How to Add AMP to WordPress Websites?

AMP is short form for Accelerated Mobile Pages. As the name suggests, AMP can be used to deliver faster performance of web pages on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. So, the big question is: how to add AMP to WordPress blog or site?

Well, in this post, we will learn the answer to the question. But first, let us familiarize ourselves with the basics of AMP.

How to Add AMP to WordPress Websites?

What is AMP?

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) began way back in 2015 when Google first talked about it. Essentially, the goal is to deliver faster performance and speed results for users of mobile search.

As such, when a user searches for a given key phrase and your website appears in the search results, he or she is taken to the normal site on desktop. However, if the user is on a mobile device, say a tablet, he or she is taken to the AMP version of your site.

What are the benefits of this? Well, firstly, AMP loads much faster because it strips down unnecessary elements of your site. As a result, the users are given your content straightaway. Secondly, faster performance means more traffic for your site as the bounce rate comes down. Users are less likely to leave your site if the pages are loading fast and they do not have to wait.

This is especially important because many users might be on mobile devices will lesser RAM and specifications. A big and heavy web page might slow down the mobile browser in this case. Naturally, AMP can be helpful in such cases.

Now that you have seen how AMP can help your site, you might be wondering how to add AMP to WordPress sites? The answer is simple!

How to Add AMP to WordPress?

First, you will need to install and activate the AMP plugin for WordPress. There are numerous such plugins that can do the job for you. However, we will be focusing on the AMP plugin by Automattic. It is a simple solution that works right out of the box. You do not have to worry about any configuration or setup procedures.

Furthermore, AMP plugin by Automattic is the most popular one in its niche with over 200,000 active installs!

Once you have installed the plugin, you just need to activate it on your site. And that is all! Your website is ready for AMP. It might take a while before Google fetches your site as AMP, but your task is done.

How Does the Plugin Work?

The mode of operation of the AMP for WordPress plugin is simple. For each page on your site, it appends /amp to make it work for Accelerated Mobile Pages. For instance, an example.com/my-post URL becomes example.com/my-post/amp for AMP.

There are certain key concepts that you should note. To begin with, there are no settings to be configured and the plugin does not automatically “present” AMP to your users. Instead, users coming via AMP clients automatically get to see AMP pages.

Here is an example to help you understand: if a user comes to your site using a laptop or a desktop, be it via Google search or directly typing the URL, they will be shown your usual site without AMP. similarly, if a user types your site’s URL in their mobile browser, they will be shown the usual site again, with no AMP.

But if a user searches for something using Google search on their mobile device and then arrives at your site, they will be shown the AMP version of your site.

Clearly, the goal is to provide better user experience and load search results faster.

Conclusion

In this post, you have learned how to add AMP to WordPress websites.

Adding AMP to your site is very simple and should almost always be done. While there are no direct penalties for non-AMP sites, you should note that Google often highlights its search results as “AMP” on mobile search. Naturally, since Google is the biggest search engine, you cannot afford to have your website appear any less than those of your competitors.

Also, bear in mind that AMP is just one part of the picture. You also need a responsive WordPress theme to be truly mobile-friendly.

Have you added AMP support to your site already? Share your thoughts in the comments below!