AMP SEO Impact in 2021 and Beyond

AMP, or accelerated mobile pages, was never a direct ranking factor for Google, but the search engine has been known to provide a distinct advantage to sites using this format. Now times are changing, and so is the future of AMP.

Let’s cover why AMP was so important in the past, how it affects SEO now and whether AMP is here to stay.

First, we’ll answer the two big questions that the SEO and development teams at Oneupweb often hear …

Is AMP Dead?

No, it’s not dead! But webmasters can now achieve the same mobile speed and organic ranking performance (including in Top Stories) with other methods in 2021 and beyond. It’s up to developers and SEOs to decide which way of optimizing their site is best for their business needs – and may the best win in the SERP!

How Important Is AMP for SEO Now?

Does AMP affect SEO still? Yes. But from 2021 forward, it doesn’t really matter of you use AMP or not – if you create great Page Experience and meet Google’s new ranking factors.

Also, if you use AMP and it’s working for you, there’s no need to change that. The AMP Project is improving features and capabilities all the time, so why not benefit from that?

So, about those new ranking factors …

A Bit of History

In recent years, Google has incentivized the use of AMP by favoring AMP pages in its Top Stories search results and other areas of the SERP – not necessarily because they’re AMP but because they’re lightning-fast. Loading speed improves user experience, and Google doesn’t like to rank slow pages in top search results. Though this may sound simple enough, AMP has caused confusion and controversy among site owners and publishers; it’s notorious for being difficult to implement and limiting JavaScript use.  

Fast forward to 2021: The Page Experience algorithm update rolls out in June/July 2021. It brings Core Web Vitals (aka site speed and stability) to the forefront as a ranking factor. New tools blossom in Google Search Console, Page SpeedInsights and elsewhere to help SEOs and developers make their websites fast and stable.

As it turns out, AMP is still a great way to optimize for Core Web Vitals. In fact, the keepers of the AMP Project are creating new features to meet Core Web Vitals requirements. Plus, AMP may negate the need to drastically change your codebase or increase your resources to optimize for mobile.

But…

There are many ways, besides AMP implementation, to achieve excellent Core Web Vitals performance and thrive after the Page Experience algorithm update. So for many organizations, AMP has become less of a priority than it was in the past. Some are doing away with it; some are keeping it because it serves them well.  

At Oneupweb, we still use AMP on our blog posts (like this one!) and are quite happy with our SEO performance. 

More FAQs About AMP in 2021 and Beyond

How does AMP speed up a website?

AMP is a web component framework aiming to generate lighter HTML pages, therefore decreasing the load time of a website on mobile devices. AMP also restricts the use of JavaScript, as some types of JS can slow down site speed.

Is AMP good for an ecommerce website?

AMP is not great for ecommerce websites, due to feature restrictions, lower ad revenue, and poor support for dynamic content.

Is AMP relevant after the Page Experience update?

AMP will still be relevant after Google’s Page Experience update because it’s still one avenue of providing a fast, mobile-friendly user experience. But like we said, AMP is not the only way to achieve that goal.

Should I add AMP to my website?

AMP may be a good option for your site if you want a simple roadmap to creating a quality mobile experience – especially if you don’t have strong in-house development resources. If you’re wondering, “Should we convert our website to AMP completely?”, know that you could just implement it on part of your site, such as your articles.

Should I stop using AMP?

If you currently have AMP, there is no reason for you to change it. Google will continue to support AMP pages for the foreseeable future.

Get Help with Site Optimization

Are you interested in optimizing your site for mobile speed, layout stability and responsiveness? Oneupweb would be happy to help you with that – whether it’s through consultation or hands-on development. Our developers and SEOs are always refining our services in response to major search engine algorithm updates and other digital happenings. Contact us here or call (231) 922-9977 to stay competitive in organic search results.