SEO and AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages): How to Use this Technology to Improve Loading Speed

Introduction

In the digital age, where everything is at your fingertips, a high-performance website has become essential for all businesses. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) are two key technologies that can dramatically improve the performance of your website.

The term SEO is widely recognised in the field of online marketing. It is the practice of optimising different aspects of your website so that it is easier for search engines to find. This can increase your website's visibility and attract more traffic.

On the other hand, AMP is a relatively new technology designed to improve the loading speed of web pages, particularly on mobile devices. This technology promotes a smoother, faster user experience, which can encourage visitors to stay longer on your site and interact more with your content.

What is MPA and why is it important?

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is an open source project launched by Google to improve the speed and performance of web pages on mobile devices. Using a simplified version of HTML, AMP eliminates non-essential elements that slow down page loading, enabling pages to load almost instantaneously.

Although AMP is often associated with optimisation for mobile devices, it can also improve the performance of your pages on desktop computers. In fact, a page that loads quickly is a key element in a good user experience, whatever the platform used.

How to use AMP to improve loading speed

To implement AMP on your site, you will need to create an AMP version of each of your pages. This involves using simplified HTML code and eliminating certain elements such as forms or custom JavaScript scripts, which can slow down the loading of your pages.

We also recommend that you use Google's AMP validation tool to check that your AMP pages are correctly formatted and that they comply with the AMP project guidelines. In addition, don't forget to add a link to the AMP version of each page in the code of the original page, so that Google can detect and index your AMP content correctly.

Finally, it's important to note that AMP is just one of the many tools you can use to improve the loading speed of your site. Other strategies, such as optimising images, reducing CSS and JavaScript code, and using a content delivery network (CDN), can also help speed up your site.

html

Mobile-first context: why speed has become crucial

Over the last decade, mobile browsing has overtaken desktop browsing in the majority of countries,
requiring a complete overhaul of SEO strategies. In 2018, Google made "mobile-first indexing" official, i.e.
priority consideration of the mobile version of a site for ranking purposes. This changeover has madet of the speed of
loading is a decisive criterion, not only for referencing, but also for the user experience, the quality of the content and the user experience.
conversion and loyalty. Deloitte studies have shown that a saving of just one second in loading time
mobile can increase the conversion rate by 8 % in retail and 10 % in travel. In this context, AMP has
rapidly emerged as a response technology, incorporating a set of rules that constrain the code to guarantee
almost instant display.

The technical fundamentals of AMP: lightweight HTML, asynchronous JavaScript and integrated CDN

The AMP project is based on three pillars capable of drastically reducing latency. Firstly, a subset of HTML
called HTML AMP, eliminating or replacing elements that could block rendering (for example, img is replaced by
by amp-img). Second pillar: a proprietary JavaScript library, advertised as non-blocking, which manages
asynchronous loading of resources and neutralises document.write() and other calls likely to freeze the
main thread. Finally, Google is exploiting the AMP cache concept, a global CDN serving pages validated from
sub-domains https://cdn.ampproject.orgThis reduces the physical and logical distance between the server and the user.

Restricted HTML and strict validations

AMP validation is not just a recommendation: it's a requirement. Any prohibited tag - for example
<input type="file"> or <frame> - will return an "AMP validation failed" error and exclude the page from the
dedicated carousels in the SERP. By drastically limiting the variety of tags, AMP ensures block-free rendering,
but often requires rethinking functionality (menus, sliders, multi-step forms) in the form of components.
Authorised MPAs (amp-carousel, amp-formetc.). So the developer is not only constrained, he is also
supported by an ecosystem of predefined web components optimized foron performance.

The role of the AMP cache in perceived latency

When a visitor clicks on an AMP result in Google, they are served directly from Google's cache, so
removes the TCP route search to the origin server, reduces the time to first byte and eliminates the initial
DNS lookup. On the scale of a media site with a global audience, the AMP CDN can represent several hundred
milliseconds saved, particularly on 3G networks still used in vast geographical areas. The logs
from El País have shown that in Latin America the median time to display has been divided by three after deployment.
of AMP, from 2.9 s to 1.0 s.

Measurable impact of AMP on Core Web Vitals

Since 2021, Google has officially incorporated Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS) into its algorithm. AMP was designed
precisely to respond to these indicators before they even exist: the script amp-boilerplate forces content to
not shift, improving the Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), while asynchronous JavaScript minimises the First
Input Delay (FID). As for the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), the ban on blocking scripts and the use of the reduced CDN
its threshold typically under 2.5 s. The British publisher The Guardian reports an average CLS of 0.02 on AMP pages
compared to 0.09 on traditional mobile pages, a difference sufficient to move from a "Needs Improvement" rating to a "Better" rating.
"Good according to Search Console.

Influence of AMP on crawl budget and indexing

Every high-traffic SEO team knows the crawl budget constraint. Each additional URL is one less candidate
for the passage of the robot, especially on large e-commerce sites. AMP affects this budget in two ways. Firstly,
the potential duplication between non-AMP and AMP versions increases the total volume, but thanks to the use of
rel="canonical" and rel="amphtml"Googlebot can largely ignore redundancies. Secondly, AMP
respond faster, and Google has confirmed that server response time is a parameter used to regulate the crawl rate.
A server capable of rendering pages in 100 ms will encourage Googlebot to consume more URLs, improving the coverage of
global indexing.

SEO best practices specific to AMP pages

Canonical tag: avoid cannibalisation and dilution of PageRank

Each AMP page must include a <link rel="canonical"> pointing to the non-AMP version (or to itself if
no other version exists). In addition, the non-AMP page adds <link rel="amphtml"> to the AMP version. This cross-linking
guarantees Google that it is dealing with a single resource, consolidating popularity signals and preventing
cannibalisation. In 2016, several e-tailers lost positions after omitting the canonical, causing a
internal competition between the two versions and halving their netlinking.

Structured data: boosting SERP visibility

AMP does not negate the importance of tagging structured data. On the contrary, some "Top stories" carousels require the
presence of Article, NewsArticle or VideoObject. Recipe editor Marmiton has seen the share of "rich results
increase by +18 % in Search Console after combining AMP and Recipe JSON-LD, creating a synergy between speed
and visual appeal in the SERP. For a technical blog, insertingFAQPage or HowTo can also
unlock extended snippets, occupying more organic space.

Case studies: media, e-commerce and blogs

The Washington Post: 23 % increase in repeat visits

One of AMP's first partners, the Washington Postmigrated more than a thousand articles in 2016. The newspaper
observed an 88 % reduction in median loading time and, above all, a snowball effect: after six months,
23 % of readers consulted at least three articles per session, compared with 14 % before AMP. Velocity therefore acts as
content consumption facilitator - a key parameter for media dependent on programmatic advertising.

AliExpress and e-commerce issues

Although known for its PWA, AliExpress has been testing AMP on its product listing pages for certain emerging markets where the
connectivity is limited. The product detail pages in AMP displayed a click-through rate 10.5 % higher on the SERP
mobile, but the complexity of the checkout (incompatible with amp-form at the time) led the team to a hybrid model:
AMP for discovery, then redirect to the PWA for conversion. This experience is a reminder that AMP is sometimes a
It is the first link in a wider tunnel and should be designed as such.

Independent blogging: the Backlinko case

Brian Dean from Backlinko converted his blog to AMP in 2020. Result: +13 % of organic traffic in 90 days, mainly from
thanks to better ranking on "how to" queries. The streamlined structure has reduced the number of dom size of 65 %, resulting in a
Largest Contentful Paint of 1.1 s. However, Dean stresses the need for a careful AMP design; a version that is too
minimalism can reduce the time spent on the page, a quality signal indirectly correlated with SEO.

Content strategy, monetisation and the limitations of AMP

The implementation of AMP raises questions about advertising and analytics. Many adserving networks have had to create
specific formats (amp-ad). While Google Ad Manager quickly became compatible, others, such as Amazon Transparent Ad
Marketplace, have fallen behind schedule, leading to a temporary drop in eCPM. To make up for this shortfall, some
publishers have adopted "native" direct sales encapsulated in amp-iframe. On the analytics side, AMP requires double tagging:
analytics.js on the classic version and amp-analytics via a configuration JSON. Session differences (often
3-5 % loss) must be anticipated in the performance reports.

AMP vs PWA, SSR and CSR: choose or combine?

The question is not always MPA or PWA (Progressive Web App); this can be a coupling. Twitter Lite includes
AMP for external linking, while the PWA takes over once the user has authenticated. Similarly, frameworks
(Next.js, Nuxt, Astro) offer AMP-first or AMP-hybrid modes, combining server-side rendering (SSR) to
bots and client-side hydration for advanced interactivity. Some companies, such as Booking.com, have
preferred to optimise their SSR pipeline rather than maintain two sources of truth (AMP/non-AMP). They rely on
the same performance principles as AMP (lazy-loading, pre-connection, bundle slicing) without the rigidity of the format.

Gradual implementation: from audit to deployment

An AMP migration begins with a Lighthouse audit and a full crawl (Screaming Frog, Sitebulb) to identify any
priority templates: item, product and category pages. Then comes the creation of the AMP prototype, validated by
https://validator.ampproject.org. The most common strategy alternates deployment side-by-sideleaving the choice
to the user (switch, header link) and observing performance on an A/B sample. The French agency Wexperience
adopted this approach for La Redoute, testing 10 % of traffic before generalising. KPIs monitored include LCP, rate of
bounce, revenue per session and robot exploration ratio.

SEO-friendly AMP deployment checklist

- Generate a separate URL (suffix /amp/ or parameter ?amp)
- Add the <html ⚡> to indicate AMP mode
- Implement <link rel="canonical"> and <link rel="amphtml">
- Load amp-boilerplate.css and the script https://cdn.ampproject.org/v0.js
- Check validation via the JavaScript console : AMP.printState()
- Update the sitemap.xml if the AMP version is auto-canonical
- Submit AMP URLs in Search Console ("Improvements" report)
- Monitor specific structured errors (JSON-LD non-compliance, images, etc.). 1200×800 px)
- Configure amp-analytics and link View IDs to Google Analytics 4
- Test the impact on Ads via separate reports (eCPM, viewability, CLS)

Measure and iterate: diagnostic tools and KPIs

Deployment is only the first stage; the ongoing optimisation phase is crucial.
Tools : PageSpeed Insights provides CrUX field data, WebPageTest allows you to film loading
frame by frame, Lighthouse CI facilitates CI/CD monitoring.
KPIs: beyond the LCP <2,5 s, on fixera un First Contentful Paint <1,8 s, un Total Blocking Time <200 ms, un CLS <0,1. En SEO, on suivra la couverture d’indexation AMP, le trafic organique mobile pur, le CTR sur carrousel Top Stories, et bien sûr, les micro-conversions (inscriptions, ajout au panier). Pour un média, la combinaison « Pages par session + « Ad viewability est pertinente : si AMP fait fuir l’internaute après la lecture unique, l’objectif n’est pas atteint.

Advanced optimisation: preloading, preconnection and next-gen images

AMP allows the preload via amp-script to anticipate critical resources.
Pre-connection (<link rel="preconnect">) to a third-party API, such as Stripe or Algolia,
reduces handshake time, but beware of quotas; too many pre-connections overload the DNS cache.
Image, <amp-img> supports the WebP and since 2022, AVIFprovided it offers fallback jpg.
Tests on a hotel site showed a 35 % gain in total page weight after jpeg→WebP migration.
Finally, the use of amp-install-serviceworker can turn an AMP page into an entry point for a PWA,
combining AMP speed and offline PWA.

AMP and voice search: an underestimated asset

Voice assistants (Google Assistant, Alexa) use fast, structured content.
Google Assistant often retrieves the AMP version of an article for the "Read It .
Inserting tags around key paragraphs and enrich the AMP with Speakable
improves the chances of being chosen as a response. Libération.fr observed a 40 % increase in voice quotes
after implementation of Speakable on its AMP pages.

The future of AMP after the Update Page Experience

In 2021, Google removed the AMP requirement for access to the "Top stories..." carousel.
But AMP has not disappeared. Its source code is now managed by the OpenJS Foundation, making it more openly governed.
The roadmap includes the more permissive amp-script component, the integration of ES modules and the abandonment of the
progressive attribute ⚡ in favour of a loading="eager" native.
For SEOs, this means a convergence between AMP best practice and modern web standards.
Sites that have mastered the AMP ecosystem will have a natural advantage when migrating to Chrome Fast Pages
or any future performance requirements from Google. On the other hand, those who relied exclusively on the AMP
will have to invest in more long-term server and front-end optimisation.

Operational conclusion: decide, test, optimise

Adopting AMP to improve speed is not just a matter of a magic plug-in nor an obligation dictated by Google.
It's a cross-disciplinary project where UX, SEO, monetisation and technical strategy all have to converge.
The company needs to ask itself three questions: (1) Do my current pages already comply with the Core Web Vitals?
(2) Do I have the resources to maintain two versions or should I aim for a single optimised code base?
(3) What are the tangible benefits (traffic, revenue, brand) that justify the complexity?
By answering honestly, we define an action plan: pilot, monitoring and continuous iteration.
Whether it's a media outlet looking for retention, an e-tailer aiming for conversion or a blogger
wishing to increase its reach, AMP can be an accelerator - provided that it is part of an approach
performance and user experience.

You may also be interested in these articles:

How to Use Google Analytics to Improve Your Search Engine Optimisation Strategy SEO and Mobile-First Design: How to adapt your website to mobile users How to use Google Search Console to analyse your website's performance SEA contract - Google Ads Adwords SEO et Actualités : Comment Optimiser Votre Site pour les Recherches d’Actualités