Preload LCP Image
by Rhys Wynne · Performance
Also makes 12 other plugins · 5.8K+ installs across the portfolio →
Allows you to specify on individual pages or posts the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) Image on that page to preload, making the page load quicker.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
B 79/100
Few reviews
Active installs
3K+
≈3.9K estimated
Momentum
+19%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “site speed” for “image optimisation”. “site speed” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “image optimisation” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
79 health vs 69 average across 1,806 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →6.4%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 46.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,104 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Performance plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 2 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 200 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 5 reviews, smoothed to 4.16★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
28
Momentum
Losing ground
-2.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+1.2
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| preload your tag | #1 | #3 | 0 |
| lcp your tag | #1 | #3 | 0 |
| site optimisation your tag | #4 | #12 | down 1 |
| image preload | #2 | #5 | down 1 |
| largest contentful paint your tag | #8 | #15 | down 6 |
| image optimisation | #6 | #11 | down 1 |
| paint | #10 | #14 | 0 |
| optimisation | #13 | #16 | down 3 |
| speed optimisation | #11 | #15 | 0 |
| pagespeed insights | #24 | #24 | down 10 |
| site speed your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
15 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 10 listed. 5 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “site speed” for “image optimisation”. “site speed” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “image optimisation” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- Slipping on “largest contentful paint”. Down 6 places since 2026-09-30, now #8. Check what shipped around then, and what moved above you.
Daily downloads
Since 1 Feb 2023 · 1,370 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.1K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
2
releases in the last 12 months
7mo ago
latest release · v1.6 · 15 Apr 2026
14
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 59% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 50 days ago and the previous band took 14 months to cross, so the real count is still just under 4K.
Install history since 31 Jan 2023
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ alexandreromani22061.1y ago
Good Plugin ! Works Well but I use product_cat thumbnail as a background image and it’s not automatically applied like the product featured images do for products.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wpcheetah1.3y ago
Excellent plugin that does exactly what it says.I had an issue with avif format images and the developer promptly resolved it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Fanus2.1y ago
I’ve built custom post types with it’s own categories. Each category has it’s own featured image, is there any way I can use your plugin on these category images? The same would be relevant for blog post categories. …or is the idea that the “Default to Featured Image” option in settings cover the above? Thx.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ EncodeDotHost2.2y ago
We have just been testing this plugin and found that it can really give your website real-world performance improvements. Definitely worth keeping in your WordPress plugin arsenal 👍
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jimmy Lee3.8y ago
Plugin working as described, really like that you added “fetchpriority high” I do have a suggestion for some future update though: I have a large site with nearly 1000 posts, would love if the plugin could automatically add Preload to post featured images, or possible by Class Name, in my instance that would be: class=”post-featured-image” This would save users with large sites from having to updated hundreds if not thousands of posts, Thanks for listening and good luck with Preload LCP Image, Good Plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.6 Added WooCommerce Compatability Fixed the bug that prevented the preloader to work on Taxonomy pages Tested with WordPress 7.0 1.6
- — Version 1.5.1 Tested with WordPress 6.9 1.5.1
- — Version 1.5 Make it work with AVIF images that image paths, not URLs, are used. Fix display bugs meaning the CSS formatting on the admin page on mobile displays correctly. 1.5
- — Version 1.4.1 Tested with WordPress 6.8 1.4.1
- — Version 1.4 Added the ability to add a LCP image to Taxonomy Pages 1.4
- — Version 1.3.1 Tested with WordPress 6.7 1.3.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 1 at 90% or more
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
3 of 8 pass · checked 30 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Allows you to specify on individual pages or posts the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) Image on that page to..."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 2 headings and 1 list.
- ! Enough to quote 659 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "site optimisation", "site-speed" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-12 4K+ → 3K+ down after 421 days in tier
- 2025-07-18 3K+ → 4K+ up after 281 days in tier
- 2024-10-10 2K+ → 3K+ up after 147 days in tier
- 2024-05-16 1K+ → 2K+ up after 82 days in tier
- 2024-02-24 900+ → 1K+ up after 8 days in tier
- 2024-02-16 800+ → 900+ up after 9 days in tier
- 2024-02-07 700+ → 800+ up after 12 days in tier
- 2024-01-26 600+ → 700+ up after 9 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Lazy Load Control For Elementor – Remove the Lazy Load attribute from specific images in Elementor 3K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Preload Featured Images 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A -
Oxyplug Preload 500+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A - L LCP Booster for WooCommerce 100+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Oxyplug Image 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Preloader 10K+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Preload LCP Image into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/preload-lcp-image" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Preload LCP Image — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Preload LCP Image: 3K+ active installs, 4.8★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/preload-lcp-image
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