Recently Google announced that it was going to highlight Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) in mobile search results.  AMP sites are optimized to load at lightning speeds on any mobile device, compared to simply having “mobile friendly” or graphically mobile optimized sites.  Google’s past “Mobilegeddon” update penalized sites in search if they weren’t mobile friendly.  This year’s AMP expectation will not yet penalize your site, but searchers will see an indication that your site is ready to load fast if you are AMP compliant.

what is google amp

What Sites Should Use AMP?

Considering that more and more web traffic is mobile, it’s a good idea for every website to transition over to AMP mobile sites.  Ecommerce sites may stand to benefit the most to capture impatient buyers, but regular local business sites can benefit as well.  The attention span of mobile users is shorter by the year, and if your page isn’t loading fast enough, they’ll move on to the next search result that does.

Does AMP Help Rankings?

The fact is that page-load speed is a factor and for Google’s mobile search index, it matters a lot.  If you’re trying to rank for a competitive keyword, every on-page optimization advantage will help you get closer to the number one spot.

As you consider the user experience of an AMP vs non-AMP page on a mobile device, the page that loads immediately is likely to keep a user engaged better than a page that isn’t loading. Your site’s bounce rate and time on page also factor into Google rankings.

What Does It Take to Become AMP Compliant?

Depending on your website’s platform, if you’re using WordPress, for example, the creation of AMP pages can be relatively painless.  Full details on the technical specifications are listed here.  You can get in touch with your web developer or contact us to make the transition as streamlined as possible and earn some additional Google love.

The Future of AMP

Based on the resources that Google is putting into promoting Accelerated Mobile Pages and integrating an AMP indicator into their mobile search results, we can expect that this will become the new web standard over the next few months.  Get AMPed now so that you can create a better visitor experience and stay ahead of your competition!

 

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