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Nearly 60% of online searches these days occur from a mobile platform. The driving force at Google behind Accelerated Mobile Pages or enabled AMP websites is to increase the speed at which pages load. Slow loading pages on a tablet or mobile phone can cost you business. An AMP enabled website or Accelerated Mobile Pages load faster, keep potential customers on your site longer, and very often lead to a higher conversion rate.
A relatively recent development by our friends at Google, Accelerated Mobile Pages and AMP websites have begun to revolutionize the way leading retailers do business. The world of eCommerce is changing so quickly that it’s difficult to keep up with the pace of change which these days include Accelerated Mobile Pages. And if you don’t stay abreast of the fast pace changes in the marketplace, as a retailer, or a firm that does business online, you could be missing a good chunk of the retail action. So avoid slow loading pages and website speed bumps. AMP is the way to go to have your pages load more quickly on mobile devices worldwide.
AMP websites load almost instantaneously. We all know of the frustration that comes from slow loading pages. Many potential customers cancel a search and move onto another site when pages load too slowly when their search hits a speed bump. AMP websites encourage potential customers to remain on your site and possibly do some business. Also, the AMP SEO effect is dramatic and can result in your enhanced positioning with various search engines.
A 2016 article in “Mobile Experience and Design” suggests that the average load time on a mobile is a long 6.9 seconds. Hard to believe isn’t it? But we all know that sinking feeling as pages are ever so slow to load. Potential customers despise waiting. An AMP speed test will show you how much more quickly Accelerated Mobile Pages load and possibly lead to more conversions.
Radware tells us that each second of loading delay reduces conversion rates by a whopping 7%. A three second delay causes many potential customers to flee your website looking for faster loading sites. How fast is your site? Perhaps you should try an AMP speed test to find out. Many customers tire of waiting for something to happen even when they observe a loading spinner in action.
Internet users are more demanding these days. Way back in 1999 the average user was willing to wait 8 seconds before moving on to another site. By 2006 it was 4 seconds and by 2010 it was 3 seconds. The eCommerce world has changed dramatically since those figures were published. Maile Ohye from Google says that now “2 seconds is the threshold for eCommerce acceptability. At Google we aim for half a second.”
So what’s the impact of faster load times? The Washington Post engaged AMP to improve its load times. The number of its mobile readers that returned to its site jumped 23% in the week they AMPed up. You can see how Accelerated Mobile Pages can have a dramatic impact on your customers. Faster loading is often reflected in an improved AMP SEO effect and conversion rates as well. “Site speed” is also one of the factors that Google uses in its ranking factor. Going AMP can have a real impact on your presence on the web and on your bottom line.
Programmers and tech specialists used to focus much of their energy on developing programs for serving the desktop community. As of late in 2016, more than 50% of web visits worldwide come from mobile devices. The technical community has responded by designing more and more for tablets and other mobile devices. While desktop access was still dominant in North America as of 2016, the trend is quickly moving towards mobiles and tablets as the primary vehicle to access the web. Have your tech department or webmaster do an AMP speed test and show you the data. You’ll soon realize that the transition to Accelerated Mobile Pages is the way to go if you want to remain competitive and up to speed in the eCommerce ball game.
“At Google we’re aiming to provide a great user experience on any device. We’re making a big push to make sure the search results we deliver reflect this principle.” (Google 2014) There is no single ‘user experience’ factor, in fact there are over 200 ‘signals’ that Google reads in determining the effectiveness of a website. Page loading speed is one of the key factors that determine how your site will be ranked. As an eCommerce business you can’t afford to ignore the speed with which an AMP enriched website or accelerated pages load and thus provide a better customer experience and subsequently a better ranking by the Google search algorithms.
They keep raising the bar when it comes to providing an improved search or shopping experience for the public at large. Programs become more sophisticated. Shoppers have higher expectations for the service levels they find online. Success in marketing includes higher quality page content, better website architecture, enhanced usability and page loading speed.
Help a visitor to your site complete their task. Invest in your website. Get relevant. Be attractive and user friendly. Go AMP, but then keep your eyes open and be ready to adopt the next generation of improvements to the eCommerce world. Good business practises demand it if you want to be a leader in your market sector.
