Guide to create AMP pages for your WordPress posts
Google introduced new concept for mobile pages called AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages). This post helps you to understand what is AMP, how to create AMP pages for WordPress website, Yoast SEO AMP plugin integration and how to add Google Analytics code to track the AMP pages.
What is AMP?
AMP or Accelerated Mobile Pages Project allows the website to load quickly on mobile screens. There are individuals who are still sticking to 2G data packs.
AMP is the solution of this issue. It may not allow heavy weighted designs on the web page. But, it definitely allows the important content to be displayed on the web page, which actually is the zest of the website. AMPs will be just like the normal web pages stuffed with content and no fancy images or gifs. Not every ad will work on the AMP pages loaded in the mobile phone screens.
AMP Plugin for WordPress
Currently, Google displays the content from news site and blogs in search results. If you have a WordPress website then you have a chance to display in search results for your blogs because there is new AMP plugin available to create the AMP pages for your blog posts.
Installing and activating the plugin in your WordPress website is very easy. Your WP need not to be too big. Even the small CMS can install this plugin for letting their users check the web pages quickly and efficiently.
This plugin, when installed, adds a Meta tag in the head section of the web pages, which makes others recognize that there is such page available. It does not style the web pages other than just adding a website logo in the theme.
How to install and activate?
- Find the AMP and Yoast SEO AMP Glue Plugin
- Install and activate both plugins
- Change the style of design and color from the SEO -> AMP setting menu
- You can also upload default image to the post, if you have not added featured image
- If you are tracking with Google Analytic by Yoast, then you can add directly the tracking code from the AMP setting menu
The set of metadata used by AMP is different than the default used by Yoast SEO. Thus, a plugin named “Glue for Yoast SEO and AMP” has been developed that lets Yoast SEO and AMP pages work together giving out the great results.
Setting up Google Analytics
Though this plugin removes Google analytics code from all the AMP pages, Google analytics code can be validated by adding it manually. Follow the below steps:
- Make the AMP plugin up to date
- Select “plugin” from the dashboard and then select “Editor”, hit the “Select” button then after.
- You will see the AMP pages available for editing. Find “amp/templates/single.php” and click it.
- Scroll down to the end, paste your javascript code above </body> tag and click on “update file” to save the analytics code into the AMP pages.
- You have completed adding the Google analytics code manually.
Simply download the plugin from the official WordPress website, activate it and your job is done. It does not require any further settings to be made other than adding Google analytics code.
