Google introduced AMP since 2015, but it has never been popular with website owners, because AMP is not a ranking factor and it makes their websites look worse. In the early years, AMP was required for articles to appear in the Top Stories carousel on mobile, so many news sites still used it. Since June 2021, Google has dropped this requirement and also removed the AMP badge from search results. Let’s learn what AMP is, whether you should use it, and how to set up AMP in a WordPress website properly!
Update (October 2026): Google says it indexes AMP pages just like other web pages and applies the same standard to all pages, regardless of the technology used to build them. In other words, AMP does not boost rankings. Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, and INP, which replaced FID in March 2024) are assessed the same way for AMP and non-AMP pages, and you can get good scores without AMP by optimizing images, caching, and reducing JavaScript. So if your website is running fine, I don’t recommend adding AMP just for SEO; the guide below is more useful if you already use AMP or have a specific need for it.
What is AMP in WordPress?
AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is a lightweight, accelerated version of a web page. It uses minimal code and is cached on Google’s CDN, so content loads almost instantly when you open it on your phone. This gives users a fast experience regardless of their network connection.
How does AMP work?
- Use Google’s CDN to load your website instantly: All the content of your AMP page is cached on Google’s CDN, which reduces the load on your server and lets your website appear instantly for new visitors.
- Lazy load media: AMP delays loading media such as images and videos, so each item only loads when the user scrolls close to it. This speeds up the initial page load, reduces LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), and saves server resources when users don’t scroll to the end of the page.
- Async JavaScript loading: AMP pages load JavaScript files and code in parallel with other components, instead of loading them in HTML order from top to bottom. This helps users interact with your AMP page sooner.
How does AMP display?
AMP has several distinctive formats in search, such as basic search results, top stories carousels, host carousels, rich results, and web stories, depending on the type of website and its Schema markup. However, most of us only get the basic search result format after setting up AMP; the other formats usually go to major news sites, social networks, forums, and Q&A sites.
On Google search
Before July 2021, you could easily spot websites using AMP by the AMP icon in search results. Google has since removed this icon, so now you only know whether a page uses AMP after clicking it.
When viewing the AMP page
When you open an AMP page from Google search, the address bar still shows Google’s domain, and an information bar about the original website appears at the top (as shown on the left).
On a normal page (without AMP), the address bar shows the website’s own domain, and there is no information bar like on AMP pages.
Should I install AMP?
I have asked myself this question many times, and using AMP is a trade-off. AMP makes pages load fast on mobile, but Google does not rank AMP pages higher than regular pages. Also, if you don’t have the skills to customize your AMP pages or the budget to hire experts to design them, your AMP pages won’t look as good as the originals. That hurts the user experience (UX/UI), so visitors are less likely to explore your website or convert.
Advantages of AMP
- Less load on your server: as mentioned above, serving mobile visitors from Google’s cache keeps your server free to handle visits from desktop computers.
- Near-instant loading: this is AMP’s signature feature. Users with poor connections can still load your website quickly on their phones. And if you target users in many countries, AMP helps you serve them quickly without being slowed down by international connections or your server’s location.
- Helps improve mobile speed: when you check Google PageSpeed Insights, you will see the LCP, CLS, and INP metrics of Core Web Vitals. I have found that PageSpeed scores on phones are often much lower than on computers, and they are quite hard to improve. AMP is one way to get lighter pages on mobile, but it is not the only way, and it does not let you “bypass” Core Web Vitals because Google assesses AMP pages with the same criteria as regular pages.
Disadvantages of AMP
- The design is not as good as the original (poor user experience): AMP’s biggest problem is its design. If you decide to use AMP, try to make your AMP pages look as close to the original pages as possible, either by adding custom CSS (I will cover this in another post) or by using a theme that supports styling AMP pages.
- Increase bounce rate: AMP pages often focus on the main content and remove related elements (menu, other articles, comments, widgets, CTA…), so when users finish reading, they simply leave. However, below I will show you how to set up AMP in WordPress while still addressing this problem.
- Lower conversion rates: the basic AMP design does not present calls to action attractively, so basic AMP pages tend to convert less. To fix this, you need to make your AMP pages look as good as the originals.
- Not ideal for online stores: if your website sells products, I recommend using AMP only for articles, not for product pages. If the shopping experience isn’t good, visitors won’t buy, unless you can hire an expert to design AMP pages that look almost identical to the originals.
- Incompatible with some plugins: plugins that don’t support AMP are removed from AMP pages, so your pages may be missing elements such as contact forms, sliders, or special image viewers.
Set up AMP for a WordPress website
There are many AMP plugins for WordPress, but I group them into 3 categories.
- The official AMP plugin (the plugin on the left in the image).
- Type 2 AMP plugins: these have their own designs, better-looking layouts, and extra features.
- Add-ons for the official AMP plugin: these make AMP pages look more like the originals (usually bundled with paid AMP-ready themes like Newspaper) or add features to the official plugin.
See the comparison table below to choose the right option for your website.
| Compare | AMP plugin | Type 2 AMP plugin | Add-on for the AMP plugin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supported content types | – Pages – Posts – Media | – Pages – Posts – Media – Products (depending on plugin) – … | Same as the AMP plugin |
| AMP mode | 1. Standard 2. Transitional 3. Reader (Explained in the Select AMP mode section) | Reader | Transitional or Reader |
| AMP design | – Very plain: if you only use the AMP plugin. – Very good: if your theme supports Transitional mode or has an add-on for styling Reader mode. | Fairly nice, but limited to a few built-in designs. | As close to the original as the theme developer can make it. |
| Plugin compatibility | Any plugin that supports AMP | – Compatible with some plugins – Paid extensions needed for other plugins (which the AMP plugin supports for free) | Same as the AMP plugin |
| SEO | Does not integrate SEO data from other plugins, because it isn’t needed. | Integrates SEO data from plugins like Yoast, Rank Math… (actually redundant, explained in the Integrate SEO from other plugins section) | Same as the AMP plugin |
In this article, I will show you how to set up the 2 most popular free AMP plugins in the WordPress plugin directory: the official AMP plugin, and AMP for WP as an example of type 2. You only need to install one of them.
AMP plugin by AMP Project Contributors
Set your technical background
After installing the AMP plugin for your WordPress website, go to AMP > Settings > Open Wizard.
Click the Next button to skip the introduction.
Choose the technical background that matches your website skills.
- Developer or technically savvy: choose this if you are comfortable coding websites and can edit plugins and themes to make them as compatible as possible with AMP.
- Non-technically savvy or wanting a simpler setup: choose this if you are not familiar with coding; AMP will automatically remove incompatible plugins from your AMP pages. I chose this option too, since I am not much of a coder.
Next, select Reader as the AMP mode and click Next. You can change the mode later, and I explain the modes in more detail below.
Next, choose a theme for your AMP pages. Normally, we choose AMP Legacy. Since it is the AMP plugin’s own basic theme, it works with any WordPress theme.
Next, turn off Redirect mobile visitors to AMP. It is fine for visitors to see your original design, and conversion rates will be higher. There is no reason to send them to AMP automatically; we only need AMP for users coming from Google search on their phones.
Finally, click the Close button to finish the AMP setup.
Select AMP mode
This plugin supports 3 AMP modes. Normally, we use Reader mode because it works with every theme. Whether Transitional mode works well depends on your theme (if your theme supports it well, you will see the word Recommended).
- Standard: choose this mode if your theme is built entirely on AMP. Even on computers, there is no separate original and AMP version, because the original already is AMP. Only the default WordPress themes are compatible with this mode.
- Transitional: this mode creates an AMP version that is as close to the original as possible, and I expect it to become the norm. If your theme supports it, features will work fine on AMP pages. If not, some features may not work (for example, menus or buttons may not respond) or may work worse than on the original.
- Reader: this mode works with every theme because it creates a plain, simple AMP page. If your theme comes with an AMP add-on, the pages can look great and very similar to the original theme on phones. I was using this mode because my theme had an add-on for styling AMP pages (August 2021).
Choose which content types use AMP
Usually, we enable AMP for posts. If your pages only have simple content (not built with page builders like Elementor or WPBakery), you can also consider enabling AMP for pages.
Remove unnecessary plugins
AMP is all about stripping out what is not needed. Set the Status to Suppressed for plugins you don’t need on AMP pages or that cause AMP compatibility errors.
Choose the URL structure for AMP pages
The AMP URL structure is up to you and does not affect SEO. Most people I see use /amp/, and I like it too because it looks neat.
Add Google Analytics to AMP
If you do not have Google Analytics yet, see the article on adding Google Analytics to your website to create an account and get your Measurement ID (it looks like G-XXXXXXXXXX).
Only Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is used now. Universal Analytics stopped processing data in July 2023.
Next, enter gtag in the Type box, copy the code below and paste it into the JSON Configuration box, and remember to change <GA_MEASUREMENT_ID> (in both places) to your GA4 Measurement ID. The 2021 screenshot below still shows googleanalytics, which was the setup for the old Universal Analytics; for GA4, Google’s documentation uses the gtag type.
{
"vars" : {
"gtag_id": "<GA_MEASUREMENT_ID>",
"config" : {
"<GA_MEASUREMENT_ID>": { "groups": "default" }
}
}
}
Change the main color
One small customization available in Reader mode is changing the main color. Go to Appearance > AMP to customize it.
That’s it, AMP is now set up on your WordPress website. The official AMP plugin looks quite plain, but don’t underestimate it: combined with a theme that supports AMP, it can look much better than the type 2 plugin below.
AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages plugin
AMP for WP is an alternative to the official AMP plugin, with more themes and customization options. If your theme does not support styling AMP pages, AMP for WP is a good choice. I will walk you through the essential settings, and you can explore the rest yourself later.
Choose which content types use AMP
Go to AMP > Settings > General to choose which content types use AMP. As usual, turn it on for posts. AMP for WP can also style your homepage like a news site, so if that suits your website, turn on AMP for the homepage too.
Choose a theme, logo, and colors
AMP for WP has 4 free themes, and you can see the demo here. Go to AMP > Design > Themes to choose the one you like. When viewing the demo, look at the page types you enabled AMP for, and make your browser window narrower to get a better idea of how it looks on a phone.
Next, go to AMP > Design > Global to choose the theme’s main color.
Next, go to AMP > Settings > General to add a logo for your AMP page. Recommended size is 190×36 pixels.
Choose a menu style for AMP
Header options vary by theme. I found that only AMP for WP’s Swift theme offers many header customizations. Go to AMP > Design > Header to customize the menu bar for your AMP page.
Add Google Analytics to AMP
Adding Google Analytics in AMP for WP is much simpler. Since version 1.0.80, the plugin supports GA4: go to AMP > Settings > Analytics, turn on Google Analytics 4, enter your Measurement ID (G-XXXXXXXXXX), and save. The screenshot below shows the old 2021 interface for Universal Analytics, which has been shut down, so you no longer need a UA- ID. If you don’t have GA4 yet, see how to add Google Analytics to your website.
Integrate SEO from other plugins
This feature makes the plugin seem smart, since it brings your SEO settings into AMP. But in reality, Google uses the meta tags and schema of the original page in search results, so I find this feature fairly redundant. Still, select the correct SEO plugin to avoid errors.
Go to AMP > Settings > SEO to select the SEO plugin you are using.
Translate AMP for WP
By default, the elements on the AMP page are in English. To translate into another language, go to AMP > Settings > Translation Panel.
Customize AMP Pages and Posts
Unlike the official AMP plugin, AMP for WP gives your AMP pages a more complete look with more elements. To remove elements you don’t need, turn them off in AMP > Design > Single (Page).
Customize social sharing
Choose the social networks that are popular in your target audience’s country to increase the chances of people sharing your content. Go to AMP > Design > Social Sharing to choose social networks for your AMP page.
Add widgets for AMP
This is a feature I really like in AMP for WP, because the basic AMP design removes widgets and makes AMP pages feel a bit short. You can add widgets back to the footer so your AMP pages look more like the originals. To add widgets for AMP pages, go to Appearance > Widgets.
Check whether AMP is working
After setting up AMP on your WordPress website, check that your AMP pages work properly. To see the AMP version, add /amp/ after the original post or page link.
Test with Google AMP Test
Paste a link like domain.com/your-post-name/amp/ into the AMP Test tool. If the result says Valid AMP page, as shown below, AMP is working on your WordPress website. You can also use the official AMP Validator, which lets you paste the page source to see detailed errors.
Check in Google Search Console
Google automatically detects the AMP version of your pages and uses it in mobile search results, so you don’t need to submit anything. Once Google indexes the AMP version of your website, you will see a report about AMP in Google Search Console.
Errors in red are serious, and you need to fix them for your AMP pages to be used. Yellow warnings won’t disable your AMP pages, so fix them if you can, but it is fine if you don’t. After fixing an error, click on it and click Validate Fix so Google checks again.
What to do if you no longer use AMP?
If you don’t use AMP anymore, you just need to remove all AMP plugins, and add this code in the .htaccess file to redirect AMP URLs to normal URLs.
# BEGIN Redirect AMP to non-AMP
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} (.+)/amp(.*)$
RewriteRule ^ %1/ [R=301,L]
# END Redirect AMP to non-AMPFrequently asked questions
Should I use /amp/ or ?amp for AMP pages?
I recommend /amp/ because most AMP pages use it, and so did Lucid Gen.
Can a website that earns money with AdSense use AMP?
Yes, AdSense supports ads on AMP pages. If the ads in your content are not showing on AMP, see the article on how to add Adsense Auto Ads and Sticky Ads to AMP.
Can an online store (WooCommerce) use AMP?
In my opinion, you should only enable AMP for posts, unless you have the budget to hire experts to rebuild your product pages in AMP. A product page that doesn’t look good won’t convert.
How to add Google Analytics GA4 to AMP pages?
With the official AMP plugin, use the gtag type and the JSON code in the setup section above. With AMP for WP, turn on Google Analytics 4 in AMP > Settings > Analytics. Universal Analytics stopped processing data in July 2023, so you don’t need to set up UA anymore.
Is the Tag Assistant widget not receiving Google Analytics on the AMP page?
Check the Realtime report in Google Analytics instead. I also confirmed that Tag Assistant does not detect tags on AMP pages (August 2021).
Conclusion
AMP used to be a useful tool for mobile speed, but today it no longer gives you a separate SEO advantage. If you are using AMP and find that maintaining it costs more effort than it is worth, the “What to do if you no longer use AMP?” section above will help you remove AMP without losing your old links. Feel free to leave a comment on this article, so I can keep improving my writing and help solve your problems.
