Skip to content

First Contentful Paint (FCP)

AlgorithmsMetricsOn-pageSEOUser Experience

The term First Contentful Paint (FCP) is used to describe the time it takes to load the entirety of a webpage’s content that can be rendered on a single screen. It’s a Core Web Vitals metric used commonly throughout the marketing and design industries to show how long it takes pages and their content to load. The longer the time, the less likely it is that a user will wait for the webpage.  

Because it’s an industry-wide metric, the FCP is usually denotes by three measures: Good, Need Improvement, and Poor. These are designated as follows: 

Good: 1.8 sec 

Need Improvement: 1.8-3.0 sec 

Poor: 3.0 sec and longer 

Our Core Web Vitals Checker can determine what your FCP score is.

SEO Glossary

View the Blog

From the blog

How to Get LLMs to Mention Your Brand

Simply appearing on a search page isn’t enough anymore, not in today’s world driven by…

Follow vs. Nofollow: Why Your AI Search Strategy Needs Both to Succeed

Follow vs nofollow links have been debated in digital marketing for years. Questions are often…

How Important Are Citations for SEO in an AI Era?

Citations are a long-standing SEO trust signal that helps increase visibility in local search results…

The Top 3 Digital PR Services to Harness in 2026

In 2026, digital PR services are essential for any brand wanting to build lasting authority…

Changing Established URLs: What Should You Consider?

Picture this: you're working at an SEO agency, managing multiple clients and delivering strong results…

Understanding the February 2026 Google Discover Core Update and What It Means for Your Content Strategy

You may have heard that Google has rolled out a notable new update: the February…

Why Google E-E-A-T Is More Important Than Ever in the Age of Large Language Models (LLMs)

Search is evolving quickly. Large Language Models (LLMs) and Google AI overviews now have a…

Can SEO Really Be Automated? The Evidence Says…

Automation is on the rise in just about every industry, and SEO is no exception…

View all Downloads

Downloads

eBook: Search in 2022 - Key Findings So Far

Search in 2022: Key Findings So Far

The search engine landscape is constantly changing; search in 2022 is no exception. New trends and algorithm updates occur all the time in the search engine world.

Download
An e-book cover image titled 'Core Web Vitals', shows a person's hands typing on a laptop with analytics displayed.

2022 Core Web Vitals Checklist

Google's Core Web Vitals reports how a page performs, and here's our checklist to improving page experience this 2022!

Download
An e-book cover image titled 'Seasonal Marketing Checklist', shows a woman's hand holding shopping bags outside.

Seasonal Marketing Checklist

Seasonality can have a huge effect on the success of your business. It is imperative to have a strong digital marketing campaign during periods of high consumer demand. 

Download
Back To Top