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In my opinion, the reason it makes the web less free and open is because Google has a de-facto monopoly on search and they're abusing it to force you host your
by p49k 9y ago
In my opinion, the reason it makes the web less free and open is because Google has a de-facto monopoly on search and they're abusing it to force you host your content on their domain and to use proprietary technology in order to receive fair placement in their results.
In the past, Google said "we will prioritize search results by load speed." That's completely fair and a move I can applaud – it points out a serious problem with the web and leaves it up to publishers to come up with innovative and creative solutions of their own to reduce load time.
Now, Google has changed the deal. It doesn't matter how much you've innovated to provide a good experience to your visitors – it doesn't matter if you created a version that loads ten times as fast as AMP and provides a better user experience, you will still be penalized by Google if you don't use AMP. You will not be allowed in the carousel, regardless of how well your site performs. You will not be prioritized above AMP results, you won't see the "lightning bolt," even if your site is legitimately as fast as AMP. It kills any motivation for any company or person to develop a better system for loading pages quickly, because sites using it will never be able to overcome the unfair advantage given to AMP sites.
- zaphar 9y agoAs I understand it Google has stated it does not penalize or boost AMP pages. Do you have evidence to support this accusation?
- K0nserv 9y agoAs pointed out in the article only AMP results get placed in the carousel at the top of the search results. That's definitely an example of boosting AMP. They could generate carousel entries for non-AMP pages with og:title and og:image just fine so there's not a compelling technical reason.
- criddell 9y agoI believe Google uses page load time as one of the ranking factors. If your non-AMP pages load quickly, you will be fine. I don't think they specifically reward AMP.
- smichel17 9y agoYou've rather sidestepped the point about the carousel in the grandparent comment by simply stating your opinion. I'd prefer to read an actual response.
- untog 9y ago"I believe" "I don't think" Try looking for evidence instead. Do a Google search on mobile. Try to find a single carousel result that isn't an AMP page.
- ascagnel_ 9y agoAnd ISPs have stated that they won't throttle existing services without Net Neutrality. Boosting one thing while leaving the other alone, in this case, is effectively the same as punishing the other.