Research has shown that most people leave a site after 3 seconds if it takes a lot of time to load. So, as a way to make the web better for all, Google partnered with like-minded players in the industry to create the Google AMP project.

What is Google AMP?

The Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project is an open source initiative to improve the performance of the mobile web, with a strong focus on speed and loading times.

The initial technical version of the project was released in October 2015 on GitHub, a widely used platform for open source content. Keeping with the open source value, the project is open to everyone who is part of the web ecosystem – publishers, creators, developers, users, etc. Some of the companies who have started using AMP pages are Twitter, Google, and most recently, WordPress.com.

Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, announced a week ago that by default, all WordPress blogs will be AMP enabled. This means that these sites will be better optimized for mobile devices. Also, no extra effort will be required from the owners of these sites. The company will handle the transition. Awesome, right?

Additionally, Automattic has made a plugin available for self-hosted users that automatically adds AMP functionality to their WordPress posts. We explain in this post how to set it up on your WordPress site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you know some more about the Google AMP project, here are answers to a few commonly asked questions.

What kind of content will work best with Google AMP?

The plan is for all kinds of content to perform optimally on AMP pages, from blogs to photographs to videos to news articles.

How will advertising work with AMP?

Another goal of the Google AMP project is to have effective revenue generating ads that are properly optimized for mobile devices while also maintaining a user-centric approach. In order to make that a reality, support will be provided for various ad formats, networks, and technologies.

Why does the project have an open source approach?

The Google AMP project is about making the mobile web work better for everyone, no matter the technology or platform used. Therefore, making it an open source project enables community collaboration, where people can be part of improving the mobile web.

What are the benefits of having Google AMP pages?

Did you know that having a slow page can increase your bounce rate by up to 58%?

Having your blog or site Google AMP friendly will mean that more people are compelled to consume and engage with your content because of the significantly increased loading speed. This results in a higher chance of purchase and awareness of your brand or business. Additionally, the open-source nature of the project creates an avenue for publishers and creators to have their content reach a much wider audience.

As a publisher, will having my content Google AMP friendly mean more work for me?

Not particularly. The AMP HTML uses already existing technologies, so for publishers/developers who are already used to that technology, the learning curve will not be steep. There is also additional information about the AMP HTML on GitHub, for anyone who wants to be familiarized with it.

Final thoughts

We at Frontity are excited about this Accelerated Mobile Pages project and look forward to the various ways it will revolutionize the mobile web. Staying true to our goal of shaking up the mobile web and helping users have positive experiences, we will keep you updated on further developments with this project.

Visit the official AMP project page to find out more about this initiative and to get answers to any other questions you may have.