AMP: Is It A Google Ranking Factor?
Although AMP can improve other ranking variables like speed, is it a factor in and of itself? An agenda for HTML called AMP. It enables desktop-optimized websites to generate lightning-fast mobile versions of their web pages.
AMP was developed by Google, which has led to assertions that it offers pages a ranking edge over non-AMP pages in mobile searches. When you consider it, AMP checks out many boxes that indicate they may be used as ranking factors:
- Created by Google
- Improves the mobile-friendliness of websites
- Enhances page speed
Although Google aggressively promotes its use, it has refuted accusations that AMP affects rankings. It’s simple to claim that AMP doesn’t provide a site with a ranking boost and stop there. Here are the findings from the evidence about AMP’s influence on search results and its relationship to other ranking variables.
The Arguments against AMP as A Ranking Element
This one is rather simple because Google has said that AMP does not affect rankings. Google claims that all pages are ranked using the same signals in its Advanced SEO guide:
Although speed is a ranking criterion for Google Search, AMP itself is not. No of the technology used to create the website, Google Search holds all pages to the same standard. This comment refers to what we said before about how AMP affects other things, such as page speed, which is a known ranking component.
These extra indications may be useful for AMP-using websites. Page speed has been a ranking factor for mobile searches since July 2018. AMP helps websites convey higher ranking signals about mobile page performance since it rapidly loads pages. Better ranks may result from faster processing. Sites can still provide the same signals without AMP, though.
Core Web Vitals
With the release of the Page Experience upgrade in June 2021, Google’s Core Web Vitals were transformed into ranking criteria.
Google’s message to website owners before the update’s release has always been that AMP may aid in obtaining the best Core Web Vitals ratings.
It is revealed by Google that AMP domains had a five-fold higher pass rate for Core Web Vitals than non-AMP domains. The search rankings of a website can be enhanced by Google’s Core Web Vitals standards.
Reduction in AMP
In the past, AMP had several benefits that might improve how a page appears in search results. When browsing for news items, for instance, Google’s Top Stories carousel, which shows at the top of search results, used to only allow AMP pages.
For a long, Top Stories qualifying was a ranking benefit exclusive to AMP.
With the release of the Page Experience upgrade in June 2021, this situation changed because non-AMP pages can now display in the Top Stories carousel.
Our Verdict: AMP Is Not a Ranking Factor
Google has often said that AMP is not influenced search engine rankings. Additionally, it no longer offers distinguishing advantages that can affect click-through rates, such as a distinctive symbol and exclusivity for Top Stories. AMP is not a ranking element in and of itself, but it can have a favorable influence on other ranking variables (like speed). If you want to get information about Title Tags Are Replaced with Site Names by Google for Homepage Results visit our latest blog.
