Use Accelerated Mobile Pages For a Better User Experience
Mobile makes up 58% of all traffic on the internet, so keeping this user base happy with your website performance is essential. The biggest problem is the lack of stable internet connectivity for many mobile users. You can go a long way towards fixing this problem by using accelerated mobile pages.
This feature can speed up your website, boost conversion rates, and skyrocket your SEO performance. We’ll dive deeper into the accelerated mobile pages benefits and what best practices will make all the difference.
For example, you can see the difference between the normal web page and the AMP version on The Guardian:
What Are Accelerated Mobile Pages?
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is an open-source framework developed by Google to create fast-loading web pages, primarily for mobile devices. The main goal of AMP is to improve user experience by ensuring that pages load quickly.
This should be possible even with limited data or slower internet connections. AMP achieves this by limiting the use of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and by requiring a streamlined structure for web content.
AMP consists of three core components: AMP HTML, AMP JavaScript, and AMP Cache. Here is a summary of each one:
What Are the Benefits of Accelerated Mobile Pages for SEO?
Are you unsure if accelerated mobile pages are worth using? After all, it’s another new design element that you have to learn and implement into your SEO strategy. However, by the end of this section, you’ll see that there are many reasons why AMP’s are worthwhile.
Improved Page Load Speed
AMP significantly enhances the speed at which web pages load, which is crucial for both user experience and SEO. Google considers page speed a key ranking factor, especially for mobile devices.
Therefore, by reducing the loading time, AMP helps decrease bounce rates. This means users are less likely to leave a site if it loads quickly. Additionally, faster loading also means users can access content more readily. You’ll see a knock-on effect for improving engagement metrics like time spent on the page, both of which contribute positively to search engine rankings.
Mobile Friendliness
Mobile optimization is a key factor in Google’s ranking algorithm, especially with mobile-first indexing. AMP is designed specifically for mobile devices, thereby ensuring pages load quickly and are fully responsive. Google rewards sites that provide a seamless mobile experience by ranking them higher in mobile search results.
Furthermore, as more users browse via mobile, having AMP pages helps ensure your content is easily accessible and performs well across all devices. You can pay attention to your metrics by using Hike SEO Analytics to get a better idea of the difference AMP will make.
Lower Bounce Rates
Because AMP pages load almost instantaneously, they help reduce bounce rates. That’s important because high bounce rates can signal to Google that a site isn’t providing a good user experience. The knock-on effect could be a decrease in search visibility.
Therefore, by delivering fast and streamlined content, AMP encourages users to stay on a page longer and engage more with the site’s content. You’ll also see a boost in sales revenue as users are more likely to complete the checkout process.
Priority in Google Discover
AMP pages have an advantage in Google Discover, a content recommendation feed that shows users personalized content based on their interests. Google Discover favors fast-loading, mobile-optimized content, and AMP pages that fit these criteria.
You’ll find that having AMP-enabled pages increases the likelihood of your content being featured in Discover. Hence, your website will have more visibility and drive additional traffic. As the feature continues to grow in importance as a traffic source, optimizing for AMP can help you capture a larger audience and boost your SEO performance.
Optimized for Content Delivery
AMP utilizes Google’s AMP Cache, a content delivery network (CDN) that stores cached versions of your AMP-enabled pages. This ensures that users receive the fastest possible loading times, regardless of their location or device.
Therefore, by serving these cached versions directly from Google’s servers, AMP reduces the latency typically associated with server requests. This optimization results in faster page loads, which Google recognizes as a positive factor for ranking.
How To Set Up AMP on Your Website
Do you want to get started with AMP, but are unsure of the process? Then we’ll share the step-by-step process to help you start. This should give you a basic overview of what to expect when setting up your very first AMP website to enjoy the SEO benefits.
- 1Install AMP plugin (WordPress): For WordPress sites, the simplest method is to install the official AMP plugin. Once activated, it automatically generates AMP versions of your pages. You can configure it under the settings menu to customize how AMP is implemented on your site, such as enabling the feature for specific content types.
- 2Add HTML AMP markup: If you're not using a CMS like WordPress, you’ll need to manually convert your pages to AMP by adding AMP-specific HTML. Therefore, replace certain HTML tags with AMP equivalents. For example, <img> becomes <amp-img>. Also, ensure the page follows AMP’s strict structural guidelines.
- 3Validate AMP pages: To ensure your AMP pages work properly, use Google’s AMP Validator tool. You can check each page for errors and warnings, which must be resolved for the page to be considered valid by Google. Additionally, the validator helps identify issues like missing required tags or improper use of AMP components.
- 4Set up canonical tags: AMP pages are often alternate versions of your standard pages, so it’s important to implement canonical tags. This avoids content duplication issues in SEO.
- 5Submit AMP pages to Google: Once your AMP pages are validated, submit them to Google Search Console. By doing so, Google can crawl and index your AMP pages. This makes them eligible for inclusion in mobile search results and rich features like the Top Stories carousel.
Accelerated Mobile Pages Best Practices
Now let’s focus on the different ways you can gain an edge when adding accelerated mobile pages to your website. This reduces the chances of making mistakes that can sabotage all the hard work you’ve done to boost search rankings for target keywords.
Prioritize Content Over Design
AMP is designed to load content quickly, which means design elements like complex animations and heavy JavaScript should be minimized. Instead, focus on delivering the most important information first, such as text, images, and videos, that are crucial to the user experience.
Furthermore, keeping the design simple and functional allows your pages to load faster and perform better. As a result, you’ll see an improvement in user engagement and SEO rankings. Hence, make sure to use lightweight and AMP-approved components for best results.
Optimize Images and Media
Properly optimized images and media are essential for fast AMP pages. Therefore, use the <amp-img> tag, which automatically adjusts image sizes based on the user’s device. Also, compress images to reduce file size without sacrificing quality. To achieve this, you’ll need to specify width and height attributes for better layout stability.
Additionally, for videos, use the <amp-video> tag, which supports lazy loading. Hence, videos only load when they’re about to appear on screen, thereby further improving performance. Overall, reducing the load time of media-rich content helps maintain the fast page speed AMP requires.
Avoid Duplicate Content Issues
AMP pages are typically served as alternative versions of standard HTML pages. Therefore, to avoid duplicate content issues that could harm your SEO, implement proper canonical tags.
On your AMP page, include a canonical link pointing to the non-AMP version. Then, on the non-AMP page, include a link to the AMP version. This signals to Google that the AMP page is an alternate and not a duplicate version of the original content.
Proper canonicalization ensures both versions can coexist without SEO penalties, thereby helping you maintain ranking for both AMP and non-AMP users.
Monitor AMP Performance Using SEO Tools
Regularly monitor your AMP pages using tools like Hike SEO or the Google Search Console. Such reports can highlight issues related to AMP implementation. For example, errors that prevent your AMP pages from being indexed or displayed in search results.
It also tracks the performance of AMP pages by showing impressions, clicks, and other engagement metrics. Overall, by keeping an eye on these reports, you can quickly address any technical issues or make optimizations to improve the visibility of your AMP content. Continuous monitoring helps ensure your pages remain fast and SEO-friendly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does AMP improve SEO?
AMP enhances SEO by improving page load speed, mobile-friendliness, and user engagement. That’s because faster loading times reduce bounce rates, which sends positive signals to search engines like Google.
Additionally, AMP pages are eligible for special search features like the "Top Stories" carousel and may rank higher in mobile search results. You’ll find that an optimized user experience and faster access to content help increase organic traffic and overall page visibility.
What are the downsides of AMP?
The main downsides of AMP are limited design flexibility and control. AMP restricts the use of custom JavaScript and complex elements, which can make it difficult to implement more sophisticated features or branding elements.
Additionally, AMP places more control over content distribution in Google’s hands, as AMP pages often rely on Google’s AMP cache. This dependency may concern publishers who want greater control over how their content is delivered or monetized. This is especially true if you rely on third-party scripts.
Is AMP necessary for all websites?
AMP is not necessary for all websites. However, it’s most beneficial for content-heavy sites like news outlets, blogs, or eCommerce platforms with high mobile traffic. Websites already optimized for speed and mobile-friendliness might not need AMP.
Instead, focusing on Core Web Vitals, responsive design, and optimizing loading speed could provide similar SEO benefits. Furthermore, smaller websites with simpler layouts or lower traffic may not require AMP.
Can AMP be used with ads?
Yes, AMP supports advertising through <amp-ad>, which allows fast-loading and non-intrusive ads. These ads are optimized for performance, thereby ensuring they don’t slow down page speed.
However, AMP limits certain types of ads, especially those with heavy JavaScript or excessive animation. Advertisers need to ensure their ads comply with AMP guidelines for best results.
Can AMP affect website ranking?
AMP can positively affect website ranking, especially in mobile search results. While AMP itself is not a direct ranking factor, the benefits it offers are the key. This includes improved page load speed, mobile optimization, and enhanced user experience.
Additionally, faster and mobile-friendly pages tend to have lower bounce rates and higher engagement. These are the key performance indicators you should strive for to climb the top of the search rankings.
Hike SEO
Every webmaster who wants to boost performance for mobile users and optimize their SEO should take advantage of accelerated mobile pages. The feature can give you an edge over competitors who are overlooking the technology and help you avoid being left behind by those who have already embarrassed it.
Make sure to keep the best practices in mind when implementing AMPs correctly. This ensures you don’t receive a duplicate content penalty or optimize your content in the wrong manner.
In any case, Hike SEO can help you keep track of your AMP performance and progress. This includes an advanced analytics tools, or in-house help to set up your website for top SEO performance.
So what are you waiting for? Try Hike SEO today to beat competitors in your niche.