Let’s talk facts. AMP is a new thing, and like every new thing that shows up, everyone wants it, even if, most people don’t really know if they need it. So, what’s the deal with AMP? Is it worth changing your Classic HTML Mobile Website for an AMP Page? Well, yes… and no! Let’s explain with a few solid facts!

Meet the Contenders

What’s AMP?

AMP stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages, a project born of Google about a year ago that aims to deliver content faster. It’s built around the core and basic elements that HTML offers, and is made to simplify the web. It’s built for content. So let’s get that very straight. Simple, very simple, content.

What’s a Classic Mobile Friendly Page?

Classic Mobile pages have been around forever. They are fast, efficient, and can use anything your desktop uses. Scaled down to size, these are quite powerful and beautiful. A few great examples would be Samsung and Apple’s mobile pages. They server amazing content, beautifully crafted, insanely fast loading, and ultra compatible.

What are the main advantages of having an AMP Website?

Well, let’s put things in the simplest possible way. You’re most likely NOT the New York Times, so posting 300 articles a day is probably not your thing. Probably you own a business and you want your content served as fast as possible. Maybe you have a few pictures here and there, you don’t edit it too often, and you don’t have any fancy components on your site. GREAT! AMP Is definitely for you! You can edit it once, add all your stuff inside, put it on your server, link the canonical tag ( the thing that says “hey, i’m the mobile page, here’s the desktop one ) to your desktop counterpart, and boom, there you have it! You’re now the proud owner of a AMP Website. As a conclusion, AMP are great solutions for the not too tech-savy but the “I want it fast as light” kind of individuals.

• It will load fast.
• Really, really fast.
• Like… really, really fast!
• It will rank high from the get go. There’s not much to screw up here.

What are the main advantages of having a Classic Mobile Friendly Website.

To put thing straight. Everything. AMP prides itself with loading fast as light, but if you actually know a thing or two about optimising your content ( like not uploading a 60 megabyte image, in which case AMP will die as well ) you’re most likely going to have a much better looking website using the default mobile way. Therefore, if you’re a regular business, a huge business or anyone that wants more than just some text, images and plugins that the entire planet use, then opting for the Mobile Friendly Version is for you.

There are plenty of easy to use tools like LazyLoad and TinyPNG that will make sure your page loads insanely fast, and also, there are plenty of websites including GTMetix that will offer you detailed information on how fast your page loads. HTML has been around for ages, and it won’t bring you any surprises when it comes to code, whereas AMP, might be easy to use after you get the hang of it, but until you do, oh boy!

• Fast loading if coded right
• Feature right, millions of plugins available
• Highly customizable and easy to edit
• Will never go out of style.

But what are the cons of each one of these?

Well, to be honest, we’ve been working with AMP since the day it was born, and with Classic Mobile Pages for over 10 years, and to put things in perspective, it all comes down to what you want from your mobile page. If instant speed is your game, you can get it in both worlds. If high customizability is your desire, then stick to the classic. Or, if you don’t own SSL, again, stick to the classic. There are a tone of reasons to stay away from AMP and not that many for the old school HTML. Let’s show this with a table.

There you have the main cons of AMP. And they are actually quite major. Considering devices these days are becoming power houses, they are incredibly affordable, and 4G / LTE internet is now quite commonplace, there are quite a few reasons to stay clear of AMP.

What are our professional thoughts?

Well, if you’re just starting your business, and you need a mobile page where you’re just gonna stick some content and forget it there, get an AMP product. It’s worth it. Because you won’t be refreshing the content all that often, and it won’t interest you to create fancy animations. Examples can range from Car Mechanics to Lawyers to Dentists. Businesses with static content will fall in love with Google AMP.

However! If you want a mobile website that includes image sliders with great effects, a powerful navigation system, multiple forms ( actually, any form except for the contact form ) checkboxes, radios, login windows, anything that has to do with JavaScript, then stay clear of AMP.

It’s quite tricky to say ” This is the best” or ” That is the best” but to sum it up, the table above and the purpose of your business should be enough to determine what website you need.  Still have questions? Post your website in a comment, and we’ll give you our best suggestion based on what content you’re serving!