All these definitions and more detailed information can be found in this tremendous post by Judit Mir, What are Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) and how do they work ?
Let's use this definition and, if you like, let's get down to business.
“AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is an open source project launched by international email database Google in late 2015 in response to Facebook's Instant Articles. It was created with the aim of displaying pages with a very low loading time on mobile devices.”
1. Google steals your organic traffic if you use AMP.
50% true. Let me explain:
I search for “cats” on Google.
I see the organic results.
I enter a website to view the content.
I'm leaving Google.
I go to the website and Google Analytics crashes and life goes on…
Now this could happen:
I search for “cats” on Google.
I see the organic results.
I enter the AMP result.
I read the content on Google.
I don't enter the page.
If we talk about analytics, thank God, even if the user is in Google's cache and even if the URL where they are viewing the content contains https://www.google.com/amp/s/ that session counts for your metrics .
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However, there is a very high risk that, on a website that loses all traces of interactivity, the user will satisfy their search and not continue on your website.
You have to take into account that all the interactivity you put into your website, all that fancy JavaScript that “gives life” to your website, disappears in an AMP version.
Remember that AMP prioritizes user experience by restricting the user interface. CSS is limited to 75kb, JS to 150kb, and most possible interactions are left out of the critical rendering path.
Finally, it is also worth remembering the case of “Swipe to Visit”. As the use of AMP has spread since 2018, Google has seen that the fact that this implementation was stealing traffic from websites was a real shame and has been providing tools and functionalities to websites so that they do not lose so many visits.
This is the case of Swipe to Visit. The functionality we are discussing here was created in 2019 and works on Google Images.
Let's say it works in such a way that even if you see the image that matches the user's search, Google offers you at the bottom of the screen the possibility of previewing the AMP version of the content where that image is hosted.
Swipe to Visit on AMP pages for Google search engine
Thank goodness there is Swipe to Visit.
2. I can generate AMP URLs with parameters.
Totally true. And this really annoys SEOs.
John Mueller has made this explicit on several occasions. The only thing that Google is concerned about at the URL architecture level in relation to AMP is that they are on the same domain.
You can create URLs as you like. La mejoragenciaseodebarcelona .com/amp , amp.lamejoragenciaseodebarcelona.com/somos-nosotros or even mejoragenciaseodebarcelona.com/somos-nosotros/?id=98
According to Mueller, the important thing in this case is to be consistent:
“So pick a sub-domain, or sub-directory, or parameters if you want. Whatever works best for you. And try to keep that setup, ideally, for the long run.”
John Mueller, The Devil.
We have been recommending to clients for years not to use parameters in URLs like ?,_ but it seems that in AMP they are not as important. Just in case, I will continue to recommend not using them as long as this URL is still in place URL parameters and duplicate content .
3. With AMP my website gains more visibility.
Absolutely true. This is undeniable.
3 reasons: – The lightning bolt symbol. – The “Swipe to Visit” option. (We already mentioned this above) -AMP and structured data are not incompatible. Don’t believe it? Check it out:
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Gain visibility with AMP and structured data
Structured data with AMP. Yes, you can.
Rayito, and event structured data like “MusicEvent” in the same search result. We will see more examples later.
4. AMP only works well on a few types of pages and for specific searches.
Ok, this one is going to be easy. In e-commerce, for now, it doesn't work.
It is true, as we have said before, that AMP practically prohibits JavaScript, this already tips the balance for e-commerce developers, whatever CMS they use, to lean towards PWA or SPA type implementations. The reality, at least in the Spanish market, is that very few e-commerce companies dare to use AMP versions.
At most, some brands and websites choose to create AMP versions of their content strategy pages. Take Worten for example, for the search “how to measure tv inches”:
AMP example on worten.es
AMP example on worten.es
…or Happets (dog food e-commerce) with their blog for “types of dog food”:
AMP example on happets.com
AMP example on happets.com
But what if… just one has to be launched for the whole sector to follow … Here is this screenshot of PCcomponentes and Platanomelón betting on an AMP page to compete in the battle for the top positions in the SERP for SATISFYER.
Example AMP pc components for satisfyer pro 3.
Example AMP pc components for satisfyer pro 3.
Example: satisfyer pro 3 bananamelon.
Example: satisfyer pro 3 bananamelon.
Uuuuuufff, it looks good, right? Maybe AMPocalypse will soon reach e-commerce too.
5. AMP will go out of fashion and Google will stop investing resources, as with Google Wave or Google Plus.
False. Or rather, probably false. (spoiler alert, this part may age terribly badly
)AMP updates have been coming out more and more regularly since 2016. In fact, the most comprehensive dedicated AMP page https://amp.dev/ is being updated more and more frequently.
Among the most recent news I would like to highlight:
-The creation of the AMP Page Experience Guide. https://amp.dev/page-experience/ A tool designed to audit an AMP URL against the Google Search Page Experience Ranking Signal. You read that right. User experience is going to be a ranking factor.
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-AMP for email. One of the most interesting working groups they have where they are developing AMP integrations in email. https://amp.dev/community/working-groups/amp4email/
-Bento AMP components outside of AMP. Which will mean being able to use AMP components on non-AMP pages. This is super recent. https://blog.amp.dev/2021/01/28/bento/
6. Using AMP does not guarantee good results in Core Web Vitals.
Fake.
https://blog.amp.dev/2021/01/15/correla ... s-and-amp/ there is already documented evidence that AMP pages respond positively to the standards required by Core Web Vitals.
From what we've seen with several clients, you have to be doing very badly for an AMP page to not perform better than your overdeveloped Prestashop.
7. You can't use structured data in AMP.