Improve Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) — Windsurf

Q: What counts as the LCP element?

The largest visible content block on initial viewport — usually a hero image or headline. Check in DevTools Performance tab.

Q: Does preloading actually help?

Yes — ` ` for the LCP image often cuts 300-800ms on mobile.

LCP measures how fast the main content appears. Slow LCP loses visitors and rankings. Main culprits: unoptimized hero images and render-blocking scripts.

rocket_launch

Fixing this in Windsurf

Codeium agentic AI IDE with Cascade

Windsurf Cascade can walk the entire project and apply multi-file edits in one pass. Paste the prompt below into your Windsurf chat and the fix rolls out across the project in one pass.

Using a different tool? Pick your stack:

Lovable Cursor Bolt v0 Replit Windsurf Claude Code Base44

The prompt for Windsurf

Copy and paste this into your Windsurf chat exactly as-is.

Using Windsurf Cascade, apply these edits across the project in one pass:

Improve Largest Contentful Paint

1. Preload the LCP image with <link rel="preload" as="image">.
2. Optimize the image format (use WebP/AVIF) and compress it.
3. Remove render-blocking resources above the fold.

Why this matters

LCP is one of three Core Web Vitals and the one users feel most viscerally. It is "when does the page look done". Over 4 seconds nearly doubles bounce on mobile.

Google uses LCP as a ranking signal (part of the page experience score). Sites that fail LCP get demoted on mobile results.

How to use this prompt in Windsurf

1. Open your Windsurf project.
2. Copy the prompt above with the copy button.
3. Paste into the Windsurf chat and send.
4. Review the diff, accept the changes, redeploy.
5. Verify the fix using the checklist below.

Common mistakes to avoid

error_outlineLazy-loading the LCP image — becomes slower, not faster.
error_outlineServing a 3MB JPEG when a 200KB WebP would do.
error_outlineLoading analytics/chat widgets synchronously before content.
error_outlineUsing a slow DNS/CDN for the main origin.

How to verify the fix worked

check_circlePageSpeed Insights → LCP value < 2.5s on mobile.
check_circleDevTools Performance tab — LCP event under 2.5s.
check_circleCrUX (Chrome UX Report) in GSC — LCP "Good" threshold met.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as the LCP element?expand_more

The largest visible content block on initial viewport — usually a hero image or headline. Check in DevTools Performance tab.

Does preloading actually help?expand_more

Yes — `<link rel="preload" as="image">` for the LCP image often cuts 300-800ms on mobile.

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Related Windsurf prompts

Performance