Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) represent a framework by Google designed to construct web pages with the intention of improving loading speed and enriching the user experience.
Introduced by Google in 2016, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) stand as a dynamic framework for crafting web pages.
While the primary objective of accelerated mobile pages remains the augmentation of loading speed and user experience, there exist several accompanying obstacles that have hindered the widespread adoption of AMPs as a webpage model.
It’s worth noting that AMPs coexist alongside regular mobile pages, implying that content typically exists in two distinct versions. These two variants are subsequently linked using a specialized header tag. This tag is utilized by GoogleBot (and potentially other entities in the future) for indexing purposes.
For content creators, the appeal of accelerated mobile pages can be attributed to two core factors:
In an era where delayed page loading could translate to a permanent loss of potential new users, adopting AMPs elevates the status of your webpage significantly.
This is particularly pertinent for websites characterized by intricate and suboptimal code, or those that engage with other content as part of their platform.
Implementing AMPs demands minimal investment, while delivering a substantial enhancement to user experience, given that Google shoulders a substantial portion of the workload.
Conversely, if your website boasts a well-structured architecture and consistently delivers optimal performance, AMPs also play a pivotal role in amplifying visibility within Google search results.
Within the AMP Carousel, introduced shortly after the inception of the AMP framework, queries related to news are positioned prominently in the upper echelons of result pages. This preferential treatment can be attributed to the noteworthy endorsements of AMP by prominent entities, excluding Facebook and Apple.
Since their debut a few years ago, criticism from both the web development and publisher communities has been primarily directed at two key areas:
Due to its relatively constrained framework, AMPs do not facilitate direct clicks on a publisher’s content from within the AMP itself. Instead, users are redirected back to Google search results, resulting in the potential diversion of a brand’s traffic. This redirection also poses challenges in measuring website performance over the long term.
Another substantial concern with AMPs is their intricate monetization process. The aforementioned diversion of brand traffic culminates in diminished visitor numbers and subsequently reduced revenue streams. Unfortunately, as numerous publishers adopted AMPs to capitalize on their visibility within Google search, they swiftly encountered these repercussions.
These factors have contributed to the gradual uptake of AMPs compared to other emerging technologies. While the benefits for user experience and page visibility are evident, the existence of numerous challenges necessitates concerted efforts before AMPs can truly rise to prominence in the realm of mobile web development.
