First Contentful Paint (FCP)

When the first text or image appears on screen.

Good

1.8 s or less

Poor

over 3 s

What it measures

FCP records the first time the browser paints any content: text, an image, an SVG or a canvas.

Common causes of a poor FCP

• Slow server response and redirects.
• Render-blocking CSS and scripts in the head.
• Fonts that hide text while loading.

How to improve it

1. Remove redirects and cache HTML at the edge.
2. Defer non-critical JavaScript.
3. Use font-display: swap.