Will accelerated mobile pages impact the user experience?
Create the best web experiences and interactions for users with accelerated mobile pages.
Most webpages and web applications are designed and built so that users can have the best experience while on a page trying to make a purchase or learn more about a business. Accelerated mobile pages, or AMP, are helping some businesses take their customer’s online experiences to the next level.
What is AMP?
Introduced in 2015, AMP is short for accelerated mobile pages, which is at its most basic level is a way to build and code websites so they’ll load faster on mobile devices and on mobile networks. How does it work exactly? Here are a few current AMP guidelines:
- Avoid JavaScsript in coding – most AMP-enabled sites use custom AMP elements in their coding.
- Google AMP cache – AMP relies on a cache system held by Google that helps pages load faster.
- Built primarily on HTML and CSS – this simpler coding ensures the fastest rendering of images and content on a page for an accelerated download.
What is UX?
UX is short for user experience and refers to the experience that people have when visiting your website. Is it easy to read? Does it load quickly? Does it have information in the ideal places for making a sale or earning a customer transaction? UX is about anticipating users’ needs and then building the best site to meet those needs. That’s why the best UX will vary for different brands and organizations – because everyone’s customer set is different, with varying expectations.
UX should be built into design using what you know about customer personas, user survey information, and current trends – like AMP.
What’s the impact of accelerated mobile pages on UX?
There are several benefits to pages designed as AMP compliant.
- Nearly instantaneous loading of web pages and applications that customers aren’t annoyed by waiting for their content to load. One of the main causes of unengaged web users is a long loading time.
- Improved search engine rankings mean your page will appear higher on search results lists, possibly driving more traffic to your site.
- Dependable performance means users can count on the reliability of your site time and again, making them likely to visit your site in the future.
AMP websites have some advantages, particularly for consumers who are accustomed to faster web experiences. AMP designed pages can offer consumers a quicker, more reliable way for customers to connect with your brand.
How can you incorporate AMP for your business?
If you’re excited about the possible impact of accelerated mobile pages on the UX of your own sites and applications, there are several sites that offer open source AMP content and code to help companies build better websites, and therefore increase positive user experiences or companies that offer user friendly accelerated mobile page tutorials. Some companies include:
- AMP Project
- AMP by Example
- Netmark
AMP could be a powerful way to boost engagement your brand and create better user experiences. While there are certain drawbacks to AMP design – including the possibility of reduced ad revenue and reduced Google analytics features– the impact of accelerated mobile pages on UX is certainly a huge benefit.