What is LCP by PLS
LCP by PLS connects the technical speed of the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) with how fast the page feels to users - known as Perceived Load Speed (PLS).
PLS reflects user-centric signals, such as how fast the content appears usable, not just when it technically renders. It’s built on real user behavior and data: how soon people start interacting, how often they bounce, how quickly they scroll, and more.
This lens reveals whether your site "feels" fast even when the LCP metric is slow - or vice versa. It helps diagnose where perception and reality don’t match.
Healthy LCP by PLS sample
Should you worry
A healthy chart will show good PLS sessions paired with green LCPs — meaning:
Pages feel fast, and they are fast.
Users are satisfied and interact early.
There's alignment between what the browser paints and what the user experiences.
This is the ideal state: reality and perception working together.
Unhealthy LCP by PLS sample
The problem arises when:
Good PLS, but slow LCP: This can happen if visible content appears early (like skeletons), but the actual LCP element renders late. Users feel it’s usable, but technically it's still slow.
Poor PLS, fast LCP: This might happen if the LCP paints quickly, but the page looks incomplete or not interactive. Maybe fonts, layout, or interactions lag behind, making users feel like they’re waiting.
Misalignment here tells you something deeper is off — either in perceived performance strategy (e.g. fake fast) or in actual rendering sequence (e.g. non-critical content blocking real content).
Resolving unhealthy LCP by PLS
Go-to action plan to resolve an unhealthy LCP by PLS:
Ask Uxi to analyze your LCP by PLS values and suggest improvements.
Use Filters to find specific layouts where PLS and LCP diverge, and drill into their asset loading, layout stability, or user interactions.
Simulate LCP of the suspected lens to see if fixing it will resolve the slow LCP by PLS. If yes, this is where the resolution focus should be.
Use an automated LCP optimization tool like Navigation AI to improve your LCP by PLS values.
Once you’ve improved LCP, set an alert to be the first to know if it starts worsening again.
Try it yourself
Discover how your website performs with real user data.