Google AMP is coming soon, and it will include Analytics options for publishers. Here's what it means for the mobile web.

Google introduced their Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) Project in October, which aims to create mobile web pages that load more quickly than sites traditionally do on mobile. Over 20 ad platforms such as Outbrain, AOL and AdSense were quick to join Google’s initiative when ad support was announced a month later.

Ahead of AMP’s predicted iphone_google_amp_projectearly-February release, Google has been working with these tech partners to make sure that the project’s ad-serving operations, including paywalls and native ads, are working properly.

This week, Google announced that Analytics will be available to content publishers using AMP. Google’s aim is move as many qualified mobile pages over to their AMP format to allow for the best user experience, optimized monetization through mobile ads servicing, and an overall smoother navigation process for the mobile web.

Changes to the mobile web experience

In Google’s original 1999 mission statement, “Ten Things We Know to be True,” two of the top principles were Focus on the user and all else will follow and Fast is better than slow. Over 16 years later, both of these tenets still hold true.

Google’s accelerated mobile pages project seeks to speed up page load times so mobile web-users can get the most relevant information as quickly and painlessly as possible. The more enjoyable and efficient a mobile device is for discovering and consuming content, the better Google is adhering to its original mission.

Easier, Better, Faster, Stronger

A better mobile user experience means more browsing and content discovery. This provides mobile publishers with better opportunities to monetize through advertising, and opens up a strong new potential avenue for online ads.  

Having access to the analytics for AMP pages further increases publishers’ efficiency.

“For publishers looking to use AMP to provide an improved user experience, we’ve released Google Analytics measurement capabilities for Accelerated Mobile Pages. AMP support in Google Analytics makes it easy to identify your best content and optimize your user experience.” – Google Analytics Blog

Last-minute updates to get in on AMP

Follow the lead of sites like Twitter, The New York Times, The Guardian and dozens of other influential voices to help your brand be seen by a wider mobile audience. To get started “amplifying” your page, head to AMP’s website.

Implement the code.

AMP’s open-source HTML code is available at GitHub: AMP Project.

Google recommends that publishers use separate Analytics properties to track their content:

“AMP pages can appear in multiple contexts, including through different syndication caches. Because of that, a single user that visits an AMP version of a page and a HTML version of a page can end up being treated as two distinct users. Using a separate Google Analytics property to measure AMP pages makes it easier to handle these issues.” – Google Analytics Blog

Feature AMP-worthy content.

Look over your site for video, writing and graphics that you deem worthy of a user’s click on their SERP. Google AMP’s pre-rendered, multimedia results could offer a great way to increase your brand’s visibility.

Ben Silverman is Brafton's Marketing Writer. His writing experience dates back to his time reviewing music for The UMass Daily Collegian at UMass Amherst. Ben joined Brafton with a background in marketing in the classical and jazz industries. When he's not writing, he's playing drums, guitar, or basketball.