Everyone with a smartphone knows the feeling. You click on a news story or other piece of content and it takes forever to load. After around 5 seconds most people have simply given up and clicked back. This is what Google Accelerated Mobile Pages, or AMP, is working to help solve.
AMP works to make mobile content load faster and smoother while prioritising load times for the content that matters to users. The idea is to solve the problem of users bouncing off of a site simply because content is slow or ads get in the way. This is incredibly important for a number of reasons.
First, 40% of mobile traffic drops off after only 3 seconds waiting for a page to load. Second, when ads load first they get in the way of content and encourage users to install ad blockers. This means publishers see less mobile traffic and many of the readers they do get do not generate any ad revenue. Even when users wait for content to download and wade through the annoying ads there is still a problem.
Mobile consumers start to read content but it jumps around as ads and images start to load. This is bad for content creators, advertisers and users. There is nothing worse than reading the first sentence of an interesting article only to have it suddenly be pushed down as your screen is filled by ads.
To fix these issues, AMP simplifies and prioritises how mobile data loads. AMP requires width, height and other information up front to stop content from jumping around once it has loaded. Ads and other 3rd party content are given a lower priority to keep them from slowing down the users. Finally, elements below the fold are loaded after above the fold content. All of this means users see the content they want quicker and publishers lower their bounce rates.
It also means users are likely to visit a publisher’s site more often and visit more pages so publishers can show more ads and generate more revenue. This is a win win win for everyone involved.
Publishers get more people on their website, advertisers get more eyes on their ads and users get the content they want quickly. The improved load times and user numbers also mean publishers can expect a jump in their Google rankings.
Finally, AMP may help prevent publishers from moving their content into walled gardens or using apps, both of which lower the reach of content.
If you are interested in improving your mobile browsing experience or need other SEO help, Contact MRS Today.
