AMP-ing it up with Google’s accelerated mobile pages
Optimising websites to be viewed from mobile devices can be achieved in several ways, and this has never been more important given the rise in mobile browsing rates.
There are a number of different mobile browsers out there, with Google’s Chrome actually managing to outdo the native Safari platform on Apple’s iOS.
In fact, Google’s influence is all the more relevant in the mobile sphere thanks to AMP, a project that seeks to create accelerated mobile pages that load up to ten times quicker than standard sites on portable device thanks to some clever HTML trickery.
What is AMP and how can it benefit businesses looking for website design in Somerset like the packages offered by http://www.somersetwebservices.co.uk/?
Stripped Down
Page load speed is a key deciding factor that can impact bounce rates and conversions alike. Mobile users are especially susceptible to loading issues due to connection speed limitations, so making sites as efficient as possible is the best way to avoid compromising on speed.
AMP itself has been set up to make it easier to create sites that are automatically served to mobile visitors in a way that strips out any data-intensive elements, such as embedded videos and other media elements, to leave visitors with a pared-back experience.
This ensures that pages load quickly on every device, keeping visitors happy while still presenting them with the key content they were looking for when they landed on the site. Ads can still be served, enabling sites to generate more revenue in the mobile-focused world of today.
SEO Advantages
By combining AMP’s relevant HTML tags, Javascript functionality and caching capabilities, sites can become fully mobile optimised, which has benefits when it comes to achieving a high search rank.
In fact, AMP-optimised pages currently get privileged positioning in Google’s SERPs, with a clear indication provided alongside relevant results to show users which sites have been constructed with this system.
With successive algorithm updates pushing SEO priorities in a mobile-first direction, acting now to embrace AMP may be sensible.
There are some downsides to AMP, including the fact that those sites that rely on paid search ads to get hits might find their visitor numbers dropping because of the reshuffling of the organic rankings. Ultimately, however, it’s a good thing for everyone involved.