Get AMP’ed up

Good news for our short attention spans! Google has developed a new mobile web technology called Amp. AMP is short for Accelerated Mobile Pages and is Google’s response to Facebook’s Instant Articles.

The 3 second rule

Mobile web use has increased drastically over the last few years and studies have shown that our smartphones are now the main way we access the internet. Attention spans have also decreased throughout the last decade and now studies are showing that 40% of mobile users will only wait for a page to load for three seconds, until, they access something else. I know it really irritates me when I have to wait for an article for more than three seconds, just like when I have to wait for the bus for more than five minutes.

What this means for publishers and advertisers is that every time they make someone wait for more than three seconds it’s a 40% chance that they will lose a reader and in turn possibly lose revenue.

The solution to our short attention spans

According to the technology giant, Google, users “want web pages with rich content like video, animations and graphics to work alongside smart ads, and to load instantaneously”. AMP is the solution to that problem. Amp relies on AMP HTML, which is a “new open existing framework that is built entirely on existing web technologies”.

With social media sites like Pinterest, Linked In, Twitter, and a host of 30 other major publishers, Google is foreseeing this technology also working with Google news in the near future.

Freedom from pop-up ads

AMP, also raises concerns about how faster web pages will influence what readers see and read. For instance, Google might prioritize web pages that have amp technology integrated into them. The tech company also stated that ads will be supported by AMP and that publishers will have control over their content.

But Google will not allow pop-ups and banner ads to interfere with the user’s web experience by distorting the original article. This can be a win-win for advertisers since Google can make web pages load faster, and users will not have the need for pop-up blockers.

#GoogleAMP