Those who attend marketing, SEO, and programming events cannot escape the talk about Google AMP these days. Google AMP, which stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages, is very new technology that was announced by Google last October. So what is it? Google AMP is an “open source initiative” that aims to solve the problem of slow loading webpages, especially on mobile devices. Through some specific programming tactics, user un-friendly websites are transformed into pages that load quicker than lightning and please the end user almost instantly. Rich graphics load promptly, scrolling is smooth, and responsive design is automatically addressed. With Google AMP, web design is simpler and yields multiple benefits for the end user, which in turn benefits the publisher or website owner.
To further expound the “problem”: when web pages load slowly on mobile devices, users leave the page before consuming the content. According to a Kissmetrics study, 40% of mobile web users will click away, or “bounce”, if loading time exceeds 3 seconds. This is bad for business and frustrating for the end user. When end users are able to begin viewing a webpage ASAP, they are much less likely to bounce away. The end user is then motivated to consume the content they sought and be exposed to the advertising that is generating ROI for the publisher or business owner.
How does the AMP programming work, in non-programmer language? Typically, images on a webpage take the longest to load. In standard HTML, all content is held up until all content, including the images, can load at once. This is cumbersome and slow. With AMP programming in place, items in the header and “above the fold” are expeditiously loaded first, enabling the end user to get started reading. The content towards the middle and end will then load in stages, long before the end user reaches that point in the article. AMP also eliminates the visible reformatting of content that sometimes occurs when a page is loading onto a small mobile screen. Overall, the experience for the end user is far superior.
Raleigh and the Triangle area of North Carolina is tech heavy. Website design is a competitive art form among the best and brightest. Many Raleigh programmers are embracing AMP standards for the benefit of their clients. Those standards include a more limited set of programming languages and tools, and the near-elimination of JavaScript. When a business website in Raleigh is redesigned using Google AMP, not only will content load faster but Google Search will greatly increase the site’s organic search ranking.
If you are a Raleigh business or publisher wondering how to make Google AMP work for you, give Mike Morris at Morris Marketing a call at 919-424-8314 .
