What is AMP and How to Optimize Web Page Performance with AMP

786Words
4Minutes
17 Aug, 2024
- SEO

With the widespread use of mobile devices, page load speed has become crucial for user experience and SEO optimization. AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is an open-source technology led by Google, designed to optimize web page performance through a specific framework and limitations, reducing load time. This article will first introduce the concept and advantages of AMP, then demonstrate through practical code how to transform a standard web page into an AMP page, and finally discuss potential issues during AMP page deployment.

What is AMP?

AMP is a lightweight framework designed to improve page load speed on mobile devices. By enforcing strict rules on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, it reduces rendering time and enhances user experience. The core features of AMP include:

High Performance: By limiting page content and reducing unnecessary resource loads, AMP achieves faster page display.
Mobile-First: AMP is designed specifically for mobile devices but also works on desktop devices.
SEO Advantage: AMP pages have the potential to be prioritized in Google search results, increasing visibility.

Benefits of AMP

Fast Load Speed: AMP significantly reduces page load times by restricting external JavaScript, forcing CSS to be inline, and other techniques.
Improved User Experience: Faster page loading means users can access content more quickly, reducing bounce rates.
SEO-Friendly: AMP pages enjoy a higher priority in search engine result pages (SERP), especially in mobile searches.

AMP Page Transformation Example

To better understand the practical application of AMP, we’ll showcase how to transform a regular HTML page into an AMP page through code.

Original HTML Page

Here’s an example of a standard HTML page:

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<!doctype html>
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<html lang="en">
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  <head>
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    <meta charset="UTF-8" />
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    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
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    <title>My Regular Web Page</title>
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    <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css" />
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  </head>
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  <body>
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    <h1>Welcome to My Website</h1>
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    <img src="example.jpg" alt="Example Image" />
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    <script src="script.js"></script>
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  </body>
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</html>

AMP-Transformed Page

AMP pages differ from regular HTML pages by following strict AMP rules, such as introducing the AMP core script, replacing standard HTML tags with AMP components, and forcing CSS to be inline. Below is the AMP-transformed page:

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<!doctype html>
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<html ⚡>
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  <head>
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    <meta charset="utf-8" />
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    <link rel="canonical" href="self.html" />
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    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,minimum-scale=1" />
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    <style amp-boilerplate>
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      body {
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        -webkit-animation: -amp-start 8s steps(1, end) 0s 1 normal both;
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        -moz-animation: -amp-start 8s steps(1, end) 0s 1 normal both;
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        -ms-animation: -amp-start 8s steps(1, end) 0s 1 normal both;
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        animation: -amp-start 8s steps(1, end) 0s 1 normal both;
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      }
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      @-webkit-keyframes -amp-start {
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        from {
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          visibility: hidden;
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        }
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        to {
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          visibility: visible;
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        }
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      }
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      @-moz-keyframes -amp-start {
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        from {
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          visibility: hidden;
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        }
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        to {
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          visibility: visible;
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        }
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      }
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      @-ms-keyframes -amp-start {
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        from {
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          visibility: hidden;
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        }
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        to {
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          visibility: visible;
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        }
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      }
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      @-o-keyframes -amp-start {
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        from {
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          visibility: hidden;
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        }
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        to {
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          visibility: visible;
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        }
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      }
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      @keyframes -amp-start {
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        from {
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          visibility: hidden;
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        }
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        to {
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          visibility: visible;
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        }
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      }
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    </style>
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    <noscript
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      ><style amp-boilerplate>
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        body {
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          -webkit-animation: none;
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          -moz-animation: none;
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          -ms-animation: none;
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          animation: none;
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        }
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      </style></noscript
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    >
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    <script async src="https://cdn.ampproject.org/v0.js"></script>
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  </head>
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  <body>
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    <h1>Welcome to My Website</h1>
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    <amp-img
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      src="example.jpg"
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      width="800"
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      height="600"
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      layout="responsive"
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      alt="Example Image"
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    ></amp-img>
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  </body>
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</html>

Key Transformation Steps

DOCTYPE Declaration: Use <html ⚡> to indicate this is an AMP page.
AMP Script: Add the AMP core script in the <head> with <script async src="https://cdn.ampproject.org/v0.js"></script>.
Image Tag Replacement: Replace the standard <img> tag with the <amp-img> tag, specifying width, height, and layout attributes according to AMP rules.
Inline CSS: AMP pages must have inline CSS, and the total size must be under 50KB.

Deploying and Validating AMP Pages

Before deploying AMP pages online, we need to validate and test them to ensure they meet AMP standards.

Validating AMP Pages

Using the AMP Validator tool, you can quickly verify if your AMP page complies with the guidelines. Paste the page URL or HTML into the validator to check for any non-compliant code.

Important Considerations for AMP Page Deployment

SEO and AMP: AMP pages must include a <link rel="canonical" href="URL"> tag pointing to the original non-AMP version of the page, which is critical for SEO optimization.
AMP Cache: AMP pages can be cached by Google’s AMP Cache service, further enhancing page load speed. When configuring AMP Cache, you can refer to the official documentation.

Common Deployment Issues and Solutions

CSS Exceeding the Limit: Since AMP restricts CSS to 50KB, developers may need to trim their CSS or split the page into multiple sub-pages.
No Custom JavaScript: AMP does not allow direct use of JavaScript scripts. All interactive features must be implemented using AMP’s built-in components, such as <amp-bind> for dynamic content binding.
Page Update Delays: When using AMP Cache, updates to the page may not reflect immediately. You can send an AMP Cache update request to force cache refresh.

Conclusion

As a tool for optimizing web page performance, AMP can significantly enhance user experience on mobile devices. By enforcing strict page guidelines and optimizations, AMP not only speeds up page load times but also improves SEO performance. This article explores AMP’s