fetchpriority vs preload for the LCP image

fetchpriority vs preload for the LCP image
Two ways to make the hero load first. Different mechanisms.
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fetchpriority="high": one attribute on the img. Re-orders the existing request, zero extra markup. Cuts LCP ~10-20%.
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preload: a separate head entry, fires before the img tag is parsed. Earlier, but easy to leave stale after a redesign.
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Combined on the same asset: redundant, sometimes double-fetches.
For a hero in the initial HTML, fetchpriority alone is usually enough and cheaper to maintain.
Takeaway: one attribute often buys the same -300ms LCP as a preload.