AMP for WordPress

bikegremlin

Well, I've made several tutorial articles on AMP. Will link them here in case it helps anyone (making a separate topic as @mikho suggested to be a good idea):

What is AMP?

How to implement AMP for a WordPress site - and connect Google Analytics

The working Google Analytics implementation method has changed with the AMP plugin updates, so I've left the old ("legacy") code for reference, but included the code that works (for) now.

There are plugins for this, but I was looking for a plugin-free solution (and have found it). It's better to not use any plugins for stuff that can be done with just a little child-theme custom code. Makes things faster and more stable in the long run.

johnk

I typically recommend against AMP. It's an annoying and frankly stupid concept

bikegremlin

@johnk said:
I typically recommend against AMP. It's an annoying and frankly stupid concept

I love the concept!
Sacrificing a bit of the flashy design for the essence: the contents (article text and images) being loaded more efficiently.

In the 7th chapter - "AMP ethical aspect" - I talked more about the whole concept from the ethical perspective.

johnk

@bikegremlin said:

@johnk said:
I typically recommend against AMP. It's an annoying and frankly stupid concept

I love the concept!
Sacrificing a bit of the flashy design for the essence: the contents (article text and images) being loaded more efficiently.

I don't disagree. Obviously, lighter and faster websites are great for everyone.

My issue is with the AMP standard itself. It's really was an almost-entirely-Google project, for who know what reason. Requiring special HTML markup, ridiculous standards when it comes to styling/scripts, and very strict validation were all parts where they screwed up.

I've heard more horror stories and had more tickets about XYZ AMP not working versus anyone who actually saw a big benefit. The messaging around AMP (AMP will magically make your site faster! Boost your SEO!) is also incredibly misleading, which gives webmasters/site owners the feeling that they need AMP.

It's truly a PITA, and one could get the same results (speed wise) if one took the time they spent making their site AMP compatible and optimized it well instead.

bikegremlin

IMO, AMP is not a replacement for good (mobile) optimization.
It's just an addition.

I've seen stupider things done "for SEO" - "SEO" (and "social networks) is ruining the Internet, piling it with garbage.
( my long-winded drivel on that )

But you've made a good point.
For me, AMP was an interesting challenge and, again, a good concept.
But I've configured my websites so I can easily ditch it, just in case.

johnk

@bikegremlin said:
IMO, AMP is not a replacement for good (mobile) optimization.
It's just an addition.

Which, is really part of the issue at hand. It AMP was a standard built for general site optimization, awesome. But it's either-or. AMP is a completely separate version of your site that you now have to maintain. So, why not optimize it well for mobile, and save the time cost ?

bikegremlin

@johnk said:

@bikegremlin said:
IMO, AMP is not a replacement for good (mobile) optimization.
It's just an addition.

Which, is really part of the issue at hand. It AMP was a standard built for general site optimization, awesome. But it's either-or. AMP is a completely separate version of your site that you now have to maintain. So, why not optimize it well for mobile, and save the time cost ?

Here's my reasoning:
The way I've configured it, AMP maintenance is done 100% automatically. Zero extra hassle. Which is the point of my starting this topic (and making the tutorial article).
And it provides a super-fast user experience, for people with poor net connections using mobile phones (poor mobile-signal coverage, flat bike tyre, "how do I fix it?").