Everything You Need to Know About AMP?
As of 2015 the average person would spend 5.6 hours a day on the Internet, 2.8 of those hours where spent using a mobile device. Needless to say, that figure would have risen significantly by now as more people own smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets.
It is thus necessary to optimize your website for mobile in accordance with screen-size in addition to making them load faster to cater the best UX for the users.
Keeping this in mind, Google has come up with a solution, in the form of Google AMP or Accelerated Mobile Pages which load really fast.
So, what is meant by Google AMP?
AMP or Accelerated Mobile Pages is a Google-backed project that is aimed at creating an open standard for any publisher or developer so that they can make their website load faster on mobile devices.
Technically speaking, it is a stripped-down version of the HTML. It is designed to be lightweight and really fast when it comes to loading web pages. It was created as an open resource in response to the Facebook Instant Article project by Facebook and Apple News.
How does Google amp work?
So how does Google AMP work? Like we have said above, AMP is like HTML on a diet. Meaning, it restricts the use of certain HTML features to make the website light. This means that features which take more time load, like, a Form are out. It also means that you have to use a streamlined version of CSS. Most versions of CSS will work, but there are a few exceptions. And JavaScript is also out of the question. You have to use an off the shelf JavaScript along with other features like lazy loading.
This leaves you with a platform that is specifically designed for readability and high speed. The process improves loading time by making sure that images are loaded only when they are scrolled into view. These designs are also heavily cached, meaning that Google can host your actual content right there and doesn’t need to fetch it from you anymore. These features are what make Google AMP really fun and interesting to work with!
So can anyone use AMP? Let’s see!
Who can use AMP?
Thankfully, the project is open to all the users in the world. The truth is that a large number of websites including the likes of BBC, Buzzfeed, and The Wall Street Journal have already started taking the advantage of the Google AMP features.
But, is AMP all about good things? Like everything, Google AMP has got its own share of disadvantages. Let’s see.
What does this mean for SEO?
Even though AMP is not a search engine ranking factor, the website’s speed is. AMP can directly influence the website’s speed which strongly affects the search engine ranking of a website. When two websites get the same score in all the other factors, the website with AMP will be ranked higher than one without AMP. Needless to say, people tend to leave a site if it doesn’t load with the blink of an eye. AMP can greatly reduce your median load time, meaning more people will stay on the website, thus boosting your SEO rankings drastically.
Potential pitfalls of AMP
All good things should have some catch. This is also true for Google AMP. The first disadvantage of AMP is that it requires HTML coding and programming. This means that you will require an IT professional to create your AMP page. But, this will soon be addressed through future plug-ins and add-ons.
Another drawback is that when the user shares a link to an AMP content, the link goes to a Google search site and the link point to the Google.com URL’s and not the content developer’s site. This can have a negative impact on the content developer’s site traffic. These are a few pitfalls which are expected to be solved soon in the future releases and updates.
Your Turn
AMP, even though it has a couple of drawbacks is a great tool when it comes to improving your websites speed in mobile devices. As the number of mobile users is still growing fast, it has an important part to play in the future. AMP has a lot of potential to grow and upgrade which will soon make it an irreplaceable tool for every web developer.
What are your views on this? Did you start using AMP yet? Do share your experience with us in the comments.
Posted by Lark Begin
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