How to Exclude Above-the-Fold Images from Lazy Loading in WordPress

Why You Need It

Above-the-fold images should not be lazy loaded because they are visible on first load. Excluding them ensures a smooth initial experience.

How to Enable this Feature

Step 1: Navigate to Settings

Click into the Classic Monks plugin settings, then the Performance tab, Lazy Loading subtab.

Step 2: Enable the Feature

Toggle on the feature.

Step 3: Save and Test

Click Save Changes. Test on the frontend.

Common Use Cases

First screen optimization

The first screen should load immediately. Excluding above-the-fold images ensures this.

No flash of unloaded content

Lazy loading above-the-fold images causes a flash of empty space. Excluding them prevents this.

Troubleshooting

The feature is not taking effect

Cause: The toggle is off, or a caching plugin is serving the old page.
Fix: Verify the toggle is on. Clear all caching layers.

The feature breaks another plugin

Cause: Another plugin depends on the functionality that this feature disables.
Fix: Disable this feature if it breaks another plugin.

Developer integration

This feature registers 1 WordPress hook in lazy-loading.php:

Filters:

• cm_above_fold_patterns calls custom() (Filterable list of CSS class patterns for above-fold detection)

// Hooked in lazy-loading.php
add_filter( 'cm_above_fold_patterns', 'custom' );

The feature modifies WordPress behavior by registering or removing hooks. Disabling it reverses those changes and WordPress returns to its default behavior.

Before you enable this feature

1. Test on staging first to verify no conflicts with your theme or other plugins
2. Check dependent plugins that may rely on the functionality being modified
3. Monitor after enabling for any unexpected behavior on the frontend

How it works under the feature

This feature runs during the WordPress initialization phase. When enabled, its PHP code registers hooks that modify specific WordPress behaviors. The changes are non-destructive and reversible.

No database schema changes are made. The feature state is stored as a boolean value in the wp_options table and can be toggled at any time from the admin settings.