What is AMP in WordPress?

AMP or Google Accelerated Mobile Pages, is an open source framework which is used to make another version of your website which loads faster and smoother on mobile screens and is generally more mobile-friendly. In other words, when an AMP alternative of your main website is available, mobile users will be served through the AMP version rather than the main website. AMP was designed by Google for the purpose of improving users’ experience by being served with cleaner and faster web pages. There are quite a few methods to implement AMP for your website. We, through this article will walk you through the AMP implementation process on WordPress. However, let’s have a brief understanding of how AMP works.

How does AMP improve loading time?

Basically, there are specific factors that slow down a web page speed such as plugins, javascripts, photos and videos. Google AMP makes web page loading faster by striping away some of these factors. For instance, using javascripts is limited to those which are available to use on AMP only. Besides, for faster performance, AMP would show the cached pages of your website to users, as it takes less time to load. Furthermore, AMP puts limitations on Ads display, in order to make a web page load as fast as possible. 

What are the advantages of Google AMP?

1. Improves user experience

Internet users are not tolerant enough to wait more than a few seconds for a web page to be displayed on their screen. Internet users consider slow loading websites as unprofessional and untrustworthy sources of information. AMP significantly improves user’s experience by making web pages load faster, so users will continue to navigate which leads to a lower bounce rate.

     2. Enhances SEO

Website speed is one the most important factors that is considered by search engines to position a website on SERP. It goes without saying that Google AMP would add a great value to how a website performs on major search engines in general and on Google in particular by increasing websites speed and lowering the bounce rate. Hence, if you are looking to improve your website SEO in Dubai, utilizing Google AMP would be an appropriate option to be considered. 

     3. Makes servers to perform better

Google AMP helps website’s server to perform faster. Google AMP is capable of reducing the load on servers by utilizing some Google optimization tools. For instance, AMP is capable of reducing the images’ bandwidth usage which is an important factor for servers to perform faster and better. It is worth to say that Google AMP provides such a service without any adverse consequence on the images quality, which makes it quite valuable.

We can now say in confidence that Google AMP is capable of making a big difference in terms of SEO and your website positioning on Google. Hence, if you are in the process of reviewing different SEO packages in Dubai for your website, make sure to consider Google AMP as a valuable option for your website SEO.

What are the disadvantages of Google AMP?

1. Branding limitations

AMP removes any element that would potentially slow down the web page loading speed. All flashy elements such as animations and high quality graphics and any css and javascripts will be prevented from being displayed on mobile screens.

      2. Cached web pages on display

The other pitfall about utilizing AMP is that it shows the cached version of a webpage to the user for the sake of faster loading speed. Hence, there is always a probability that users don’t have access to the latest update of that web page.

      3. Limitation on income generating from Ads 

Google AMP is not an appropriate tool for income generating from Ads. It not only doesn’t integrate with other Ads platforms, but puts strict limitations on showing advertisements on the web page. Hence, if you are looking for services like web design in Dubai to build a website for generating revenue through advertising, Google AMP may not be the right tool for you.

How to implement Google AMP in WordPress

There are basically two options when it comes to setting up AMP on your WordPress website. Both options are nothing but installing two different plugins depending on your needs. Let’s dive deeper and see how it must be done.

1. AMP for WordPress plugin

The first option that we would like to talk about is a plugin called AMP for WordPress. This plugin is a perfect tool to set up AMP on your WP website easily and quickly. However, you must be aware that this plugin has limited features to offer, if you want to customize your website further.

      2. AMP for WP-Accelerated Mobile Pages plugin 

The other plugin that you can utilize to set up AMP on your WP website is called AMP for WP-Accelerated Mobile Pages. By utilizing this plugin, you will not only be able to make your website mobile-friendly and fast loading, but you can integrate your website with many popular tools. For example, if you are looking for services like ecommerce web design in Dubai to start your online store business, this plugin would suit best, as it is fully integrated with WooCommerce, which is a perfect plugin for ecommerce in WordPress.

Google AMP or Responsive design?

Even though both options tend to provide a perfect website display on mobile phones for the sake of user experience, there are many differences between these two methods. For instance, Responsive design focuses more on  improving web page display on mobile screen while AMP tries to deliver the content to mobile phone faster. Besides, AMP works perfect for content based websites such as informative blogs and websites, news, etc. while Responsive Design works perfect for all types of websites.

However, considering the website development cost in Dubai, if you have a limited budget, Google AMP could be an option for you, depending on the nature of your website.

Final Words

There are many methods such as using meta description, improving UI/UX, increasing website speed and a lot more, to drive organic traffic to your website. If you are planning to make your website up and running, you must be very careful to consider all aspects of building a successful website.

Websima DMCC, as one of the leading digital service providers across UAE and the international market with more than 10 years of experience is always here to help. If you need any assistance, do not hesitate to contact us to book for a free consultation meeting with our talented team.