diff --git a/src/Optimizer/Transformer/PreloadHeroImage.php b/src/Optimizer/Transformer/PreloadHeroImage.php
index 0b8aaf9ae..73c68e63b 100644
--- a/src/Optimizer/Transformer/PreloadHeroImage.php
+++ b/src/Optimizer/Transformer/PreloadHeroImage.php
@@ -496,6 +496,12 @@ private function generatePreload(
             $img->removeAttribute(Attribute::LOADING);
         }
 
+        if (empty($heroImage->getMedia())) {
+            // We can only safely preload a hero image if there's a media attribute
+            // as we can't detect whether it's hidden on certain viewport sizes otherwise.
+            return;
+        }
+
         if ($this->hasExistingImagePreload($document, $heroImage->getSrc())) {
             return;
         }
@@ -516,12 +522,6 @@ private function generatePreload(
             }
         }
 
-        if (empty($heroImage->getMedia())) {
-            // We can only safely preload a hero image if there's a media attribute
-            // as we can't detect whether it's hidden on certain viewport sizes otherwise.
-            return;
-        }
-
         $preload->setAttribute(Attribute::MEDIA, $heroImage->getMedia());
 
         if ($this->preloadReferenceNode) {