AMP News 2018 – Latest Accelerated Mobile Pages Updates & News
March 13, 2018
Prashant Shukla
Google introduced open-source Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) to render mobile pages faster. Earlier, the AMP format was only restricted to news, posts, how-to content, and recipe articles, but slowly and steadily Google has been expanding the reach of AMP. It has even integrated AMP into ad formats for lighter and faster versions of ads. Recently, the internet has been flooded with AMP news as it becomes Google’s latest tool for the mobile content market.
Here is information on Google AMP demo versions introduced for search stories and emails.
1. Google Brings “AMP Stories” in SERPs
AMP stories have been integrated in SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) for delivering news and information in an interesting format.
So, what is AMP Stories? According to Google, “AMP stories” are – “Visually rich ways of storytelling specifically designed for mobile”. Thus, content publishers are given a great opportunity via the mobile-friendly format for presenting the content with rich visuals.
The distinguishing features of AMP stories are:
- They are search-focused
- They involve visually-rich interactive content, intended to be ‘bite-sized’
- It is still a developer version only
- The content is pre-cached and pre-loaded
Not many businesses or brands have adopted technology and experimented with AMP. The bold ones are CNN, The Washington Post, Conde Nast, Vox Media, Mic, Mashable, etc.
AMP stories pose a challenge to “Snapchat Stories”?
In “AMP stories,” text will be combined with Images, Graphic & Videos which’ll challenge existing “Snapchat Stories” A.K.A “Snapchat Discover”.
Snapchat is the inventor of the concept of “stories”. Facebook and Instagram followed the lead and introduced their own versions. But, the popularity of Snapchat stories was never challenged – until now. Google has furthered the concept by allowing the content display with photos or video slideshows in mobile SERP.
Snapchat’s challenges
The new ally or enemy of Snapchat is no longer a social media platform, it is the search engine giant, Google.
Snapchat has earned huge revenue from ads running in stories, but given the reach of Google, their revenue can either dwindle or increase, exponentially.
The stories on Snapchat work on the premise – a short shelf-life of 24-hours. Thereafter, the story disappeared forever. As per information received, this will not hold true for AMP stories. So, the question is – Will Snapchat counter the challenge and extend the life of its stories or will it continue in the same vein?
Read also: Instagram vs Facebook vs Twitter vs Snapchat: A Detailed Comparison
AMP Stories Highlights
Interactive Content:
It is introduced to increase the speed of the search results on mobile.
- AMP results on SERP are moving away from news articles to a more interactive and easy-to-grab format through stories.
- Since, AMP stories are pre-cached or pre-loaded, the content starts loading automatically even before you click on it – rendering faster speeds.
- AMP stories is designed to display unique content. The search engine giant is more likely to showcase AMP stories with the aim to engage visitors.
Ads on AMP Stories: Rudy Galfi, Product Manager for AMP, Google, announced that AMP Stories is primarily not supported by advertising.
However,
- Google has plans for pay per click advertising within the content of AMP stories, which is like Snapchat stories.
- Research shows – 93% of Snapchatters either liked or loved the product or service being advertised on Snapchat stories.
- Publishers of AMP stories are expected to earn 100 percent revenue generation.
Rudy also said, “Advertising is very important. Really great reporting and journalism needs to be funded somehow.”
2. Google Introduces AMP for Email
The new AMP feature has been integrated with email specifications.
Google has introduced AMP framework for Gmail. Currently available only to developers, it is expected to be available for all users by the end of 2018. Thus, web developers have a preview on AMP for Email and are experimenting with it. A few companies such as Pinterest, Doodle, Booking.com, etc. have taken the bold decision to integrate Gmail with AMP which will affect Email Marketing.
Advantages of AMP for Email
- Embed widgets allows for constant update of content.
- This enables users to browse, click or action any event from their email without visiting another website.
- Increases engagement and interactivity from email.
Is Gmail AMP a challenge for other Emails?
Since users can browse other website content from their Gmail, other emails will have to follow suit.
One of the major challenges highlighted by James Boatwright is the use of Outlook, a Microsoft product by most professionals across the globe. It is a challenge all marketers have to overcome, but they are confident that Google will provide a solution and other email platforms will integrate AMP in the near future.
Features of AMP for Emails
Modernized Version of Emails: Several Gmail users are wary of the concept of integrating heavy files with images, videos, updated widgets on email may render emails slowly.
But, Gmail product manager Aakash Sahney argues, “Many people rely on email for information about flights, events, news, purchases and beyond—more than 270 billion emails are sent each day. With AMP for Email, it’s easy for information in email messages to be dynamic, up-to-date and actionable.”
So, Gmail AMP will be the modernized version of email and a reliable source of information.
Take Direct Actions from Emails: Users will get all the information within their email, negating the need to visit another website. Some of the content to be viewed and actioned will be:
- Latest updates about flights
- Meeting timings updates
- Fill survey forms within the email
- View, like, share or save any picture or post
Conclusion
Google is in a flow of introducing new Accelerated Mobile Pages features and others are definitely going to take on the challenge. So, we are expecting a slew of AMP updates.
For all latest updates on AMP, bookmark this AMP News.
Some Handpicked Articles on AMP News:
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) vs Progressive Web App (PWA)
Google to add AMP pages in Mobile SERPs
Google Adds AMP filters to Search Console