If there is one currency that matters these days, it’s speed. We complain at the slightest delay and are quick to abandon sites that take more than three seconds to load. Studies show that this is because everything is given in an instant these days, from food all the way down to information access. Delayed gratification is a thing of the past for a growing number of people, especially those who always have their noses stuck on their mobile devices and tablets. It’s no secret that these gadgets changed the way people access information. Nowadays, one can access almost anything on his/her phone and for this reason, publishers from different parts of the globe are working hard to make their websites mobile-friendly. Advertisers are faced with a bigger challenge because they struggle with catching the attention of the consumer whenever a website takes forever to load on the device. Fortunately, Google carried out Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) in October 2015 and it has been doing publishers a great favor ever since.

One of the goals of this open source initiative is to create improvements on the performance of websites on mobile phones and tablets. The intention is to speed up the loading process of websites especially those that are jam-packed with graphics, animation, videos, images, and smart ads. A lot of effort is needed to allow the same code to function across various devices and platforms so that the content can appear within three seconds without compromising the layout, regardless of the mobile device you’re using.

Introduction to Accelerated Mobile Pages

As we mentioned earlier, AMP is a framework that enables mobile web pages to load faster. This will also enable publishers to improve the user experience of their site visitors without compromising ad revenues. It is highly dependent on AMP HTML (also known as “diet HTML”) sourced from past and present web technologies that allow publishers and developers to use light-weight pages when building their websites because only certain components of the JavaScript are available. It’s more focused on designing reading content plus some ad units. Interactive parts of the page are put to a minimum and that’s what makes AMPs load faster.

Why Do We Need Accelerated Pages?

Quality content and impressive marketing are just some of the factors needed in order for a site to become successful. Under impressive marketing is Search Engine Optimization since that’s where most users begin their online activity. While the strategic use of keywords contribute to how a website is ranked, the loading time also plays a huge role. This is the main reason why Accelerated Mobile Pages are needed. This framework can improve a website’s SEO rankings. It is also something that companies can benefit from – sites that load faster give visitors more time to engage and view their ads.

Importance of AMP

Aside from speed and improved user experience, the innovation aspect of the AMP is also essential. When websites are eligible for AMP, the developers instantly become reliable sources and innovators. Google has been highlighting AMPs giving them a high ranking in the search results. Moreover, Google also places a green lightning bolt so that AMPs can be easily identified.

Fact: There are millions of sites out there fighting for the attention of site visitors. Interface and animation sealed the deal for some, but it slowed down the loading time which led them to lose site visitors. These days, the sure fire way to get a visitor’s attention is by giving them the content that they need at the shortest time possible. Whether it’s articles, images, or videos, a visitor is only willing to wait for a maximum of three seconds. If it takes longer than that for the site to load, the visitor will click X and move on to a different site. It is a bit bothersome, yes, but the thing is, AMPs do not have issues with speed since they were created to solve that problem. Websites need a few tweaks here and there so they can be viewed properly on the mobile device or tablet which can be easily done with the help of AMPs.