Mobile is here to stay in the digital marketing landscape. Find out everything you need to know about AMP, including how it might affect your brand.
It is impossible to discuss one aspect of digital activity without mobile considerations playing a role in the strategic process.
Mobile proliferation has caused profound changes at Google and has changed the face of the search results pages themselves, both algorithmically and when the search engine deploys its indexation first mobile, and a point of ad view with the modified AdWords long-form layout for more mobile browsers. Google has repeatedly stated its intention to make navigation seamless on mobile devices and actively promote the AMP format for mobile pages.
So what exactly is AMP? What do you need to know about this and what will be the impact on your site?
AMP (or Accelerated Mobile Pages to give it its full name) is an initiative supported by Google. Despite his technical name, his intention is quite simple; simplify the code that makes up the web pages, in order to provide content faster. This large-scale project, as suggested by the M in AMP, is fully mobile. Google wants to deliver content to users on mobile devices faster. These are essentially faster page loading times. Mobile users can enjoy a seamless search and browsing experience without having to wait for large pages to load.
AMP uses a sleek code called AMP HTML to allow pages to load faster. It only applies to static pages (those that are not customized based on user behavior).
How does AMP work?
AMP is a form of HTML but, as a simplified version of the language, has fewer technical functions. This simplified code gives priority to speed, which improves page load times for users. AMP files can be cached in the cloud – so the content seems to load faster on subsequent visits.
What does this mean for your brand?
Google’s vision for AMP is to use the framework to quickly deliver blocks of content to those who search mobile devices. This has implications for brands and publishers as it provides an exciting new way to communicate better with your audience in a practical and transparent way.
According to the AMP project itself, “The Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project is an open source initiative that embodies the vision that publishers can create mobile-optimized content once and have it instantly uploaded everywhere.
APM cites a study by Soasta, which found that web pages took about 10 seconds to load a rebound rate of about 58 percent. For publishers and brands, the ability to create fast-loading content using the AMP framework removes this spectrum of slow page loading and visitor blocking. As a business, faster page loading means you can combat this bounce rate and potentially share more engaging and engaging content with your audience.
Putting aside speed and performance advantages, AMP offers brands a way to disperse content to an advanced level, with content quickly appearing on multiple platforms. With a wider distribution network and greater visibility, it is possible to turn the fast display of content into net gains. AMP suggests using its framework to increase revenue through ads and subscriptions on web platforms and mobile apps.
This could be of particular interest to retailers and e-commerce sites: By the end of June 2016, eBay had announced that approximately 8 million of its product and category pages were now available online with AMP.
Google has made it clear that page loading speed is a mobile ranking factor, making AMP a particularly attractive solution for those looking for better search rankings and wanting a better mobile browser experience. It is particularly useful for those who depend on local traffic in physical stores, research showing the importance of mobile navigation for the buying cycle.
- In his infographic on mobile search trends, Google says that 30% of all mobile searches are location-based.
- It records a 1.3% increase in mobile search volume for “where to buy /find/get” an item.
- He observed a 2.1x increase in search volume for store hours.
- 76% of people looking for a point of sale on a mobile device go to a store within 24 hours and 28% make a purchase.
- Using AMP to provide faster content could be the key to exploiting this purchase intent.
What impact will AMP have on your site?
Google has posted AMP content in the top half of the search results page. If you’re looking for something on Chrome using a mobile device, the item carousel section at the top displays the AMP content.
If you have not studied AMP yet, or considered implementing AMP principles on your static content pages (such as blog posts), you should do so to avoid getting left behind.