small missteps can ripple into rankings and user trust.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a recent episode of Google\u2019s Search Off the Record podcast, Martin Splitt issued a caution many developers and SEOs can\u2019t afford to ignore. Lazy loading of all images by default especially hero images can delay Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and degrade user experience. Splitt explained how even Google\u2019s own site, developers.google.com, fell into this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-google"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Google Warns: Lazy Loading Above-the-Fold Images Can Hurt LCP - Stan Ventures<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Google\u2019s Martin Splitt warns lazy loading hero images can delay LCP, hurt Core Web Vitals &amp; rankings. Learn best practices to optimize site speed.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Google Warns: Lazy Loading Above-the-Fold Images Can Hurt LCP - Stan Ventures\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Google\u2019s Martin Splitt warns lazy loading hero images can delay LCP, hurt Core Web Vitals &amp; rankings. Learn best practices to optimize site speed.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Stan Ventures\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StanVentures\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-22T13:22:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-29T07:14:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/chrome-user-experience-report-public-data.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dileep Thekkethil\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@dthekkethil\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@stanventures\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dileep Thekkethil\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dileep Thekkethil\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/87d00ff18daf9650e7c925ae4bf86efb\"},\"headline\":\"Google Warns: Lazy Loading Above-the-Fold Images Can Hurt LCP\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-22T13:22:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-29T07:14:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1182,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/chrome-user-experience-report-public-data.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Google\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/\",\"name\":\"Google Warns: Lazy Loading Above-the-Fold Images Can Hurt LCP - Stan Ventures\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/chrome-user-experience-report-public-data.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-22T13:22:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-29T07:14:54+00:00\",\"description\":\"Google\u2019s Martin Splitt warns lazy loading hero images can delay LCP, hurt Core Web Vitals & rankings. Learn best practices to optimize site speed.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/chrome-user-experience-report-public-data.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/chrome-user-experience-report-public-data.png\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Google Warns: Lazy Loading Above-the-Fold Images Can Hurt LCP\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Stan Ventures\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Stan Ventures\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/Stan-Ventures.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/Stan-Ventures.webp\",\"width\":2001,\"height\":801,\"caption\":\"Stan Ventures\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/StanVentures\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/stanventures\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/87d00ff18daf9650e7c925ae4bf86efb\",\"name\":\"Dileep Thekkethil\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/911bd385b9da54d4a69f19f536a6419e576244371bd6e7d96f06c583dd402fa9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/911bd385b9da54d4a69f19f536a6419e576244371bd6e7d96f06c583dd402fa9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/911bd385b9da54d4a69f19f536a6419e576244371bd6e7d96f06c583dd402fa9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dileep Thekkethil\"},\"description\":\"Dileep Thekkethil is the Director of Marketing at Stan Ventures, where he applies over 15 years of SEO and digital marketing expertise to drive growth and authority. A former journalist with six years of experience, he combines strategic storytelling with technical know-how to help brands navigate the shift toward AI-driven search and generative engines. Dileep is a strong advocate for Google\u2019s EEAT standards, regularly sharing real-world use cases and scenarios to demystify complex marketing trends. He is an avid gardener of tropical fruits, a motor enthusiast, and a dedicated caretaker of his pair of cockatiels.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/stanventures.com\\\/news\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/dileep-pradeep-3705aa53\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/dthekkethil\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.stanventures.com\\\/news\\\/author\\\/admin_7mxgn8tx\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Google Warns: Lazy Loading Above-the-Fold Images Can Hurt LCP - Stan Ventures","description":"Google\u2019s Martin Splitt warns lazy loading hero images can delay LCP, hurt Core Web Vitals & rankings. Learn best practices to optimize site speed.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Google Warns: Lazy Loading Above-the-Fold Images Can Hurt LCP - Stan Ventures","og_description":"Google\u2019s Martin Splitt warns lazy loading hero images can delay LCP, hurt Core Web Vitals & rankings. Learn best practices to optimize site speed.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/","og_site_name":"Stan Ventures","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StanVentures\/","article_published_time":"2025-08-22T13:22:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-29T07:14:54+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/chrome-user-experience-report-public-data.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Dileep Thekkethil","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@dthekkethil","twitter_site":"@stanventures","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dileep Thekkethil","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/"},"author":{"name":"Dileep Thekkethil","@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/87d00ff18daf9650e7c925ae4bf86efb"},"headline":"Google Warns: Lazy Loading Above-the-Fold Images Can Hurt LCP","datePublished":"2025-08-22T13:22:54+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-29T07:14:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/"},"wordCount":1182,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/chrome-user-experience-report-public-data.png","articleSection":["Google"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/","url":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/","name":"Google Warns: Lazy Loading Above-the-Fold Images Can Hurt LCP - Stan Ventures","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/chrome-user-experience-report-public-data.png","datePublished":"2025-08-22T13:22:54+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-29T07:14:54+00:00","description":"Google\u2019s Martin Splitt warns lazy loading hero images can delay LCP, hurt Core Web Vitals & rankings. Learn best practices to optimize site speed.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/chrome-user-experience-report-public-data.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/chrome-user-experience-report-public-data.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/google-warns-lazy-loading-above-the-fold-images-can-hurt-lcp-4118\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Google Warns: Lazy Loading Above-the-Fold Images Can Hurt LCP"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/","name":"Stan Ventures","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Stan Ventures","url":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Stan-Ventures.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Stan-Ventures.webp","width":2001,"height":801,"caption":"Stan Ventures"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StanVentures\/","https:\/\/x.com\/stanventures"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/87d00ff18daf9650e7c925ae4bf86efb","name":"Dileep Thekkethil","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/911bd385b9da54d4a69f19f536a6419e576244371bd6e7d96f06c583dd402fa9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/911bd385b9da54d4a69f19f536a6419e576244371bd6e7d96f06c583dd402fa9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/911bd385b9da54d4a69f19f536a6419e576244371bd6e7d96f06c583dd402fa9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dileep Thekkethil"},"description":"Dileep Thekkethil is the Director of Marketing at Stan Ventures, where he applies over 15 years of SEO and digital marketing expertise to drive growth and authority. A former journalist with six years of experience, he combines strategic storytelling with technical know-how to help brands navigate the shift toward AI-driven search and generative engines. Dileep is a strong advocate for Google\u2019s EEAT standards, regularly sharing real-world use cases and scenarios to demystify complex marketing trends. He is an avid gardener of tropical fruits, a motor enthusiast, and a dedicated caretaker of his pair of cockatiels.","sameAs":["https:\/\/stanventures.com\/news","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dileep-pradeep-3705aa53\/","https:\/\/x.com\/dthekkethil"],"url":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/author\/admin_7mxgn8tx\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4118"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4125,"href":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4118\/revisions\/4125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stanventures.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}