The AMP Conundrum: Is Accelerated Mobile Pages Still Relevant in 2024?

In the ever-evolving landscape of web development, staying on top of trends and technologies is crucial for maintaining optimal user experiences. One such technology that shook up the mobile browsing scene is Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). Launched by Google in 2015, AMP aimed to revolutionize mobile web performance by delivering lightning-fast loading times for content-heavy pages. However, as we step into 2024, a pressing question arises: Is AMP still relevant?

Understanding AMP

Before delving into its relevance, let's briefly revisit what AMP entails. AMP is an open-source framework designed to create mobile-optimized web pages that load almost instantaneously. It achieves this by enforcing strict guidelines and limitations on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, thus streamlining the content delivery process.

The Past Glories

In its infancy, AMP garnered significant attention and adoption from publishers and developers alike. Google's algorithm favored AMP pages, often granting them preferential treatment in search results. This led to improved visibility and higher click-through rates for AMP-enabled content. Moreover, with the rise of mobile browsing, where users demand swift access to information, AMP seemed like the ultimate solution. Its promise of faster loading times appealed to both content creators and consumers, fostering a sense of urgency for its implementation.

Winds of Change

Fast forward to 2024, and the landscape looks quite different. While AMP undeniably brought speed to mobile browsing, its relevance now faces scrutiny amid shifting paradigms. 1. Evolving Web Standards: Web technologies have advanced significantly since AMP's inception. Modern frameworks, coupled with optimized code practices, have narrowed the performance gap between traditional web pages and AMP counterparts. 2. Google's Algorithmic Shifts: Google, the primary proponent of AMP, has gradually shifted its focus towards more holistic user experience metrics rather than solely prioritizing AMP pages. This shift underscores Google's recognition of alternative approaches to mobile optimization. 3. User Experience Considerations: While speed remains a critical factor, user experience encompasses more than just load times. Factors such as interactivity, design aesthetics, and content relevance play pivotal roles in shaping user satisfaction and engagement.

The Relevance Debate

Amid these transformations, the debate over AMP's relevance intensifies. Some argue that AMP's core principles—speed and simplicity—still hold value, especially in regions with limited connectivity or older mobile devices. Others contend that the stringent restrictions imposed by AMP hinder creativity and limit the full potential of web experiences.

Conclusion: Embracing a Multifaceted Approach

In conclusion, the question of AMP's relevance in 2024 lacks a definitive answer. Its efficacy depends on various factors, including the nature of the content, target audience, and broader business objectives. Rather than viewing AMP as a one-size-fits-all solution, developers and publishers should adopt a more nuanced approach. Leveraging AMP where it adds genuine value—such as delivering news articles or blog posts with time-sensitive information—while exploring alternative optimization strategies for more complex web applications. As we navigate the ever-shifting terrain of web development, one thing remains certain: prioritizing user experience will always be paramount. Whether through AMP or alternative methodologies, the quest for seamless, lightning-fast mobile browsing experiences continues. References: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/abandon-amp-seo-considerations-clickio/447056/ https://searchengineland.com/why-were-turning-off-amp-pages-at-search-engine-land-376228 https://www.wsj.com/articles/publishers-move-to-abandon-google-supported-mobile-web-initiative-11645725640

Credits: AI Generated content

Pogo sticking in SEO - A brief explanation

 

Pogo sticking in SEO refers to the phenomenon where a user clicks on a search result, visits a webpage, then quickly returns to the search results and clicks on a different result. This behavior indicates to search engines that the initial result did not satisfy the user's query, potentially signaling that the webpage wasn't relevant, engaging, or informative enough.

Here's a breakdown of the process:

1. **User Conducts Search**: A user enters a search query into a search engine.

2. **Clicks on a Result**: The user clicks on a search result that appears to be relevant to their query.

3. **Quick Return to Search Results**: After landing on the webpage, the user quickly returns to the search results page without engaging with the content.

4. **Clicks on Another Result**: The user then clicks on a different search result.

Pogo sticking can have implications for SEO because search engines like Google may interpret it as a signal that the webpage didn't effectively meet the user's needs. As a result, the search engine might adjust the ranking of the webpage accordingly, potentially lowering its position in future search results for similar queries.

To mitigate pogo sticking and improve SEO performance, webmasters and SEO practitioners should focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that meets users' needs and provides a positive user experience. This includes optimizing page titles, meta descriptions, and content to accurately reflect the page's topic and provide valuable information to visitors. Additionally, improving website speed, navigation, and overall usability can help reduce bounce rates and encourage users to spend more time engaging with the content.

Special characters to avoid in SEO friendly urls

 

When creating URLs, it's important to avoid special characters that have specific meanings or reserved purposes within the URL structure. Here are some special characters that are generally avoided or should be encoded in URLs:

Space: Use %20 or + to represent spaces in URLs.

&: Use %26 to represent the ampersand character.

?: Use %3F to represent the question mark character.

=: Use %3D to represent the equal sign character.

#: Use %23 to represent the hash or pound sign character.

**/ and **: These are used as delimiters in URLs, so avoid them or use them carefully depending on the context.

@: Used for authentication in URLs, so it should be used with caution.

$, +, ,, ;, =, ?, :, |, [, ]: These characters can have specific meanings in certain contexts and should be used cautiously or encoded if necessary.

%: As mentioned earlier, % is used for URL encoding, so if you need to include a literal % in your URL, you should encode it as %25.

< and >: These characters are used for HTML tags and can cause parsing issues if included directly in a URL. It's better to avoid them or encode them as %3C (for <) and %3E (for >).

**** (backtick): Although it's not commonly used in URLs, if included, it should be encoded as %60`.

" (quotation mark) and ' (apostrophe): These characters can be misinterpreted and cause issues, so it's recommended to avoid them or encode them as %22 (for "), and %27 (for ').

{ and }: These are used for special constructs in some URL formats and should be encoded as %7B (for {) and %7D (for }).

| (pipe): It's used as a separator in some contexts and should be encoded as %7C.

^, ~, [, ]: These characters are used in certain contexts (such as regular expressions) and should be used cautiously or encoded if needed.

****: This is used as an escape character in many programming languages and systems, so it's best to avoid using it directly in URLs.

Overall, when constructing URLs, it's important to consider the context and potential interactions with different systems and parsers. Encoding special characters using percent-encoding (also known as URL encoding) ensures that they are correctly interpreted by web browsers and servers.

It's generally recommended to stick to alphanumeric characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) along with - and _ for creating SEO-friendly and easily readable URLs. When in doubt, it's best to URL encode special characters to ensure compatibility and avoid conflicts with the URL structure.

Difference between ccTLDs and gTLDs

When planning to expand a global site, whether to use country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), subdirectories with generic top-level domains (gTLDs), or subfolders with gTLDs depends on various factors including your business goals, target audience, content strategy, and technical capabilities. Each approach has its own advantages and considerations:

1. ccTLDs (Country Code Top-Level Domains):

   - Advantages:

     - Indicates relevance to a specific country or region, which can improve local SEO and user trust.

     - May be easier to remember for local users.

     - Allows for separate branding and marketing strategies tailored to each country or region.

   - Considerations:

     - Requires separate domain registration, hosting, and potentially separate website management.

     - Can be more expensive and complex to maintain, especially if you have a large number of country-specific sites.

     - May dilute overall domain authority as each ccTLD is treated as a separate entity by search engines.

2. Subdirectories with gTLDs (Generic Top-Level Domains):

   - Advantages:

     - Maintains all content under a single domain, potentially consolidating domain authority and improving SEO for the main domain.

     - Simplifies website management as all content is hosted under one domain.

     - Allows for centralized branding and marketing efforts.

   - Considerations:

     - May not signal local relevance to search engines as strongly as ccTLDs.

     - Requires a robust internationalization strategy to ensure content is tailored to each target audience.

     - May require more effort to implement hreflang tags and manage international SEO.

3. Subfolders with gTLDs:

   - Advantages:

     - Similar to subdirectories with gTLDs, maintains all content under a single domain, potentially consolidating domain authority and improving SEO for the main domain.

     - Simplifies website management.

     - Allows for centralized branding and marketing efforts.

   - Considerations:

     - Similar considerations as subdirectories with gTLDs, including the need for a robust internationalization strategy.

In summary, if your primary goal is to establish a strong local presence with distinct branding and SEO benefits for each country or region, ccTLDs may be the best option. However, if you prioritize centralized management, cost-efficiency, and maintaining overall domain authority, subdirectories or subfolders with gTLDs could be preferable. Ultimately, the best approach depends on your specific business needs, resources, and long-term objectives.

Here's one example for each approach:

1. ccTLD (Country Code Top-Level Domain):

   - Example: Let's say a company named "Example Corp" is expanding its global presence and wants to establish a strong presence in the United Kingdom. They might register the domain "example.co.uk" to specifically target users in the UK. This ccTLD indicates to users and search engines that the website is tailored for the UK audience, potentially improving local SEO and user trust.

2. Subdirectories with gTLDs (Generic Top-Level Domains):

   - Example: Continuing with "Example Corp," if they choose to use subdirectories with gTLDs, they might structure their URLs as follows:

     - Main domain: example.com

     - Subdirectory for UK users: example.com/uk/

     - Subdirectory for Germany users: example.com/de/

     - Subdirectory for France users: example.com/fr/

   This approach keeps all content under a single domain (example.com) while allowing for country-specific content organization and potentially consolidating domain authority.

3. Subfolders with gTLDs:

   - Example: Again using "Example Corp," if they opt for subfolders with gTLDs, they might structure their URLs similarly to the subdirectories example, but with separate gTLDs for each subfolder:

     - Main domain: example.com

     - Subfolder with gTLD for UK users: example.com/uk/

     - Subfolder with gTLD for Germany users: example.com/de/

     - Subfolder with gTLD for France users: example.com/fr/

   This approach also keeps all content under a single domain (example.com) but uses separate gTLDs for each country-specific subfolder, potentially providing additional branding opportunities and clarity for users. 

To Check Google Indexation for bulk urls via API

Are you looking to ensure that your website's URLs are being properly indexed by Google? 

Here's a quick guide on how to check the indexation status for multiple URLs at once!

In this article, we explore the process of using the Google Indexing API to submit URLs for indexing in bulk. By leveraging this powerful tool, you can efficiently monitor and manage the indexation status of your website's content.

Don't miss out on this valuable resource! Whether you're a website owner, developer, or SEO professional, mastering the art of Google indexation is crucial for maximizing your online visibility and driving organic traffic.

To check if a page is indexed in Google using the Google Search Console API, you can follow these general steps:

Set up Google Search Console: Make sure you have access to Google Search Console and have added the website whose pages you want to check.

1. Set up Google API credentials:

Go to the Google Cloud Console. https://console.cloud.google.com/welcome

Create a new project or select an existing one.

Enable the "Search Console API" for your project. https://console.cloud.google.com/marketplace/product/google/searchconsole.googleapis.com

Click on Manage Api

Create Service Account for your site, from manage service account tab

Make it as owner in role

Go to detail, copy email address

Make this email id as onwer in your site GSC account.

Go to Key tab

Add key > Create New Key > Json

Create credentials for a service account and download the JSON file containing the key and save it in desktop.

Install Google API Client Library: Install the Google API Client Library for your programming language of choice (e.g., Python, JavaScript).

2. Install Python latest version

Open command prompt

Type cd desktop enter

3. Install the Google API Python client library using the following command:

pip install --upgrade google-api-python-client google-auth-httplib2 google-auth-oauthlib

Query the Index Status: Once authenticated, you can use the Search Console API's urlTestingTools resource to check if pages are indexed. 

Specifically, you'll use the inspect method to check the index status of individual URLs.

Bulk Processing: To check multiple URLs in bulk, you'll need to loop through your list of URLs and make a request for each one to check its index status.

Here's a simplified Python example using the google-auth and google-auth-oauthlib libraries for authentication and the googleapiclient library for making requests to the Google Search Console API:

4. Copy below code in notepad, Replace 'path/to/credentials.json' with the path to your downloaded JSON key file, remove double inverted comma and change back slash with forward slash.
Insert list of urls in "urls_to_check = [" with the list of URLs you want to check in the code. Replace your website url : siteUrl= :

from google.oauth2 import service_account

from googleapiclient.discovery import build

from googlesearch import search

# Set up authentication for Google Search Console API

SCOPES = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/webmasters']

SERVICE_ACCOUNT_FILE = 'C:/Users/10151977/Desktop/hvbari-1a188aca4fe2.json'

credentials = service_account.Credentials.from_service_account_file(

    SERVICE_ACCOUNT_FILE, scopes=SCOPES)

# Build the Search Console service

service = build('searchconsole', 'v1', credentials=credentials)

def check_index_status(url):

    try:

        request = {

            'startDate': '2000-01-01',

            'endDate': '2024-02-06',

            'dimensions': ['page'],

            'dimensionFilterGroups': [{

                'filters': [{

                    'dimension': 'page',

                    'operator': 'equals',

                    'expression': url

                }]

            }]

        }

        response = service.searchanalytics().query(siteUrl='https://hbari.blogspot.com', body=request).execute()

if 'rows' in response:

            return True

        else:

            return False

    except Exception as e:

        print(f"Error checking index status for URL {url} using API: {str(e)}")

        return None

def check_index_status_search(url):

    try:

        search_results = list(search(url, num=1, stop=1, pause=2))

        if search_results and url in search_results[0]:

            return True

        else:

            return False

    except Exception as e:

        print(f"Error checking index status for URL {url} using search: {str(e)}")

        return None

def check_index_status(url):

    indexed_api = check_index_status_api(service, url)  # Pass 'service' object as argument

    indexed_search = check_index_status_search(url)

    if indexed_api is not None and indexed_search is not None:

        return indexed_api or indexed_search

    else:

        return None

# List of URLs to check

urls_to_check = [

  'https://hbari.blogspot.com/2005/10/seo-point-of-view-mistakes-to-be.html',

  'https://hbari.blogspot.com/',

'https://hbari.blogspot.com/2023/07/',

'https://hbari.blogspot.com/2010/03/your-blood-group.html',

'https://hbari.blogspot.com/2023/02/Best-SEO-strategy-2023.html',

'https://hbari.blogspot.com/2010/03/accu-pressure-on-your-hand-and-leg.html',

'https://hbari.blogspot.com/2009/10/2-bit-defender-antivirus-2009.html',

'https://hbari.blogspot.com/2009/10/5-norton-internet-security-2009.html',

'https://hbari.blogspot.com/2009/10/9avast-professional-edition.html',

'https://hbari.blogspot.com/2009/10/avg-internet-security-2009.html',

    # Add more URLs here

]

# Check index status for each URL

for url in urls_to_check:

    index_status = check_index_status(url)

    if index_status is not None:

        print(f"URL: {url}, Indexed: {index_status}")

    else:

        print(f"URL: {url}, Unable to determine index status")

5. Run the Script: Save the above script with a .py extension (e.g., hvbari_indexation.py).

Open your terminal or command prompt, navigate to the directory where the file is saved, and run the script using Python: hvbari_indexation.py