PERFORMANCE · SEO GLOSSARY
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)
A Google-led open-source framework that creates stripped-down HTML pages loading near-instantly on mobile — once required for Top Stories in Google Search, now deprecated as a requirement. Standard fast-loading pages are now eligible for all AMP-restricted SERP features.
Definition
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) was a web framework launched by Google and Twitter in 2015 to create stripped-down, fast-loading mobile pages. AMP pages followed strict HTML constraints (no custom JavaScript, limited CSS, AMP-specific components) and were cached on Google\'s AMP cache (`cdn.ampproject.org`), enabling near-instant loading from search results by serving Google\'s pre-cached copy. **AMP\'s SEO significance changed significantly in 2021–2024**: (1) **Top Stories requirement removed (June 2021)** — prior to this, AMP was required for articles to appear in the Top Stories carousel in mobile search results. Google changed this: any page meeting Core Web Vitals thresholds is now eligible for Top Stories regardless of whether it\'s AMP. (2) **Google dropped the AMP badge in search results (2021)** — the lightning bolt ⚡ AMP indicator no longer appears next to results. (3) **Ongoing maintenance** — the AMP project continues as an open-source initiative, and some publishers still use it. AMP pages still load fast and may still appear in AMP carousels in some contexts, but they\'re no longer required for any Google Search feature. **Current recommendation**: for new sites and publishers, invest in Core Web Vitals optimisation (achieving Good LCP, INP, and CLS on standard pages) rather than implementing AMP. For sites that already have AMP: existing AMP pages can remain if they perform well, but migrating away from AMP is reasonable if maintaining two versions (AMP and canonical) creates overhead. The canonical page must be accessible and fast — if AMP exists as a separate URL, ensure proper `<link rel="amphtml">` / `<link rel="canonical">` cross-linking.
Why it matters for SEO
AMP is important context for site owners who implemented it for Top Stories eligibility — that requirement is now gone, and AMP is no longer necessary for any Google Search feature. Sites still maintaining AMP implementations should evaluate whether the maintenance overhead justifies the continued separate AMP page set, since standard fast pages (meeting Core Web Vitals Good thresholds) now qualify for everything AMP was required for.
How DeepSEOAnalysis checks this
The audit checks for AMP cross-linking where applicable: if `<link rel="amphtml">` is present on a page, the AMP URL is verified to be accessible and correctly cross-links back with `<link rel="canonical">`. AMP pages with incorrect canonical links (pointing to the AMP version rather than the standard version) are flagged. For publishers who want to assess their Top Stories eligibility without AMP, the audit checks real CrUX Core Web Vitals performance which is the actual signal Google uses.
Useful tools and resources
GLOSSARY
Related terms
performance
Core Web Vitals
Three Google metrics — LCP, INP, and CLS — that measure real-user loading, interactivity, and visual stability.
Read definition →technical
Mobile SEO
SEO considerations specific to mobile devices — covering mobile-first indexing, responsive design, tap target size, font legibility, Core Web Vitals on mobile, and ensuring no mobile-specific content is hidden from Googlebot.
Read definition →performance
Page Speed
The time it takes for a page to load and become usable — measured by multiple metrics including TTFB, FCP, and Core Web Vitals.
Read definition →onpage
Google Discover
Google\'s personalised content recommendation feed — shown in the Google app and Chrome on mobile — that surfaces articles based on a user\'s search history and interests, without a search query.
Read definition →See how your site scores on Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP).
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