In Part 1, we looked at how structured data helps Google understand your website. This time, we're looking at another Google initiative that's been around for a few years now: Accelerated Mobile Pages, or AMP.

What are AMP pages?

AMP is a Google-backed framework designed to make web pages load almost instantly on mobile devices. It does this by stripping pages back to a simplified version of HTML with strict rules about what JavaScript and CSS you can use. The result is a very fast, very lightweight page.

When AMP launched in 2015, Google gave AMP pages preferential treatment in search results — they appeared in a special carousel at the top of mobile search, marked with a lightning bolt icon. For news publishers especially, AMP felt mandatory.

Are AMP pages still relevant?

The short answer: less and less. In 2021, Google removed the requirement for AMP pages to appear in the Top Stories carousel. The Page Experience update shifted the focus from AMP specifically to Core Web Vitals — a set of performance metrics that any page can meet, regardless of the technology behind it.

This was a significant change. It meant you no longer needed AMP to get preferential mobile search treatment. You just needed a fast, well-built site.

What to focus on instead

Rather than investing in AMP (which adds complexity and limits your design flexibility), focus on the fundamentals: fast server response times, optimised images, minimal JavaScript, and a responsive design that works well on all screen sizes.

Google's Core Web Vitals — Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, and Cumulative Layout Shift — are the metrics that matter now. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse can show you exactly where your site stands and what to improve.

The takeaway: speed still matters enormously for SEO, but you don't need a specific framework to achieve it. A well-built, performant site will do the job.