Why "Lazy Loading" Images is Actually Hurting Your LCP Score

By Valkyrie Built | Updated: January 23, 2026

For years, speed optimization apps have sold merchants a lie: "Lazy load everything, and your site will be fast."

Lazy loading (delaying an image from loading until the user scrolls to it) is great for images at the bottom of the page. But when apps blindly apply it to the top of your page, they commit architectural suicide.

The LCP Problem

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is the metric Google uses to measure how fast your main content appears. Usually, this is your Hero Image or your Main Product Image.

If you "lazy load" that main image, you are explicitly telling the browser: "Wait! Don't load this image yet. Wait until the layout is finished."

You are forcing your own site to be slow.

Current State (Lazy Loaded)

4.2 s LCP (Poor)

Valkyrie Optimized

0.8 s LCP (Good)

The Code Difference❌ THE AMATEUR WAY (Lazy Load)

      <img src="hero.jpg" loading="lazy">
    
Result: Browser delays fetch. LCP Score: 4.2s
✅ THE VALKYRIE WAY (Eager Fetch)

      <img src="hero.jpg" loading="eager" fetchpriority="high">
    
Result: Browser prioritizes immediately. LCP Score: 0.8s

How We Fix This

We don't use "Speed Apps" that break your code. We manually audit your Shopify architecture.

We rewrite your theme's media logic to ensure that Above the Fold content is prioritized by the network, while Below the Fold content is deferred.

Is your speed score stuck in the red? Let's fix your LCP. →