Ampify: Increase Site Speed & SEO with AMP Mobile Optimization

About Ampify (00:01:27)

• Ampify is an AMP management platform used by websites to create and manage AMP assets, which are utilized to improve web performance and SEO results, particularly for content and news sites, as well as small and medium-sized businesses (00:01:27).
• The platform has been in operation since 2019 and is based out of Tel Aviv, Israel, serving a diverse range of clients (00:01:33).
• Ampify manages a substantial number of AMP pages, with the current scale being in the millions, although this figure may be somewhat outdated (00:01:47).
• The primary goal of using Ampify is to enhance web performance, with a special focus on improving SEO results for websites, which is achieved through the creation and management of AMP assets (00:01:41).
• Ampify’s client base includes mostly content and news sites, as well as small and medium-sized businesses, indicating its versatility and wide range of applications (00:01:49).

What is AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)? (00:02:04)

• AMP stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages, a relatively new type of web pages built out of different building blocks that make them extremely lightweight and fast loading (00:02:04).
• AMP was launched by Google, which continues to push it and stands behind many of the benefits that AMP pages enjoy, making them very SEO optimized (00:02:18).
• The main incentive for websites to support AMP is that it makes them very SEO optimized, and out of the top 10,000 sites online, more than 20 percent already have AMP support (00:02:31).
• However, the adoption of AMP really drops as you move to smaller and smaller sites, because AMP is extremely difficult and expensive to build and maintain (00:02:51).
• Fortunately, new integrations can enable sites to easily build and maintain AMP pages, which can help increase adoption among smaller sites (00:02:58).

AMP Benefits (00:03:06)

• AMP brings several benefits to a site, including page acceleration, which is achieved through its lightweight nature and pre-loading of pages to the user’s devices before they click to open the link, allowing for near-instant loading (00:03:48).
• The use of AMP can help save lost visitors, as it can load pages faster, reducing the bounce rate, with statistics showing that 40% of visitors are lost after just five seconds of loading time, and AMP can help save up to 70% of those bouncing visitors (00:04:29).
• AMP can also improve SEO, as it is built to be optimized for Core Web Vitals, a set of parameters used by Google to determine how mobile-friendly a web page is, and AMP pages have been shown to gain 30% more search traffic on average, with the potential to increase traffic by 40-70% when combined with improved bounce rates (00:05:14).
• The pre-loading of AMP pages by Google on its search results pages is a significant benefit, allowing for virtually instant loading of pages, which is rewarded by Google, making it difficult for even the fastest HTML page to match the loading speed of an AMP page (00:07:00).
• The improvement of page load times and user interactivity is a key advantage of using AMP, as seen in the experience of companies like Brilliant Directors, which has spent effort improving page load times for mobile and desktop views, resulting in lower bounce rates and increased user engagement (00:06:22).

Where Does AMP Show Up? (00:07:46)

• When a user visits a website, the AMP version of a page shows up in search results, acting as a Landing page to provide an optimized and fast experience, but it coexists alongside the HTML version of the page (00:07:46).
• The AMP page does not replace the HTML version, and once the user navigates through the site, they will be served the HTML pages, allowing the site to move on to its traditional parts (00:08:08).
• It is essential to remember that the AMP version is often a leaner version of the HTML page, with some elements stripped down, and it is only shown as the landing page to take advantage of its high ranking in search results (00:08:46).
• When someone performs a Google search and clicks on the link to a website, the AMP page will be the first thing they see, providing a faster and lighter version of that single page (00:09:17).
• After the user clicks on other links on the page, they will be served the regular mobile-friendly web pages of the website, not the AMP version of those pages (00:09:28).
• After installing and having AMP basic pages live, the next steps can be taken to further optimize the website (00:09:42).

AMP’s Value Measurement (00:09:48)

• Measuring the value of AMP pages can be done through two approaches, with the first one being the use of Google Search Console, which provides various options to assess mobile friendliness, page speed, and site ranking (00:09:53).
• In Google Search Console, it is essential to look for pages with high Core Web Vitals scores, indicated by a green label, as all AMP pages have high Core Web Vitals scores, and this can lead to improved ranking over time (00:10:14).
• After adding AMP, it is necessary to check the Core Web Vitals score, and later, the ranking is expected to increase, although this may take some time for the results to show up (00:10:26).
• A more immediate way to see the results of AMP pages is by experiencing them firsthand, such as searching for the page on Google and observing how fast it loads, or using available tools from Google or AMP to preview the results before they go live (00:10:40).

Live Demo (00:11:10)

• To get started with using AMP in a business directory site, the only thing that needs to be remembered is how to get to the installation, as exact instructions will be provided afterwards, and the process begins by searching for Brilliant Directories Amplify or going to a provided link to sign up (00:11:20).
• Once signed up, an activation code will be received, which needs to be pasted into the designated setting in the BDD dashboard, and instructions about this process will also be provided (00:11:42).
• After completing the installation, every member profile page on the site will get an AMP version, and this can be accessed by adding a short string to the regular HTML version of the page, which can be done while in mobile view (00:12:22).
• AMP is only served to mobile visitors, not desktop visitors, and the AMP version of a page looks and behaves exactly the same as the regular HTML version, but with the added benefits of improved SEO, pre-loading, and a faster experience (00:12:37).
• To verify that everything is working as expected, it’s necessary to look at the AMP version of the pages and check that they are functioning correctly, and then wait a few days to start seeing the results in the search console (00:13:02).

Ampify Plans (00:13:18)

• The available plans are based on the number of members in a site, with options ranging from basic to pro, priced at $10, $25, and $40 per month, respectively (00:13:20).
• Each plan has a 30-day free trial period, allowing users to test the service before committing to a paid plan (00:13:43).
• The plans are structured such that the basic plan cannot be applied to a site with more than a certain number of members, and users with larger sites, such as those with 5,000 members or 50,000 banners, will need to consider alternative options (00:13:49).
• For sites with an exceptionally large number of members or banners, a custom implementation plan will be discussed after sign-up to determine the best approach (00:14:01).
• The pricing of the plans is intended to match the initial pricing of extensions in bd, providing a consistent and familiar pricing structure for users (00:13:37).

What types of websites would benefit most from AMP? (00:14:09)

• Websites that rely heavily or partially on search traffic would benefit the most from having AMP versions of their pages because it can improve their mobile SEO (00:14:11).
• On the other hand, sites that mainly manage communities where traffic comes from groups, such as Facebook groups or Twitter, and not from search engines, would not need AMP versions of their pages as much (00:14:23).
• The decision to create AMP pages depends on the source of a website’s traffic, and sites that do not rely on search traffic may not find AMP as beneficial for their online presence (00:14:39).

Why is a cost associated with Ampify’s service? (00:14:47)

• A cost is associated with Ampify’s service for creating and supporting AMP pages, as Ampify is a business, and this cost is incurred by the user (00:14:47).
• The cost associated with Ampify’s service is due to the fact that AMP is essentially another site that needs to be hosted on servers, which requires constant updates and serving, similar to hosting a regular site (00:14:58).
• Just like a monthly fee is paid for hosting a regular site, a similar cost is associated with hosting an AMP site on Ampify’s servers, as they constantly update and serve the AMP pages (00:15:09).

Are there any BD websites that wouldn’t benefit from AMP? (00:15:18)

• There are certain types of business directory (BD) sites that may not benefit from AMP, particularly those with profile pages that rely heavily on third-party components that are not AMP compliant, which could lose their usability without these components (00:15:18).
• If a site’s profile pages require third-party components that are not AMP compliant, it may be necessary to reconsider using AMP, unless the components are not necessary and can be stripped out of the AMP version of the page (00:15:35).
• However, if a site is a light user of non-AMP compliant components, such as a chat widget, and is okay with it not showing up in the AMP page view, then AMP can still be a good fit, as the page can still act as a great Landing page (00:15:43).
• Sites with heavy use of third-party components like sidebar modules that are not AMP compliant may not be suitable for AMP, unless these components are not necessary and can be removed from the AMP version of the page (00:16:01).
• Ultimately, the decision to use AMP depends on the specific needs and requirements of the site, and whether the benefits of AMP outweigh the potential limitations and drawbacks (00:16:12).

How to inquire with Ampify (00:16:38)

• To inquire about AMP pages, individuals can reach out through the site or directly to Omer at omer@ampify.io for any questions or concerns they may have in the future (00:16:39).
• Interested parties can sign up by clicking on the link, which does not require immediate payment, and this allows Omer and his team to follow up and determine if the site is a good candidate for AMP pages (00:16:54).
• The AMP pages are mainly suitable for sites that heavily rely on or want more traffic from Google search results, and may not be necessary for sites with a small community or niche that primarily get members from social media or other avenues (00:17:06).
• Sites that do not rely heavily on Google search results for traffic, such as those with private or niche communities, may not need to use AMP pages for their site (00:17:22).