Google is becoming more concerned about user experience. They want pages and sites to offer the best possible experience for all users. It is one of several key ranking variables that they take into account while generating SERPs. The search engine also desires that the user experience be uniform across devices. People accessing sites on mobile or tablet devices should not be penalized in any way as compared to those visiting on desktop computers.
Google places a high value on the loading speed and quality of mobile sites. This is shown by their recent implementation of mobile-first indexing. They’ve started indexing and ranking numerous sites using the mobile version. Rather than constantly utilizing the desktop versions. The experience of mobile users deteriorated as a result of these conditions. Mobile versions of sites often varied significantly from their desktop counterparts. The mobile pages were almost usually of poorer quality.
Many sites that adhere to recommended practices for mobile-first indexing have already made the switch. If your site is converted to mobile-first indexing, you will be notified through the Google Search Console.
What does this have to do with SEO and Google AMP pages? It’s really simple. Google is becoming more interested in mobile-specific user experiences. This implies that site owners and webmasters must have a comparable emphasis. They must create a web design that offers the greatest user experience for users on all devices.
Google is attempting to assist them in this quest. They’re supporting an open source effort to develop fast-loading, mobile-friendly versions of web sites. Those are Google Accelerated Mobile Pages. They are something you should be aware of. They should also be included into your SEO plan as soon as feasible.
We’ve been utilizing AMP at Seologic for a long time. It was a crucial stage for us, and it should be for your company as well. As a consequence of our improved user experience, we began to notice an increase in traffic. Our average Google search positions improved. Furthermore, our website’s user navigability has been improved for a platform that accounts for more than a quarter of our traffic: mobile. We have prepared a thorough essay about the cost of SEO that you should read.
What Exactly Are Google AMP Pages?
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is an abbreviation for Accelerated Mobile Pages. Google is supporting the AMP Project, which is an open source project. They are among the hundreds of developers, publishers, websites, and technology companies that are working on the project. The project’s stated goal is to make the web a better place for everyone.
In doing so, it allows the development of “consistently speedy, attractive, and high-performing websites and advertising across devices.” These sites and advertisements will satisfy those requirements by using Google AMP Pages. AMP Pages load very quickly. This results in the smoother, more engaging mobile experience that both the initiative and Google want.
More than 1.5 billion AMP Pages have been produced to far. The AMP Project provides an open source library that makes it simple for other webmasters to create their own pages. The pages are supported by a wide range of platforms and are cross-browser compatible. They are made up of three main parts.
Three Basic Elements
AMP HTML
AMP HTML is HTML with certain limitations for more consistent performance. It’s just HTML with some specific AMP attributes thrown in for good measure. The majority of the tags are standard HTML, with just a handful being AMP-specific. These AMP-specific tags make it simpler to apply popular patterns.
AMP JS Library
The AMP JS Library is the second essential component of AMP Pages. It is responsible for the quick rendering of AMP HTML pages. The library follows the best performance standards recommended by AMP. It is responsible for the special tags that separate AMP HTML from normal HTML.
One of the most important optimizations of the AMP JS Library is for site components that originate from external sources. For AMP Pages, certain components are made asynchronous. That is, they are self-contained. Nothing from outside sources can therefore prevent the page from rendering.
Google AMP Cache
The Google AMP Cache is a content delivery network that uses proxies to serve all valid AMP publications. It automatically downloads AMP HTML pages, caches them, and enhances page speed.
When utilizing Google AMP Cache, the page, the JS files, and all pictures all come from the same source. For optimal efficiency and load speed, that origin employs HTTP 2.0. The cache also has an in-built validation mechanism. This ensures that a page is guaranteed to function and does not rely on external resources.
Google AMP Sites, at their most basic, are HTML clones of existing pages. They are optimized versions of those pages that load as fast as feasible on mobile devices. They are also not novel. They’ve been in business for almost three years.
One of the reasons why some SEO professionals are skeptical about them is because of how they were created. Before we get into why you should use Google AMP, let’s take a look at how the project has evolved over time.
Development
Google AMP Pages were originally introduced in October of 2015. They were thought to be just for media sites at the time, and for a long thereafter. That was undoubtedly their first emphasis. They were appealing to those sites because they offered a method for them to get their pages to load quicker on mobile.
Google also added extra cherry on the cake. They debuted their ‘Top Stories’ news carousel, which appeared at the top of search results pages. That was a coveted position for any news site’s page to be shown in. Only Google AMP Pages were able to secure the carousel positions. The media sites were assured in the attractiveness of the faster mobile pages.
SEO is complex. Experts in the area must plan their time wisely. Many viewed Google AMP Pages as exclusive to media sites and chose to focus on other tasks. That no longer makes logic.
Since its inception, Google AMP has grown in breadth and effect. Google has gradually integrated AMP into search results. Their news carousel and SERPs.
A tiny lightning icon next to a search result indicates an AMP page. Google launched AMP Stories in December of last year. They’re like Instagram’s popular tales. They’re meant to be aesthetically appealing material with interactive pictures and text.
They let webpages to quickly display material to visitors. AMP Stories also show at the top of Google’s mobile search results. The launch of AMP Stories demonstrates Google’s commitment to AMP in general.
The project’s fast growth also shows Google’s dedication. Currently, there are over 1.5 billion Google AMP Pages over 25 million sites. You can no longer ignore AMP. It should be part of your SEO strategy in 2019.
Why Use Google AMP Pages?
Any online business may benefit from good SEO. Anything that may improve a company’s SEO is worth investigating. Google AMP can accomplish that. Using Google AMP addresses one of the search engine’s current hot topics. That is the problem of excellent mobile user experience.
We all know that consumers want quick loading mobile sites. We also know that Google uses loading speed as one of their ranking criteria. What you may not know is how fast AMP pages load.
The AMP Project claims that loading an AMP Page from a Google search takes less than a second. That’s quick to detect. It’s a factor that affects both users and sites.
Speed Thrills
Stunning data from Neil Patel’s Kissmetrics business on loading times. It also tells a lot about how actual web users feel about loading time and how it affects their online activity. According to studies, 47% of customers anticipate a website to load in under two seconds. A page that takes longer than three seconds to load will lose 40% of its visitors.
That’s fantastic for sites using Google AMP Pages, which load in under a second. It’s food for thought for those who continue to disregard AMP and its advantages. AMP isn’t only about performance and user experience. Those factors are clearly linked to a company’s bottom line.
CTR & Sales
Rapid loading improves user experience. It may not be enough to persuade you of the benefits of Google AMP Pages. AMP’s effect on site traffic, conversion rates, and revenues can’t be denied.
Many studies show a connection between AMP, traffic, and conversion rates. There’s also evidence that loading time affects sales. Let’s take a short look at some stats. That should demonstrate how important Google AMP is to your continuing SEO strategy.
Google recently commissioned an AMP Total Economic Impact Study by Forrester Consulting. It looked examined AMP’s impact on website traffic, conversion, and sales. The study’s main results were unmistakable. Here are the key points:
- 10% Increase in Site Traffic — The research showed that AMP increased site traffic by 10%. Sites benefitted from increased AMP page discoverability.
- Better Engagement — Users engaged better with AMP sites, the research showed. Visitors visited 60% more pages. It took twice as long to read an AMP page as a non-AMP one.
- 20% Increase in Sales Conversion Rate — The research found that AMP Pages increased sales conversion rates by 20%.
- Long Term Profit Growth — The research concluded that AMP may boost long-term profitability. It was due to increasing traffic and conversion rates. The increase in conversion rate was projected to be approximately $677,000. That’s a three-year rise in earnings for the sites examined. A 10% increase in online traffic was projected to be worth $329,000 in profit growth.
Some of the results are pretty astounding. One notable improvement is a 20% increase in sales conversion rate. Other data backs it up. For example, the largest e-commerce sites provide data on load time and conversion rates.
As the table shows, even minor changes in load speed may have a big effect. Amazon might lose 1% of sales if their site took 0.1 seconds longer to load. That’s $1.3 billion a year.
Not just Google-commissioned research shows the value of AMP. Stone Temple Marketing collected data from eleven AMP case studies. Those studies focused into AMP application in various industries. It then assessed the effects of Google AMP Pages on the businesses.
AMP had the greatest effect on online traffic for Stone Temple’s media sites. Here are the findings for those sites:
All three sites managed to reach from 30% to 70% increase in traffic. Not just media sites benefited from AMP implementation in the case studies.
In eight of ten trials, AMP benefited the business. Many sites claimed lower bounce rates and longer session durations. Increasing conversion rates was also frequent.
NoBroker in particular. Among the case studies is NoBroker, an Indian real estate firm. Their service connects landlords and renters directly, eliminating the need for a property intermediary. After adopting AMP, the site saw a 77% increase in connections.
The table below summarizes Stone Temple’s considerable research:
The green studies are those that found AMP to be beneficial. The two rows in yellow indicate locations that didn’t perform as well. Stone Temple claim the less favorable outcomes were due to implementation issues.
The table’s top row is a good illustration. Beach House Center for Recovery’s usage of AMP yielded these outcomes. They’re a behavioural health lead generating site. On their WordPress site, they used the AMP for WordPress and AMP Automatic plugins.
Their AMP pages didn’t compare well to their non-AMP sites. Less time spent on AMP pages each session. The AMP pages’ bounce rates rose. A closer look at the low metrics showed an obvious reason.
Beach House’s AMP implementation has two major flaws. First, their AMP Pages’ main menu was broken. Irrational page layout was shown. That meant no one would click there. No sidebars or CTAs were available on the pages.
Taking these mitigating variables into consideration, the conclusion obtained from the study is obvious. Adding Google AMP Pages to your website may have a big impact. Web traffic, user engagement, and conversion rates all grew. That will unavoidably lead to increased revenues linked to AMP adoption.
Good AMP Implementation is Required
The preceding research’s results are too excellent to ignore. Google AMP Pages may have a huge impact on websites in any industry. AMP pages increase online traffic, conversion rates, and revenues.
SEO aims to increase organic traffic, conversion, and sales. The obvious conclusion is that Google AMP must be included into your SEO plan ASAP.
It is simpler to implement AMP since it is open source. That doesn’t imply you should treat it as a plug-and-play. Using existing plugins to perform all the job isn’t enough. That was the issue with Beach House in Stone Temple’s case study.
You must apply AMP with care. Make sure you know how AMP works. This article should have given you a decent concept, although there will be specifics to you. Do you need to include multimedia components while developing AMP versions of your pages?
Only by knowing these facts can you effectively use AMP. Then you’ll start seeing those vital effects. Traffic, conversions, and purchases will certainly rise. That can only benefit your overall SEO efforts. Not to mention your company’s profits.
AMP optimization is therefore vital. However, it may be complicated and time consuming. Seologic has a team devoted to mobile site optimization. Contact us if you need assistance with more difficult procedures like AMP transfer. Avoid irreversible problems.
