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Google AMP Sucks for WordPress

WordPress plugins Mar 5, 2019 by Johnny 7 Comments

Google AMP sucks. Creates more problems and doesn’t always solve the one it’s supposed to. My biggest issues with it are breaking your site design/functionality, still not making your site all that fast, and worst of all…it ruins your user experience. Just go install a generic theme if you love AMP so much.

I don’t care about obscure users with slow connections as they probably aren’t my target demographics either.

Here are the AMP promises:

  • faster site – AMP streamlines the design, stripping out unnecessary elements so your site loads faster.
  • better seo – faster load, faster content digestion…all equals better rankings
  • more traffic –  better rankings equals better traffic
  • better user experience – I’m not sure how this works, unless your site is so terribly designed and coded that using AMP is somehow considered an upgrade?!

REALITY?

  • easily broken site – one little weird design or coding mistake and your site falls apart
  • limited compatibility – only works on mostly static blog sites. All other sites aren’t compatible because their fancy effects or features stop working on AMP.
  • limited SEO/traffic benefit IMO – here’s the funny thing, blog sites typically do well in search engines already. So I’m not sure how putting AMP on your blog helps you beat other blogs. It ultimately comes down to content.
  • limited speed improvement – yes, it speeds up your site if your site was really bloated in the first place. And if it was that bloated, then you need to speed up the site first so it’s fast for all visitors…not just AMP visitors!

Here’s the thing. AMP was supposedly invented to help websites show content faster and in a more streamlined way…thereby improving rankings, on-site performance, and overall user experience.

But IMO, I think it’s just another way for them to own and parse your content, and enhance the GOOGLE experience. They don’t care about you and the benefit isn’t much. AMP cannot save a crappily coded/designed site. And for sites that already designed and coded well, not only do you not need AMP but you’ll feel like it’s detracting from your overall branding and user experience.

DEC 18, 2020 UPDATE:

  • I have resigned from the Google AMP Advisory Committee – Terence Eden

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About Johnny

Right on the edge of WordPress development! 10+ years of WordPress design, development, hosting, speed optimization, product advisor, marketing, monetization. I do all that.

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Reader Interactions

7 Comments

  1. Adam Polinsky

    March 20, 2019 at 10:12 pm

    AGREED!!! AMP is nothing but a lazy and ineffective way for noobs to speed up their site lol.

    Reply
  2. Sangam

    September 22, 2019 at 11:55 pm

    I tried AMP for a month. They say no to JS but AMP itself carries lots of JS than a normal website. Says inline CSS but it increase load time. Result – I moved to non-AMP.

    Reply
    • Johnny

      September 24, 2019 at 11:41 am

      Hahahaha!!!

      Reply
  3. Larry Page

    January 21, 2020 at 7:43 am

    Yeah, AMP sucks

    Reply
  4. Chris

    February 20, 2021 at 6:38 am

    Thanks Jonny, I done a site speed test without amp and scored 87 in page speed insights. Enabled amp and scored 75 then I started getting errors from search console. In short amp causes more problems than it solves. I will just stick to a generic theme.

    Reply
    • Johnny

      February 20, 2021 at 8:39 am

      Yeaup! AMP is a pain.

      Reply
  5. jessica wills

    April 22, 2024 at 1:49 am

    They say no to JS but AMP itself carries lots of JS than a normal website. Enabled amp and scored 75 then I started getting errors from search console.

    Reply

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