When Google released its mobile-first index, the internet went into a frenzy and people began to worry about their site’s enrollment. To become part of the index businesses and site developers had to make some considerable changes to their pages. The mobile-first index was so important that it took precedence over the traditional desktop index that Google used to support. Today, it is used to give accurate and appropriate results according to the device being used to make the search. Webmasters have incentivized their designs to be more customized for users who use their mobile devices to make queries.
An example of this shift can be seen in accelerated mobile pages (AMP) which have led to better SEO results for a number of businesses and their sites. Not only does it have its own label designations on search pages, but it also acts as a positive ranking factor. This does not mean that AMP is the end-all solution to increasing your site’s traffic. But it does come with its benefits.
AMP: What it is and How it is Used
AMP essentially refers to those pages which are designed to load faster on mobile devices, like tablets and smartphones. AMPs are created to allow mobile users to enjoy the best internet speed no matter where they are. The framework is free and open-source so that everyone can have access to it and it lets people build pages specifically catered to mobile. AMPs work in the way which lets you build a stripped-down version of the actual web page you have and this alternative is always available to the standard main page. The function of this is mainly to speed up the elements which may slow download times when mobile users come onto your site.
Standard web pages benefit a lot from AMP alternatives. The link to AMP pages is given through an HTML tag to the mobile user and it is a great way of “fast labeling” onto the search engine page. When you benefit the mobile visitors who come to your site, you open up your business to a wider market of potential customers.
Do We Need AMP?
The concept was introduced for the first time in 2015 and since then it has undergone many different changes. While the initial focus of AMP was on media sites, today it can be seen in the most affordable web design. It was thought that media sites needed to have faster load times for mobile because that was where the majority of traffic was coming from and it would offer more exposure from Google. But in the modern era, it seems as if all sites need to be mobile friendly because almost no one uses desktops anymore (unless you’re really old).
When you try to load your site on mobile, it needs to have a quick response rate. Where most users are never happy with their load speeds, they tend to leave a site immediately. AMP is a way of discouraging this behavior and allowing users to browse through your products and services. But in what capacity does it prove to be most effective?
Implementation of AMP
Usually, people are browsing web pages while they are on the go and for you to keep their interest, you need faster internet speed. To optimize the overall experience of a potential customer, you can cater to what Google wants from you. You can standardize the mobile version of your business site by implementing AMP. What this does is the stripping down of existing HTML copies so that the average mobile user has faster load times. Any site can integrate this into their system simply by adding the rel=amphtml tag into their HTML. A page with AMP implementation usually comes with a three step configuration process.
Other aspects include:
- HTML, which acts as a stripped-down and original markup of the traditional HTML code on our site. It comes with its own unique tags.
- JavaScript, which is used to obtain resources and strip them down to eliminate any unnecessary rendering issues.
- CDN, which is an optimized network designed to cache your existing web pages and easily adapt them to AMP code for better ease of use.
Benefits of AMP
Since around 53 percent of visitors on mobile sites leave after only 3 seconds, you need to make speed a priority. For users on 3G mobile connections especially, using AMP can show instant improvements in load time and it will help users stay longer on your site. Google even supports this with their new ranking algorithm which was introduced in 2018. This shows that slow loading web pages mess with search results and cause other lasting implications.
The benefits of using AMP are:
Faster Load Times
AMP will help your web pages load quickly and this impresses users to stay on your site long enough for browsing your products. Although this is not the most major factor, it does greatly improve your ranking.
Fewer Bounce Rates
By reducing your bounce rate, your SEO ranking will be validated to search engines and give an appropriate representation of your pages. When reader retention rises, there are greater conversion rates.
GDPR compliance
Using AMP will allow for assisted GDPR compliance and allows publishers to use better user control which can help their interactions with your site. This can modify your page’s behavior to improve your rankings.
Conclusion: Is AMP for Everyone?
Not everyone benefits from using AMP but for most online businesses it has become a necessity. Businesses decide on a circumstantial basis if it is a suitable choice for them and if it will truly make a difference in the long run. But since it has shown to garner more traffic, improve search results and give an enhanced user experience, it is definitely worth the time and effort.
