SEO Glossary > AMP

AMP


Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) are pages coded in a restricted version of HTML, and they use a simplified JavaScript library. AMP pages are cached and delivered by Google instead of a website's own server. Because of the simplicity of the code and the caching, AMP pages load significantly faster than normal mobile-friendly web pages. Google is heavily promoting the acceptance of AMP as an internet-wide standard.

How do AMP pages work?

 

AMP pages are copies of webpages with the HTML stripped down. By stripping the HTML down the AMP versions load faster. They also minimize the need for additional CSS requests by eliminating things like large images. AMP caching speeds up load times by as much as a second.


Should You Create AMP Pages for Your Site? 

There is no one answer to the question as AMP pages have pros and cons. AMP is designed so that pages should load faster than the more traditional formats. This might help a site's rankings as Google has a mobile-first indexing construct. AMP does have downsides. Tracking AMP pages in Analytics is limited, AMP versions of pages only show if a user clicks on an AMP link. Since AMP pages are focused on speed over everything else, some design elements might be lost. Also, AMP pages only allow one ad tag per page.


How to test AMP pages

 

AMP pages are tested by entering the URL or the code into the Google Search Console AMP Test.

Where are AMP pages hosted?

 

Google hosts AMP pages on their servers. In order to serve the pages faster, Google makes use of AMP caches, which means the pages are pre-loaded.


Can AMP pages be used for e-commerce?

 

Originally, AMP was created to serve static content like news sites. E-commerce sites on the other hand have many working parts. Product listings, login capabilities, dynamic content, checkout pages, and web security are all necessary components of a successful e-commerce site.

Long after its initial release, AMP began to enable e-commerce sites to meet these needs. AMP can now support dynamic content, complex product pages, product category pages, checkout and payments, and personalization. 

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