Accelerated Mobile Pages as ranking factor in Google search

AMP, or Accelerated Mobile Pages, is Google’s framework for fast-loading mobile pages. This enables publishers to hit two birds with one stone: increase page load times and improve user experience. And we’re not just talking about Google’s “Top Search” results; Google will display AMP’s anytime it’s detected.

Of course, there are many ways to advance page loads, and experienced developers can leverage a myriad of strategies to get it done. But mobile pages are a bit different.

Publishers move fast and many lack the dev resources required for an optimal mobile experience, which is why these pages will deliver huge benefits.
Readers are glued to their mobile phones and tablets. Publishers try to target them there, but that experience often leads a lot to be desired: painfully slow load times; lost readers; lost revenue. This is the experience Google is seeking to improve with AMP.
When Google links to an AMP page, readers will see it in a Google-hosted viewer. This preview tool shows anyone how the pages will look. The experience on Google is that it opens in a new page, with a blue bar across the top. In fact, you can try it on your phone now.

Notice how you can swipe through AMP content galleries, or return back to your original search results. For viewers, this gives them the benefit of seeing a preview before making a commitment to going to the full web page. This certainly puts more pressure on publishers to create a compelling AMP, but it’s hard to argue that it’s not a great experience for viewers.