What are Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMPs)?
Accelerated Mobile Pages, commonly known as AMPs, are an open-source initiative spearheaded by Google. The primary goal of AMP is to expedite mobile web page loading times, thereby reducing bounce rates and enhancing user experience.
How Does AMP Work?
AMP functions by streamlining web pages to their most essential features and storing them on dedicated servers. As a result, the pages can load almost instantly when served via a Content Delivery Network (CDN) such as Microsoft Bing or Cloudflare.
Benefits of Using AMP
AMP pages outperform standard mobile web pages in speed due to techniques like caching and optimized loading. These faster landing pages frequently lead to increased conversion rates and a smoother user experience.
AMP vs Mobile-Friendly Pages
Both AMP and mobile-friendly pages focus on elevating the mobile user experience, but they differ in their approach. Mobile-friendly designs adapt to various devices, while AMP pages are pre-optimized and served from a specialized cache, usually under a different URL.
Do You Need AMP Pages?
If you're grappling with a slow mobile website and contemplating optimization strategies, AMP can serve as a sound solution. AMP now permits more complex page designs without sacrificing speed.
Drawbacks of Using AMP
A significant disadvantage of AMP is that it may restrict publishers from updating content quickly. Also, employing Google's cache could result in URLs starting with 'google.com,' potentially causing attribution confusion.
Is AMP Still Relevant in 2023?
In 2023, AMPs are not as pivotal for search engine rankings as they once were, due to advancements in mobile web technology and shifts in Google's ranking algorithms.