The controversial Google web framework is on its last legs, stumbling along like a half-rotten zombie.
Two graphs demonstrate this clearly.
The first graph shows the percentage of non-AMP URLs that are shown in mobile Top Stories carousels, as measured by NewzDash. Since Google removed the AMP requirement for mobile Top Stories in 2021, non-AMP URLs have started to dominate mobile SERPs and now sit at 65% and steadily rising as more and more publishers retire AMP.
The second graph is from GitHub, and shows the number of commits to the AMP Project. There is a marked decline in commits in 2021-2022, when Google staff were moved off the project. The tiny number of commits since then shows the AMP framework has pretty much stopped evolving. It's a dead standard.
It's a victory for the free and open web, but it comes at a huge cost.
For many years publishers who refused to adopt AMP missed out on enormous amounts of traffic from mobile devices, because Google forced AMP down the web's throat. Publishers who would have had every right to see their articles rank in mobile Top Stories due to their quality reporting, but failed to rank because they didn't accept Google's AMP blackmail.
AMP is the pivotal moment when the relationship between Google and online publishers soured. The damage Google caused is irreversible, and the resentment will linger for a very long time.
We will celebrate the death of AMP, but we should not lose sight of the cost it has extracted from publishers. A cost we are unlikely to ever see repaid.
#AMP #GoogleAMP #SEO #NewsSEO
This post was originally shared by Barry Adams 📰 on Linkedin.