Google: Do Not Replace Mobile / Responsive Sites With AMP

At the SEJ Summit Wednesday, Maile Ohye spoke quite a bit about AMP and the benefits of using it.  But should webmasters consider an AMP only approach for their mobile users?

During the Q&A, Ohye was asked whether webmasters should start making a desktop version and an AMP version, rather than using responsive design, and ignoring a mobile version of the site.  But she emphatically said no. Instead, she said that people should think about how Google will use AMP in the future and for site owners to think about making sites AMP friendly for the future.

This is definitely good advice.  After all, AMP is only implemented in 12 countries, and going with an AMP only mobile strategy would mean users in those other countries would have to suffer through the desktop site on mobile devices, not to mention the loss of the mobile friendly ranking boost.

Also, AMP is currently only showing in the news carousel.  So currently, there are many types of pages that Google is not yet showing in AMP… although that is expected to grow in the future.

Lastly, there are still users who use devices and mobile browsers that are not yet supporting AMP.  So an AMP only strategy would hurt those users too.

So definitely get ready for AMP if you aren’t already, don’t dump your mobile site and replace it with AMP.  AMP should supplement those mobile pages, not replace them entirely.

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Jennifer Slegg

Founder & Editor at The SEM Post

Jennifer Slegg is a longtime speaker and expert in search engine marketing, working in the industry for almost 20 years. When she isn't sitting at her desk writing and working, she can be found grabbing a latte at her local Starbucks or planning her next trip to Disneyland. She regularly speaks at Pubcon, SMX, State of Search, Brighton SEO and more, and has been presenting at conferences for over a decade.

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