Google's open-source framework for creating fast-loading mobile pages, now less critical since Core Web Vitals replaced it as a ranking signal.
AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is Google's open-source HTML framework designed to create lightning-fast mobile web pages through restricted HTML, streamlined CSS, and cached content delivery. Originally launched in 2015 as Google's answer to Facebook Instant Articles, AMP strips away resource-heavy elements like custom JavaScript and complex animations to prioritize speed above all else.
The framework gained massive adoption when Google prominently featured AMP pages in mobile search results with a distinctive lightning bolt icon and hosted them on Google's own CDN. Publishers flocked to implement AMP to gain visibility in Google's Top Stories carousel and benefit from the perceived ranking boost.
Why It Matters for AI SEO
AMP's relevance has dramatically shifted in the AI SEO space. When Google introduced Core Web Vitals as official ranking factors in 2021, the speed advantages that made AMP essential became achievable through other optimization methods. Modern AI-powered optimization tools can now automatically optimize page speed without the restrictions AMP imposes on design and functionality. The rise of AI-generated content has also changed the equation. Today's content strategies often require dynamic elements, personalization, and interactive features that AMP's limited framework cannot support. AI tools for A/B testing, personalized content delivery, and advanced analytics all conflict with AMP's restrictive environment.
How It Works
AMP operates on three core components: AMP HTML (a subset of HTML with custom tags), AMP JS (a JavaScript library that manages resource loading), and AMP Cache (Google's content delivery network that pre-renders and serves AMP pages). When implemented, AMP pages load from Google's servers rather than your own, ensuring consistent sub-second load times.
To implement AMP, you create separate versions of your pages using AMP-specific tags like
Common Mistakes
The biggest misconception is that AMP remains essential for mobile SEO success. Many site owners continue maintaining dual AMP/non-AMP versions unnecessarily, creating content maintenance overhead without meaningful ranking benefits. Publishers often discover that well-optimized standard pages now outperform their AMP counterparts in search visibility and user engagement, since AMP's traffic attribution and analytics limitations hinder comprehensive performance measurement.