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Google has just launched its Accelerated Mobile Pages Project (AMP), whose purpose is to ensure that online content can load much quicker on mobile devices.
Nowadays, webpages still tend to load with difficulty on cellphones, because these gadgets tend to have intermittent Internet connections, and are inferior to laptops and computers when it comes to processor speed and available memory.
As a result, it is extremely challenging for web developers to create fast-loading sites for mobile users, but at the same time ensuring this feature is essential. When a webpage takes too long to load, it discourages visitors from accessing it again, which results in a loss in advertising revenue as well.
Therefore, several companies have attempted to tackle this problem in recent years. For example, Facebook is using Instant Articles, while Apple has launched Apple News Publisher. These publishing platforms are available just to registered users, and allow them to access web content much faster than normally.
There are also other ways of streamlining mobile experience online , such as through news viewing apps. These alternative ways of identifying and viewing online information are actually detrimental to Google, because the Mountain View, California-based company generates most of its income from its search business.
Therefore, adopting the AMP standard appears as an essential strategic move for maintaining Google’s supremacy in this increasingly competitive market.
In addition, the project benefits users as well, since they will now access content much faster, regardless of the web browser. This framework helps create fully optimized webpages, which can satisfy even the most impatient mobile users.
Therefore, this may boost online publishing by surpassing former limitations, and allowing much more content to be displayed in real-time. In addition, it may also help create greater user engagement and extra ad revenue, as readership increases.
Up until now, the project has already garnered support from publishers such as Time, New York Times, Gannett (USA Today), News Corp (Wallstreet Journal and The New York Post), McClatchy (The Sacramento Bee) and many others.
AMP will be open-source, allowing everyone to use it freely, at no cost whatsoever. It requires its own AMP HTML code and functions by lowering the priority of JavaScript ad content, so that the pages can load without interference.
Basically, in the initial stage, text is loaded, followed by images, keeping interactive and immersive content at a minimum. Web pages will therefore be much cleaner and simple, so that they can display information without interruptions.
This will also mark the end of obtrusive ads and scripts, which take up too much bandwidth. While content will begin to take precedence over advertising, AMP will not banish advertisers entirely. However, only simple, fast-loading ads will be supported, so that they don’t negatively affect user experience.
The only downside is that for now technology will only be applied to content pages, but if things progress smoothly, some elements will be incorporated into mobile games or web apps as well.
Image Source: Pixabay
