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First Contentful Paint (FCP) : Why Websites Start Rendering Too Slowly

First Contentful Paint (FCP) is one of the key loading-time metrics and measures how long it takes for the browser to first display visible content. We cover the most common causes of a poor FCP – and concrete solutions for TYPO3 websites.

history Letzte Änderung: 21.08.2026

What Is First Contentful Paint (FCP)?

First Contentful Paint (FCP) measures the time from when a web page is requested to the moment the browser first displays visible content. That could be a heading, a logo, an image, or any other visible element.

FCP gives visitors their first impression that the page is loading and responding. Even if the website isn't fully usable yet at that point, it feels noticeably faster as soon as the first content appears.

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Target values: Good: up to 1.8 seconds · Needs improvement: 1.8–3.0 seconds · Poor: over 3.0 seconds.

search Causes

The Most Common Causes of a Poor FCP

  1. Slow server response (TTFB): Before the browser can even start rendering, the web server has to deliver the HTML page. A high Time to First Byte (TTFB) automatically delays the FCP too.

    Typical causes:

    • slow hosting
    • missing page caching
    • expensive database queries
    • poorly optimized TYPO3 extensions

  2. Render-blocking CSS: The browser has to first download and process CSS files before it can display content. Large stylesheets therefore delay the first visible content.

    Optimization:

    • use critical CSS
    • combine and minify CSS files
    • remove unnecessary styles

  3. Blocking JavaScript: JavaScript in the <head> can fully halt rendering until the files have been loaded and executed.

    Optimization:

    • use defer or async
    • move JavaScript to the end of the page where possible
    • remove unnecessary libraries

  4. Too many external resources: Fonts, tracking scripts, consent managers, or chat widgets cause additional network requests and often delay the first visible content.

    Typical candidates:

    • Google Fonts
    • Google Tag Manager
    • cookie consent solutions
    • analytics and marketing tools

  5. Web fonts block text rendering: If the heading is the first visible content, the browser often waits for the font to load first.

    Optimization:

    • host fonts locally
    • only load the font weights you need
    • use font-display: swap

  6. Overly large CSS or JavaScript files: Many websites load several hundred kilobytes or even megabytes of CSS and JavaScript – even though only a small part is needed for the first screen of content.

terminal TYPO3 in Practice

Typical FCP Problems on TYPO3 Websites

With TYPO3, the cause is rarely the CMS itself, but almost always the specific project configuration.

  1. TYPO3 cache isn't set up optimally: If every page is regenerated on every request, server response time increases significantly.

    Solution:

    • enable the TYPO3 page cache
    • use a reverse proxy or CDN
    • review USER_INT elements critically

  2. Too many extensions load their own CSS and JS files: Every extension often brings additional resources with it.

    Solution:

    • remove unused extensions
    • bundle CSS and JavaScript files
    • only include libraries you actually need

  3. Large frameworks: Bootstrap, animations, or icon libraries are often loaded in full even though only a small part is needed.

  4. Too many web fonts: Multiple font weights and font families increase the number of HTTP requests and lengthen the rendering process.

  5. Third-party scripts: Marketing, analytics, or consent tools already compete for network and CPU resources while the page is being built.

How to Analyze Your FCP

First Contentful Paint can be measured with tools such as:

  • Google PageSpeed Insights
  • Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools
  • Chrome Performance panel
  • WebPageTest

These tools show not just the FCP value, but also which resources are delaying the first render.

Conclusion

A good First Contentful Paint gives visitors the impression of a fast website within a short time. The most common causes of poor values are slow servers, render-blocking CSS and JavaScript, external scripts, and an unfavorable TYPO3 configuration.

Especially with TYPO3 websites, consistent caching, optimized CSS and JavaScript delivery, and reducing unnecessary resources can often achieve significant improvements – frequently without any changes to the website's actual content.

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