Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages framework has only been around for a few years but is already the gold standard for mobile browsing and search engine results.
In its short lifespan, Google AMP has become way more capable and well-rounded, giving developers more ways to deliver fast, streamlined mobile experience.
Let’s look at which pages on your site are the best candidates for AMP enhancement, what makes these pages unique, and the smartest way to build out your catalog of AMP pages moving forward.
What Pages are Best for AMP?
When Google first introduced the open-source AMP framework back in 2016, its functionality was somewhat limited.
Mobile browsing was still finding its footing, and it was mainly high-profile news sources and media publishers that adopted AMP for pages featuring text-based content.
The sites that used AMP out of the gate had the technical resources and the ability to confidently adopt a new framework for their sites without much risk.
But as Google continued work on the technology and more developers became comfortable using it, AMP saw widespread adoption across many sites – and page types.
Now, it’s not just short news snippets and social media-style stories that benefit from AMP – we see the complete mobile browsing experience replicated in this format.
For brands competing in the mobile commerce space, the versatility of AMP is huge. From product pages to customer reviews and even the checkout process, you can benefit from accelerated load times and smoother user experience.
Elements like carousels, social sharing, and personalized content are also becoming standard on AMP websites, so marketers are running out of reasons to not adopt this framework.
More Capabilities to Come
Since AMP pages are somewhat stripped down from their desktop counterparts, marketers are going to miss out on a few key features, at least until Google makes a point to include them in a future round of updates.
Form elements and calls to action, for example, are not fully built out yet, so brands may notice that they aren’t building out their email lists as quickly through mobile pages with AMP.
The plus side is that your pages are way more readable and less cluttered since users aren’t confronted with sidebars, pop-ups, and other distractions.
There are also workarounds to get folks to sign up for your offers and connect with you via social media, so don’t be too concerned – more upgrades are on the way.
Here are some improvements we can expect down the line:
- More versatile fonts and styles that represent your branding
- Improved menus for easy access to other areas of the site
- Greater range of analytics capabilities from Google and Adobe
- AMP-enhanced payment processing for fast transactions
- Fast shopping cart organization and inventory adjustments
As AMP saturates the mainstream, we’re probably going to see these advancements, and many more to come. Don’t be one of those few brands that get left in the dust.
How are AMP Pages Unique?
When comparing regular desktop web pages to AMP, think of a yacht versus a speedboat.
The yacht is large, luxurious, and takes its time getting from point A to point B. It is packed with amenities and features readily available, even if you don’t use most of them.
The speedboat, on the other hand, is lightning fast, carries no extra weight, and does not have any of the comforts of home. It is utilitarian and gets the job done in a flash.
AMP sites are like the speedboats of the mobile browsing experience, stripping away all of the non-essential components of the desktop version and giving you the most important bits.
Many of the HTML tags are excluded from communication, the majority of JavaScript is removed from the equation, and a singular, streamlined version of CSS is used.
You can look to some of my other posts to get more technical details on AMP, but in summary, your pages get a weight reduction and a supercharged engine with this upgrade.
Even if it isn’t the comfiest, full-fledged user experience, it gets the point across fast and better serves mobile users who prioritize speed over aesthetics when on the go.
The Impact on Speed
You probably know on an intuitive level that long page load times spell bad news for bounce rates and user engagement overall, but research shows the situation to be dire.
According to stats compiled by Unbounce, a load-page delay of just one second can cause conversion rates to dip by 7 percent.
What’s worse, this is all too common in the world of mobile browsing, where 73% of mobile users have recently encountered a page that took too long to load.
If you haven’t noticed yet, attention spans are at all-time lows, while the volume of content online is greater than ever. This has resulted in brands trying to scrape off precious seconds of page load time to keep users from straying too quickly.
It’s not enough to just have your landing page or home page load quickly – every aspect of your site needs to be accelerated as well, or else users will be itching to leave. Even if you have the information and products they want, visitors would rather not deal with the waiting.
While some folks are willing to stick around, it’s way more likely they’ll exit your site for faster pastures. If you can upgrade your page speed with AMP, why miss out on big boosts to engagement, time-on-site, and conversions?
The Impact on Search
The advantages of fast mobile page load times are many, from the user perspective.
But what about search? Does AMP make a difference in how your pages rank?
Just around two years ago, Google made page speed a more prominent rank factor, and more weight has been placed on related metrics as mobile browsing improves.
Slow pages may still do decently in the rankings if they are high-quality and match user intent, but for newer brands competing for position in the SERPs, speed is key.
While some argue that AMP does not yet have an effect on baseline rankings, it’s common knowledge that stronger user experience translates over time to better search results.
Now that mobile-first indexing is standard, you want your site data to be structured for easy crawling and indexing, and AMP may play a key role in boosting visibility.
In the near future, I would not be shocked to see Google introduce even more rank factors that emphasize page speed, specifically with sites using AMP.
The Best Way to Create AMP Pages
While there are a number of basic tutorials available online that outline the fundamentals of AMP, you are not going to get the full benefits of this technology by doing the bare minimum.
A WordPress plugin can make things slightly easier, but again, the constant stream of updates and new standards means an AMP project can demand a lot of your IT resources over time.
I am all about DIY in the digital age, but with so much on the line with mobile browsing, I suggest you seek assistance from a freelancer or expert agency that can help you out.
If you’re a small firm, your IT squad is probably working overtime already, and a bit of help from a group of AMP professionals can make a big difference in meeting your goals.
Why You Need Expert Insights
Like I stated earlier, every type of page on your site has a unique path toward AMP, whether its a blog article, product description page, customer review portal, or checkout process.
That’s why making a complete AMP overhaul is not just a cookie-cutter solution for every brand. Each one has unique content management systems, site layouts, and multimedia assets.
I have to stress that for a 100% AMP upgrade, you don’t want to go it alone, especially if you’ve made mobile marketing a priority.
The mobile experience is most effective when it’s consistent across your entire site, not just on a few articles or product pages.
Do yourself, and your IT team, a big favor by outsourcing your AMP implementation to people who know the ins and outs of the technology.
And the more marketing experience that team has, the better since a lot of AMP strategy overlaps with SEO and content publishing as well.
Set Yourself Up for Future Success
Just like the world of digital marketing at large, Google AMP is a never-ending work in progress.
Brands are pushing the envelope to deliver richer, smoother mobile experiences to users with AMP, while also monetizing their pages with ads, collecting data, and running analytics.
Open-source AMP project developers at GitHub are pushing new releases to the public every week, while solutions companies like Adobe, Twitter, and Pinterest are all jumping on board with the AMP integration train.
In other words, it won’t be that long before AMP is the standard that all marketers and publishers use to bring their content to the mobile crowd.
The question for you: how do you keep up?
If you’ve been avoiding the topic of AMP, it’s time to commit. At the very least map out a way to create AMP versions of your key web pages and see what your team can do.
The next step is to plan for a broader implementation, which is why I suggest you collaborate with a dedicated team of AMP experts.
Ideally, the agency will be able to provide you with additional marketing insights that help guide the decision-making process and help you realize the broader value of AMP.
The bottom line: Google will privilege AMP sites to a greater extent and the framework itself will become more comprehensive every single week.
If you want to amplify your website experience for mobile users, what are you waiting for?
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