# fetchpriority

Category: [Performance & Core Web Vitals](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/performance-core-web-vitals/) › [Optimization](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/performance-core-web-vitals/optimization/)

**fetchpriority** is an HTML attribute that tells the browser how important a resource is compared to other resources of the same type. It is a hint. Per web.dev, the browser applies its own judgment, especially when signals conflict.

## Values and elements
MDN lists three values: `high` (fetch with higher priority), `low` (lower priority) and `auto` (the default, no preference). The attribute works on `img`, `link` and `script` elements, and there is an SVG counterpart. The Fetch API accepts a similar `priority` option.

## When does it help?
The typical case is the image that becomes the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) element: `fetchpriority="high"` can make it load sooner. web.dev also mentions `low` for off-screen images in a carousel and for non-critical blocking scripts, and `high` for async scripts that matter for interactivity.

fetchpriority complements `rel="preload"`. Preload makes the browser discover a resource early, while fetchpriority influences how it ranks that download against others.

## Example
```html
<img src="hero.jpg" fetchpriority="high" alt="Product photo">
<img src="pixel.gif" fetchpriority="low" alt="">
```

## Common mistakes
MDN advises using the attribute sparingly. If many resources get `high`, none of them stands out and loading can get worse. It also only works on resources the browser already discovers early, so an image injected late by JavaScript probably gains little (assessment).

## Related terms

- [Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/largest-contentful-paint/index.md)
- [Preload / preconnect](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/preload-preconnect/index.md)
- [Lazy loading](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/lazy-loading/index.md)
- [Render-blocking resources](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/render-blocking-resources/index.md)
- [Core Web Vitals](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/core-web-vitals/index.md)

## Sources

- [fetchpriority attribute – MDN Web Docs](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Reference/Attributes/fetchpriority)
- [Optimize resource loading with the Fetch Priority API – web.dev](https://web.dev/articles/fetch-priority)

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Last updated: October 7, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/fetchpriority/