Likely hero image is not preloaded
What this means
The page opens with a large content image but declares no `<link rel="preload" as="image">` for it. The browser cannot start that request until it has parsed the markup and settled the layout, which typically delays Largest Contentful Paint by a few hundred milliseconds. This is an optimisation, not a defect — it only pays off when the image really is the LCP element.
How to fix it
Add `<link rel="preload" as="image" href="…">` (with `imagesrcset`/`imagesizes` if the image is responsive) in the head for the hero image, and measure LCP before and after. Preload only that one image — preloading several competes for the same bandwidth and makes things worse.
Fix effort
This check needs review: the change can be drafted for you, but a person has to approve the wording or choose the target before it ships.
Authoritative source
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