AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is an open-source HTML framework, started by Google, for building lightweight pages that load quickly on mobile. It was once needed to appear in Google’s Top Stories carousel, but that requirement was dropped in 2021, and AMP is now an optional speed technique rather than an SEO necessity.

Written by Paul Hoda, SEO consultant since 2005. Last updated 8 November 2026.

How AMP works

AMP pages use a restricted version of HTML with a set of rules designed to guarantee speed:

  • Custom JavaScript is heavily limited. Interactive features use pre-built AMP components instead.
  • CSS must be inline and kept under a size limit.
  • Images and media use AMP-specific tags that control loading and reserve space to prevent layout shifts.
  • Pages can be cached and served by third parties, most notably the Google AMP Cache, which can preload them from search results.

Most sites ran AMP alongside their normal pages. The standard page linked to its AMP version with rel="amphtml", and the AMP version pointed back with a canonical tag.

A short history in Google Search

Google began showing AMP pages in mobile search results in 2016. For several years, AMP was required for news articles to appear in the Top Stories carousel, and AMP results carried a lightning bolt badge. Many publishers adopted it for that reason.

With the page experience update in 2021, Google removed the AMP requirement for Top Stories and dropped the AMP badge. Any page that meets Google News policies can now appear there. Google judges speed through Core Web Vitals instead of a specific framework.

Does AMP help SEO now?

AMP is not a ranking factor. Google still supports and indexes valid AMP pages, but there is no special ranking or feature that requires it. Fast pages can be built with any technology.

Criticisms that led many sites to drop it include:

  • Maintaining two versions of every page.
  • Limited design, tracking and advertising options.
  • Content served from Google’s cache under a Google URL, which some saw as weakening their brand.
  • Analytics and conversion tracking that were harder to set up correctly.

Should you keep or remove AMP?

If you have AMP pages that work well and your team is comfortable maintaining them, there is no urgent reason to remove them. If they are poorly maintained, or your standard pages already pass Core Web Vitals, removing AMP can simplify your site.

How to remove AMP safely

  1. Make sure your standard pages are fast and mobile-friendly first, and pass Core Web Vitals.
  2. Remove the rel=amphtml links from your standard pages.
  3. Add a 301 redirect from each AMP URL to its standard equivalent.
  4. Keep the redirects in place long term, as AMP URLs may be linked or cached elsewhere.
  5. Use Google’s AMP cache removal guidance to clear cached copies.
  6. Monitor Search Console’s AMP and page indexing reports, and check organic traffic to former AMP pages.

Further reading: the official AMP project site.

Key Takeaways

  • AMP is a lightweight HTML framework for building fast mobile pages.
  • It was required for Google Top Stories until the 2021 page experience update.
  • AMP is not a ranking factor, and fast pages can be built without it.
  • Many sites dropped AMP because of maintenance, design and tracking limits.
  • When removing AMP, 301 redirect every AMP URL to its standard page.

Related Terms

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