As the world moves forward with new technologies and digital advancements, it is important for publishers to stay up-to-date and provide a great user experience. One such technology that has been around for a few years now is AMP or Accelerated Mobile Pages.
But since its conception, it’s had mixed reviews in both the publishing and SEO communities. Whether you’ve loved it or hated it, in 2023, it’s time to ditch AMP for good. Let us tell you why.
About AMP
Introduced in 2015, AMP was Google’s web framework that was designed to create fast and mobile-friendly web pages.
Initially, AMP seemed ideal for developers who wanted a quick turnaround for their web pages whilst also getting over the user experience hurdle. However, that’s how it was pitched. But the reality is that Google made it a requirement for top stories, which meant that news publishers had to adopt it. Critics of AMP, like SEO expert & founder of Polemic Digital, Barry Adams explains, was one of the first red flags about AMP. Since 2015, AMP has become the preferred format for publishers who want to get the majority of top traffic. With 60% of Google users on mobile, it is no surprise that mobile-friendly webpages were a must-have.
AMP was not ready for publishers
However, AMP wasn’t a fully formed tool until 2016. Publishers, and more importantly their developers, were scrapping together pages that were advertised to be a quick solution. AMP didn’t have all the tools needed for optimal mobile experiences for publishers. For instance, it only accepted Google Analytics as a web analytics platform, which had to be separate from other analytics tools. Therefore, publishers had an additional, manual layer of analysis to contend with. Additionally, AMP didn’t accept videos, which became a burden for publishers Google then sent notifications saying their story’s AMP page wasn’t equivocal to the original news story page.
Same content, different pages
Publishers aren’t seeing the benefits when it comes to time and money. No matter which resource is more important, the fact of the matter is that AMP requires publishers to replicate the content from its original post in a different HTML and syntax format. When pushing for the top spot in breaking news, it’s a huge hindrance that leaves smaller publishers in particular left fighting for less high-ranking spots, no matter how good the content is.
You actually don’t need AMP anymore
Since its launch, even Google is abandoning AMP. Their project leaders have been moved to other projects; even their developers have been moved to other things. AMP hasn’t been updated since 2021. And to put the final nail in AMP’s proverbial coffin, it doesn’t factor in ranking anymore either following Google’s launch of Web Core Vitals. Essentially, AMP has been abandoned, and publishers should not invest in it.
What now?
While AMP was initially a good idea, it has become more of a burden for publishers. With low ad remuneration, a complicated HTML markup, and the fact that it goes against the decentralized web ethos, publishers should abandon Google AMP in 2023. Instead, they should focus on developing their mobile-friendly web pages and optimizing for Google Core Web Vitals. These metrics measure a webpage’s loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability and ultimately will improve your ranking. By prioritizing these factors, publishers can provide a better user experience and improve their search engine ranking, which can ultimately lead to higher revenue from optimising your advertising or subscription strategy.
TL;DR?
You can listen to our podcast episode about Google AMP now on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
