The Fast and the Focused: A Modern Guide to AMP & Page Experience

In the world of mobile search, speed is everything. AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is an open-source framework designed to create lightning-fast mobile pages. For years, AMP was a key factor for publishers aiming to get into the coveted ‘Top Stories’ carousel. However, the SEO landscape has evolved. With the rollout of the Page Experience update, the focus has shifted from ‘is it AMP?’ to ‘is it fast and user-friendly?’

While AMP is no longer a strict requirement for Top Stories, it remains one of the most reliable ways to achieve the excellent performance metrics that are part of the Core Web Vitals. This category will explore the technical requirements for a valid AMP implementation and how it fits into a modern SEO strategy focused on overall page experience. For the official project homepage, see amp.dev.

Key Topics in AMP Implementation

A valid AMP page requires a strict set of technical standards. The following guides cover the most critical aspects of a technical AMP audit.

The Broken Link: A Guide to Invalid AMP URLs

Learn what causes invalid AMP URLs, why they are detrimental to your SEO and user experience, and how to diagnose and fix them for a flawless mobile experience.

The Forbidden Fruit: A Guide to Disallowed HTML in AMP

Learn why AMP restricts certain HTML tags for performance and security, and find the correct AMP components to use instead, such as and .

The Broken Connection: A Guide to Non-200 Responses on AMP Pages

For an AMP page to be valid and served from Google’s cache, it must return a 200 OK status code. Learn how to fix non-200 responses like redirects and 404s on your AMP URLs.

An illustration of a stopwatch, symbolizing the speed of AMP.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is AMP?

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is an open-source HTML framework designed to help you create lightning-fast, user-first mobile web pages. AMP pages are stripped-down versions of your regular pages that are often cached by Google to ensure they load almost instantly.

Do I need AMP to rank in 'Top Stories'?

No. Since the rollout of the Page Experience update, any page that meets the Core Web Vitals performance thresholds and complies with Google News content policies is eligible for the ‘Top Stories’ section, regardless of whether it uses AMP.

Is AMP still relevant for SEO in 2025?

Yes, but its role has changed. While AMP is no longer a requirement to appear in the ‘Top Stories’ carousel, it remains a powerful tool for achieving excellent performance scores that are part of Google’s Page Experience ranking signals. For many publishers, AMP is still the easiest way to create a consistently fast mobile experience.

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