How Google AMP is Changing the SEO Game
In today’s digital world, where speed is everything, the way we browse the internet has evolved dramatically. Mobile devices have become the primary gateway to access information online. Website speed has now become one of the most important factors that affect your website’s ranking on search engines. In response to this, Google introduced the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project. Let’s see how Google AMP is changing the SEO game.
Google AMP is essentially a stripped-down version of your website that enables it to load incredibly fast on mobile devices. It uses simplified HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code to reduce the website’s size, making it easier for users to load it easily within seconds. The AMP pages get served through Google’s AMP cache, allowing the pages to load even faster and share their cached content easily.
Google AMP presents an excellent opportunity for businesses to improve their SEO rankings, as site speed is a crucial ranking factor for the search engine. Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites, provides a better user experience, and enhances the usability with minimal lag time. The AMP pages receive the green AMP lightning bolt symbol in the search engine, making it more attractive to users who will click through to a faster loading website.
Implementing Google AMP can seem overwhelming for most website owners – but it’s easier than you think. You can install an AMP plugin for your CMS like WordPress, Shopify, etc., to enable the AMP version of your website. For customization and advanced features, you can choose to create a custom AMP template that reflects your brand.
Apart from improving your website’s user experience, Google AMP offers various benefits like –
Possible downsides to Google AMP
Although Google AMP offers significant benefits, it’s essential to know and consider the possible downsides before you implement it. Implementing Google AMP could result in lower ad revenue as AMP pages don’t support custom JavaScript. There’s also a possibility of lower CTR as the users could be consuming content within the Google AMP cache instead of clicking through to your website.
The rise of mobile devices and the growing emphasis on site speed has made Google AMP an essential part of SEO strategy. Implementing Google AMP can have far-reaching implications for website owners looking to improve their website speed, user experience, and overall search engine visibility. Although there are potential downsides to AMP pages, they can help you increase engagement and conversion rates. So, if you haven’t implemented it yet, it’s time to consider Google AMP and changing your SEO game.