As per Neil Patel, “Speed is a Killer. The higher side will be the page speed & loading time, and the larger will be the options of elevating connections.”
Pages that load faster rank higher, have fewer bounce rates and have happier site visitors. Google deployed various technologies to increase speed, including accelerated mobile pages, or AMP. It was a big thing when it was initially debuted.
Many prominent sites, including Twitter & Google, insisted it was permanent. However, there has been less discussion about AMP in recent years. Google discreetly deleted the AMP indicator from search results in 2021. What's going on with AMP? Is it still applicable in 2023? Why is it available in the first place?
In this MarsDevs guide, we will discuss all those and many more. So, let’s get going!
AMP (formerly known as Accelerated Mobile Pages) is an open-source HTML framework that aids in the creation of mobile-optimized web pages that load quickly. That means an AMP website is a simplified version of a standard webpage.
AMP HTML is HTML that has been limited to ensure that pages load quickly. It eliminates or alters various elements and characteristics that cause webpages to load slowly.
JavaScript is challenging because too much can cause websites to become sluggish and unresponsive. AMP's JavaScript library, on the other hand, offers frameworks and components that allow you to develop sites quickly without writing JS or importing third-party libraries. All of these elements are critical to the reader's experience.
The AMP Cache is a proxy-based content delivery network (CDN) that retrieves and delivers AMP pages before user requests. It's also game-changing for site speed.
Why? Because it allows your website to load several portions from separate servers simultaneously, it also enables users to access your website from the server that is nearest to them. It means that your website will load much faster for more users! As Neil Patel exclaims, “The goal of AMP is to offer a better user experience by deploying material quickly, in some cases over virtual mode.”
In an age where a delayed page load might mean losing a prospective new user for good, an AMP boosts your website. AMPs are easy to set up and significantly boost your user experience! So, it’s a win-win for all.
Now that we have learned what AMPs are let’s discuss how to integrate AMPs into your WordPress site! You'll need a WordPress AMP plugin to enable AMP on your site. We suggest you back up your WordPress site before doing one of the following techniques. After that, you're ready to go.
How do you start? If you want to quickly and easily set up AMP for your WordPress site, the AMP for WordPress plugin is a wonderful option. Although the basic version provides few choices for customizing your AMP configuration, you can widen your options with extra plugins.
To begin, go to Plugins -> Add New on your WordPress dashboard. Enter "AMP for WordPress" into the search field, and then browse for the appropriate AMP plugin for WordPress to install and activate. It allows you to adjust how your WordPress AMP site is displayed and preview any changes before going live. You may change the color of your site's text, links, and background.
In addition, you can also opt for the AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages plugin. To utilize this AMP plugin for WordPress, go to Plugins -> Add New on your dashboard. Find "AMP for WP" & download the plugin. Once you are done with that, it’s time to create content!
The first step toward AMP compliance is to create your web pages according to an open-source specification. It ensures your pages are cached in Google's AMP cache and may be provided faster.
The good news is that Google's existing rules for developing Google-friendly websites can also be used for AMP. So, how can you raise the caliber of your content? Use structured data to mark up your material. It will make your content appear more prominently in search results.
Also, optimizing the content structure and applying relevant keywords will boost search engine exposure in AMP versions. But what about optimizing images and multimedia elements? These can be incorporated into multiple approach models:
As Josh Wilson explains, “Responsive Website Design always plays a vital aspect while promoting your website.” Hence, you need to make sure your site is responsive as well. It won't be easy to resize each piece to fit a screen. In AMP, you can quickly make an element responsive by adding the "layout=responsive" property alongside the element's width and height!
Now, let’s say you want to customize the look and feel of your site. How can you do it? Select an AMP theme from your chosen plugin's Theme Selector drop-down menu. After selecting a theme, you can alter its appearance.
The Global tab contains design settings for color schemes and typography, header and footer display options, homepage sidebar options, and more. You can also choose which social network buttons to display on your WordPress AMP site in the Social section.
You can save your adjustments after you're satisfied with the visual appeal of your AMP website. You can preview these changes by going to appearance -> AMP. Also, monitor the performance of your AMP pages. Because AMP analytics will differ from standard Google Analytics, read this article to learn how it works.
Pages can be tracked using in-house or third-party analytics. Many analytics vendors have amp-analytics settings built in. Choose amp-pixel for simple tracking and amp-analytics for everything else.
So, development is complete, and everyone is pleased with the appearance and functionality. Therefore, it's time to move to production.
Not at all! While everything appears in order, we want to ensure we have followed AMP criteria by validating our sites. To guarantee that your WordPress AMP can be accessible and linked to compatible platforms, you must verify it.
Validation is also a good approach to receiving a list of AMP complications for debugging. How to do it? Using your browser's developer tools is an easy and fast way to execute AMP validation. Open up an AMP page in your preferred browser and use Chrome DevTools to validate!
Validation issues are caused by erroneous prefixes, poor formatting & code entry, or prohibited tags. In most circumstances, the readout will include a repair option for the problem. However, if no auto-fix option is available, the Google AMP Project has methods for resolving typical validation issues.
Now it’s time for testing. Testing and measuring can assist you in assessing the impact of image optimization on your website's performance and user experience and identify any flaws or areas for improvement.
You can test and assess your AMP pages' speed, performance, and quality using tools or services like Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, or WebPageTest and compare them to non-AMP sites or rivals. While you are done with testing, it’s time to monetize your site.
Understanding how to efficiently incorporate advertising while retaining page performance is critical for monetizing AMP sites as AMP use grows. Google offers a variety of ad types created exclusively for AMP sites, allowing for monetization without impacting user experience.
Ad placement that is strategic and does not overwhelm consumers can achieve a balance between income generating and user satisfaction.
It's now time to celebrate! You've successfully integrated AMP pages for WordPress and can now anticipate your mobile web pages to function admirably. With faster loading times, a better user experience, and higher SEO rankings, AMP's importance in 2023 cannot be overstated.
As companies and content providers embrace AMP, they prepare for a mobile-first future and stay ahead of the digital curve. Accelerated mobile pages are one of the ways to achieve the same! So, stop procrastinating and start building an AMP WordPress site you'll fall in love with.
Need help with building an AMP site? Let MarsDevs help you. Reach out to us today!
AMP reduces the size of websites by deleting numerous advertising, charts, videos, and animations and storing a version of the page on Google's servers. When a user clicks on an AMP link, Google offers immediate cached material.
AMP is not necessary for SEO. There are numerous techniques to optimize for page speed and mobile experience. AMP can be useful in a few cases, but it is not an SEO-recommended practice.
When combined with structured data, AMP sites have a better chance of appearing in Google searches as part of rich results. It is important to note that while AMP is not required to be in top SERP places, it will signal to Google that your website is speedy and reliable.
