A website that cannot get enough user traffic is no good. Almost two billion websites populate the search engines index. To make your website stand out, you need to get the basics right. Before starting to use designer templates and other jazzy stuff to package your website, you need to address the most common problem that frustrates most users – slow loading pages. Studies show that almost 40 percent of users abandon websites that take more than three seconds to load. Having a website can obviously help you get your user’s attention. However, to make them fall in love with you entirely, you need to improve user experience. Accelerated Mobile Pages help you achieve exactly that.
What are AMP pages?
The AMP plugin was a result of a collaboration between two tech giants, Google and Twitter. It is an open source initiative project that aims to help businesses create more nimble and responsive pages. AMP pages load considerably faster than their non-AMP counterparts, helping improve user experience.
How does the AMP plugin work?
AMP has three components:
AMP Javascript
To minimize page loading time, AMP does not allow developers to use third-party Javascript. Instead, AMP has its own library that includes custom elements. These elements are specially designed for AMP. Unlike third-party Javascripts, these elements do not have a negative impact on page loading speed.
AMP Content Delivery Network
AMP has an optional content delivery network that works by tweaking AMP-enabled pages. The CDN caches content and makes necessary modifications for optimal performance.
AMP HTML
AMP HTML is a toned down version of HTML. As a subset of HTML, AMP HTML uses different custom tags that are designed to interact effectively with other AMP components.. These custom tags have unique properties. Additionally, there are strict rules. Users, for instance, cannot use forms.
AMP uses only those HTML tag master aspects that are mobile friendly. HTML tag masters aspects that slow down the page are got rid of, which improves the page loading speed and consequently, the user experience.
Some things to know about AMP
- AMP does not allow the use of normal CSS. Instead, you will be required to use a streamlined version of CSS.
- AMP sites must be properly validated.
- For optimal performance, custom fonts need to be loaded.
- You can upload videos. For optimal performance, use AMP-approved extensions.
- Failure to declare height and width of images can impact their resolution.
When integrating AMP plugin, focus on improving your page’s readability and speed. Everything else, including shareability can follow.
How to set up AMP?
Wondering how to create AMP pages? To set up AMP, follow this 7-step process:
1. Install plugins
To get started, install AMP plugins that will automatically generate compatible versions of your posts. To make your page AMP-compatible, you need to install an extra plugin.
2. Set your pages up for Google Analytics tracking
To get your tracking ID, log into Google Analytics and go to the Admin panel. Once you are there, select Property and Account from the drop down menu. Click on Tracking info. Next select Tracking code to get your unique ID. Copy and paste the ID in the column that says Google Analytics. Save your changes.
3. Configure settings
To customize the look of your pages, configure settings. Configuring settings is also important to ensure AMP supports multiple content types.
4. Test your setup
Google does not display pages that are configured improperly in search results. Once you have created AMP URLs, it is important to ensure that they are working properly.To test your setup, paste your AMP URL in the URL field of an MP validator. If there are any errors, the tool will highlight them. Those who use Chrome can use the Development Console for this purpose.
5. Submit the most important URLs for indexing
If you are using the AMP test through Google Search Console, click on the Submit to Google button after testing your page.
6. Troubleshoot errors pointed out in Google Search console
Once you log into Google Search Console, go to Search Appearance and select Accelerated Mobile Pages to get a list of your pages indexed by Google. If you find any critical issues, now is the best time to fix them.
7. Test your page speed
Once you have created your AMPs, run it in through a page speed tool.
Benefits of AMP
- Helps keep a tab on bounce rate.
- Helps improve user engagement.
- Contributes to bottomline by supporting advertisements.
- AMP tools help track user behavior.
- Because AMP helps improves user experience, the website’s ranking improves.
Is AMP for you?
AMP is a fairly new technology. Developers are still exploring the possibilities of AMP. Though AMP caching can considerably increase your website speed, you will have to sacrifice several UX elements on your webpage. Additionally, AMP pages do not allow more than one advertisement tag per page.
Despite these shortcomings, experts expect AMP to get more takers in the future. The popularity of AMP is increasing at a constant pace. In 2018, more than 30 million domains adopted AMP, which is up from just about a million a couple of years back.
In the future, a majority of the world’s population with access to the Internet will use smartphones, not desktops or laptops to browse the Internet. Organizations cannot ignore the changing dynamics and will sooner or later have to focus on creating responsive pages with minimum loading time. WHAT IS AMP? GETTING UP TO SPEED WITH AMP
