Please note that this is a guest blog provided by Dominic Tanui of hirewordpressdeveloper.org.
WordPress stands as one of the most widely used Content Management Systems (CMS) globally, powering countless websites. To enhance the user experience and boost SEO performance, WordPress consistently releases new versions featuring improvements and bug fixes over previous iterations. Mark your calendars for August 8, 2023, when WordPress is set to unveil a major update: WordPress 6.3. This forthcoming update will prioritize optimizing the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) performance, a crucial metric for user experience, despite already commanding a presence on over 43.1% of all websites online. LCP represents the time it takes for the most substantial content element on a webpage to become visible to users. The imminent WordPress 6.3 update is designed to enhance LCP and introduce other changes that will have a positive impact on SEO performance.
WordPress 6.3 introduces significant enhancements aimed at streamlining LCP optimization and delivering faster-loading websites. These changes stem from meticulous analysis and feedback from the WordPress community, all with the aim of bolstering LCP performance and overall user experience.
Arguably the most anticipated enhancement in WordPress 6.3 is the inclusion of the “fetchpriority” attribute for LCP images. This attribute instructs the browser to prioritize loading the LCP image even before computing the layout, resulting in quicker load times. WordPress will take care of automatically adding the “fetchpriority” attribute with a “high” value to the largest content element within the viewport, translating into notable LCP improvements ranging from 5 to 10.
Building on the lazy-loading improvements introduced in WordPress 6.2, WordPress 6.3 will implement further adjustments and fixes to enhance the automatic handling of lazy loading through the “loading” attribute. This ensures a more dependable detection of when to exclude the “loading” attribute from specific images. With the arrival of WordPress 6.3, the “wp_get_loading_optimization_attributes()” function will be introduced, granting developers the ability to consistently customize image loading optimization attributes throughout the entirety of WordPress. This function also permits developers to tailor image-loading attributes while preserving any manually set attributes such as “fetchpriority” or “loading.”
WordPress 6.3 diligently addresses various issues pertaining to lazy loading, ensuring the proper application of the “loading” attribute. Several pre-existing functions related to loading optimization attributes will be deprecated in favor of the new “wp_get_loading_optimization_attributes()” function.
LCP holds a pivotal role as a metric for measuring user experience and SEO rankings. A swift LCP contributes to an enhanced user experience and improved search engine visibility. By optimizing LCP performance, website owners can achieve quicker loading times, increased user satisfaction, reduced bounce rates, and higher engagement. The introduction of the “fetchpriority” attribute in WordPress 6.3 plays a crucial role in optimizing LCP performance by prioritizing the loading of the largest content element.
We strongly recommend upgrading to WordPress 6.3 to capitalize on the improved LCP performance, enhanced handling of lazy loading, customization flexibility, and the retirement of deprecated functions. This upgrade will help websites achieve faster loading times, enhanced user satisfaction, improved SEO rankings, and increased organic traffic.
To provide a clear comparison between WordPress 6.2 and the latest WordPress 6.3 regarding LCP optimization and SEO performance, here’s a helpful table:
| Feature | WordPress 6.2 | WordPress 6.3 |
|—————————————-|——————————————–|——————————————————————-|
| LCP Image Fetchpriority Attribute | Not available | Introduces the “fetchpriority” attribute to prioritize LCP image loading. |
| Lazy-loading Handling Enhancements | Initial lazy-loading improvements | Further fixes to ensure more reliable detection of when to omit the “loading” attribute. |
| “wp_get_loading_optimization_attributes()” Function | Not available | Introduces the “wp_get_loading_optimization_attributes()” function for customized image loading attributes. |
| Customization Flexibility | Limited customization options | Developers can customize image loading attributes using “wp_get_loading_optimization_attributes().” |
| Deprecated Functions | Not available | Certain loading optimization functions are deprecated in favor of the new function. |
| Addressing Lazy-loading Issues | Not available | Fixes implemented for incorrect lazy-loading of images, ensuring proper behavior. |
With the forthcoming WordPress 6.3 update, website owners and developers gain access to superior LCP optimization and enhanced SEO performance.
