The number of mobile users is skyrocketing every year, and websites that are not optimised to provide a mobile-friendly experience are missing out on potential conversions. Now, many search engine optimisation services in Bahrain include mobile optimisation. When mobile optimisation was not yet common, AMP was introduced so webpages can offer fast, smooth-loading versions. However, AMP has its advantages and disadvantages, so let’s take a look at why some websites still use AMP and how it impacts search engine optimisation.
What Is Google AMP?
Accelerated Mobile Pages, or AMP, are a lighter version of pages designed for a faster, more engaging user experience on mobile devices. It is a Google product that essentially strips down pages to their bare minimum HTML and CSS to deliver quicker load times and “prioritise user experience above all else”. When this alternative is available, users are presented with this version over the canonical one.
Reliable SEO services in Bahrain include mobile-friendliness, but it was more common to serve this version to users when websites were not optimised for mobile devices. It resulted in a poor user experience since the pages needed more time to load and had a lot of errors that caused frustrated users to leave and move to another website. While the HTML framework was declared “open-source”, Google is the key code contributor and promoter.
Advantages Of AMP
- Faster load time: Speed is a significant ranking factor, particularly since the new Core Web Vitals update, AMP allows pages to load in less than a second. When pages load faster, your rankings may also see significant improvements. If your website takes too long to load, you can hire an SEO company in Bahrain to optimise your site.
- Better user experience: Faster loading pages means users don’t have to wait to view them. But other than that, AMP is designed to provide a better experience to mobile users, so they don’t have to pinch to expand and scroll endlessly to view the content.
- Lower bounce rates: Visitors are more likely to stay on pages that are optimised for mobile devices and load faster. AMPs can potentially double the time users spend on a page. Lower bounce rates lead to more conversions since they are less likely to leave and opt for a competitor’s website.
Disadvantages Of AMP
- Requires more efforts: To create a faster loading AMP version, website developers will have to spend time and effort to build an AMP template. It has a restrictive design framework since it prioritises speed, and additional performance optimisations are required. You can collaborate with an agency specialising in mobile optimisation that offers SEO packages in Bahrain.
- Lower engagement: For many publishers and website owners, AMP drives impressions but not engagement metrics. There have been complaints about getting less engagement on the content compared to HTML pages.
Despite its obvious advantage of better user experience and lower bounce rates through faster load times, AMP might not be for everyone. If your users are primarily from the desktop, then there is not much of a point in spending the time and effort to create an AMP version. It does work on desktops, but some features were designed only for mobile users. But if the majority of your visitors use mobile devices and you want to leverage AMP, get in touch with us at Adaan GCC, an SEO agency in Bahrain.
