Under 2.5 seconds to the first real content on a phone. That is Google's own "good" line for Largest Contentful Paint, the moment the headline or main photo appears; anything over 4 seconds is "poor".1 Measured on Google's phone test, not on your office computer, most contractor sites we audit miss the 2.5-second line and many miss the 4-second one.
Why 2.5 and not 1 or 5
Google picked the thresholds from what real users tolerate before they give up, and it uses them as part of how it ranks pages.2 For a contractor the practical version is simpler: a homeowner with a problem opens three sites from the search results. The one that draws its first screen while her thumb is still on the glass gets read. The one still blank at four seconds gets the back button.
How to check yours
Open pagespeed.web.dev, paste your address, stay on the Mobile tab, and read the Largest Contentful Paint time. Run your two nearest competitors too. The one-minute test walks through the screen.
What the gap costs
The speed guide works it out in jobs a year with every assumption printed, and lists the five things that usually put a contractor site at 6 seconds: the hero photo, the page builder, plugins, fonts and third-party scripts. Our sites launch under the 2.5-second line with a 90+ phone score, in writing, or there is no monthly fee until they do.
Is the performance score or the seconds what matters?
The seconds. The score bundles several things; the Largest Contentful Paint time is the one a person feels and the one the 2.5-second line is drawn on.
My site is 3.1 seconds. Is that fine?
It is "needs improvement", which is where a lot of decent sites sit. It is not an emergency; it is a gap a competitor can close. Check who is faster near you.
Sources
- Google, web.dev: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).
- Google Search Central: Understanding page experience in Google Search results.
See this on your own site.
The free audit measures your site on a real phone: load time, the first screen, the call button, what Google's AI says about you next to the competitors. Written, back within one business day. No call.