276 What is AMP? A Beginner’s Guide to AMP Pages & SEO

When it comes to your website, it is the first impression that matters. The website speed isn’t just a luxury—it’s a necessity.

A recent study indicated a 504% surge in mobile traffic for daily media Goldenexch consumption since 2011. This dramatic shift emphasizes the urgency for businesses to prioritize mobile optimization, benefiting not only the end users but also their search engine rankings. Google’s algorithms are adept at identifying pages that load slowly or those with high bounce rates, subsequently downgrading their visibility in search results.

Pages that load swiftly not only rank higher but also retain users better, culminating in a more satisfactory browsing experience. Recognizing the key importance of speed, Google rolled out various initiatives to elevate webpage performance, including Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP).

When it was first launched, AMP immediately made headlines for its hype and impressive performance. Many organizations, including Twitter, made an effort to adopt AMP, but Google insisted it was here to stay. However, in recent times, discussions surrounding AMP seem to have faded, requiring a closer look at its current relevance and impact.

So, is it still relevant? But more importantly, what is AMP?

In this article, we’ll take a look at what AMP is, its advantages and disadvantages, and how it affects SEO. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

What is AMP?

AMP, or Accelerated Mobile Pages, are streamlined web pages designed to provide users with a swift and immersive mobile browsing experience. Put simply, AMP is “an open-source HTML framework that provides a straightforward way to create webpages that are fast, smooth-loading, and prioritize the user experience above all else.”

Typically, implementing AMP involves developing a mobile-optimized version of an existing HTML5 page, ensuring faster load times and enhanced user engagement. When a user accesses content available in both standard and AMP formats, they are directed to the AMP version for a more efficient browsing experience. This approach shares similarities with platforms like Facebook Instant Articles or Apple News, aiming to facilitate faster and more accessible mobile content consumption.

A distinguishing feature of AMP is its ability to distribute content across the open web without necessitating platform-specific applications, setting it apart from other content distribution methods. The project is backed by prominent entities such as WordPress, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Bing, with Google emerging as a key code contributor and main promoter. So much so that people often refer to it as “Google AMP.”

AMP emphasizes user experience by imposing restrictions on ads and UI design elements. These constraints include limiting CSS to 75KB, JavaScript to 150KB, and streamlining the critical rendering path by eliminating unnecessary elements.

While these measures contribute significantly to rapid webpage loading times, they are not the sole factors responsible for instantaneous loading speeds. (Don’t worry; we’ll talk about it in the next section!)

How Does AMP Work?

In the previous section, we talked about how the restrictions imposed by AMP on ads and user interface design result in rapid webpage loading times. However, it is not the only factor to achieve the lightning load speed.

To accelerate webpage loading times, AMP pages are hosted on Google’s servers, enabling Google to cache, preload, and prerender AMP content prior to a user accessing the link from search results.

When users engage with AMP content on Google, it can manifest in two primary formats:

• Google AMP Viewer: This format displays content sourced from the original publisher, yet the URL retains a Google domain.
• Signed Exchange (SXG): SXG permits browsers to interpret the page as originating from your domain. Essentially, signed AMP content coexists with standard AMP HTML. Essentially, Google prioritizes linking to signed content exclusively for Chrome browsers and restricts its application to standard search results, excluding the top stories carousel. Consequently, the applicability of SXG remains somewhat constrained.

By “forking” HTML, pre-rendering AMP content, and giving preferential treatment to AMP pages, Google holds influence over website development and monetization practices, shaping the digital landscape in its favor.

This strategic approach by Google has garnered scrutiny from various tech and SEO professionals, who perceive it as a tactic to consolidate control over the internet.

Despite these criticisms, the appeal of AMP remains compelling for websites due to its many benefits.

Advantages of AMP in SEO

AMP offers various advantages tailored to specific website needs, such as reduced data usage, enhanced server performance, complimentary Content Delivery Network (CDN) services, and increased ad visibility. Here are some of the predominant benefits of AMP for SEO and more:

1. Faster Page Load Times

While AMP itself doesn’t directly influence rankings, the speed it offers holds paramount significance, particularly with the incorporation of core web vitals as a ranking factor.

Google cites that the median load time for an AMP page is under one second, aligning seamlessly with core web vital criteria.

Moreover, enhanced speed contributes to:

• Reduced bounce rates
• Extended user session durations
• Higher conversion rates, fostering an enriched user experience

2. Enhanced Google Search Result Visibility

AMP pages are presented more aesthetically in Google’s mobile Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Lightning Bolt Icon

AMP pages are denoted by a lightning bolt icon in Google SERPs, signifying rapid loading times.

While some SEO experts say this icon boosts click-through rates, concrete data supporting this claim remains inconclusive for broader audiences.

On the other hand, incorporating valid structured data with AMP amplifies the chances of securing rich results, including host carousels for categories like courses, movies, recipes, and restaurants.

Although not mandatory, AMP enhances visibility and engagement through enriched features.