Ask a group of publishers about AMP and you will hear two opposite beliefs. Some still think AMP was a ranking boost that Google quietly took away. Others think it was never more than a speed format. The truth sits in between, and it starts with a launch in February 2016.
On February 23 to 24, 2016, Google began showing Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) in its mobile search results. AMP pages appeared in a swipeable news carousel at the top of the page, which became known as Top Stories, and they carried a small AMP icon. For news publishers, the message was clear: if you wanted a place in that carousel, you needed AMP.
Let me explain what AMP was, what Google launched in 2016, whether AMP was ever a ranking factor, and why Google dropped the AMP requirement in 2021. You can see where this launch fits among other changes in our Google algorithm updates timeline.
The AMP launch in Google mobile search at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Date | Planned for February 24, 2016; Search Engine Land saw it go live a day early |
| Type | New search feature and results format for mobile, not a ranking algorithm update |
| Confirmed by Google? | Yes; Google's AMP product manager Rudy Galfi spoke to TechCrunch at launch |
| What changed | AMP news articles shown in a mobile carousel with an AMP icon; pages loaded from Google's cache |
| Who was affected | News publishers and blogs competing for news-style queries on mobile |
| What happened later | AMP links in main mobile results from September 2016; AMP requirement for Top Stories removed from mid-June 2021 |
What the AMP Project was trying to fix
In 2015, reading news on a phone was often painful. Pages were heavy with scripts, ads and trackers, and they could take many seconds to load on a mobile connection. Readers gave up, and publishers lost traffic and ad revenue.
Google announced the AMP Project on October 7, 2015, together with publishers and technology companies. According to Wikipedia's history of AMP, more than 30 news publishers and several tech firms, including WordPress, were early collaborators.
In plain words, AMP was a stripped-down way to build web pages. It had three main parts:
- AMP HTML: normal HTML with strict limits, such as no custom JavaScript and special tags for images, video and ads.
- The AMP JavaScript library: one shared script that controlled how the page loaded, so nothing could block the content.
- The AMP cache: Google stored copies of valid AMP pages on its own servers and could start loading them before the user even tapped, which is called pre-rendering.
That last part is why AMP pages from Google search felt almost instant. It was also the part that later made many people uneasy, because readers were looking at a copy on a Google address rather than the publisher's own server.
What Google launched on February 24, 2016
When AMP went live in search, the most visible change was the news carousel. TechCrunch described it as a carousel of AMP stories for news searches, similar to the Twitter carousel Google already showed. Users could swipe from one story to the next without going back to the results page.
Here is what the launch included:
- A carousel of AMP articles for news-style searches, which later became the Top Stories carousel.
- A small AMP icon on AMP results, so users knew the page would load fast.
- Pre-rendered pages served from the AMP cache.
- Support from ad networks such as AdSense, DoubleClick, Outbrain, AOL and OpenX, and analytics tools including Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics and comScore.
Google made bold speed claims. Per TechCrunch, Google said AMP pages loaded four times faster and used ten times less data than non-AMP pages. Rudy Galfi, Google's AMP product manager, framed the launch around user experience:
“We still want to make sure we show users the answer to their questions and give them the best experience.”
— Rudy Galfi, Google, quoted by TechCrunch, Google now highlights AMP pages in its mobile search results
Search Engine Land reported that AMP listings started appearing a day earlier than planned. Barry Schwartz suggested testing with searches that trigger a news box, such as "obama" or "google," to see the new format.
The timing was telling. Just five days earlier, Google had removed right-side ads from desktop results, and in May 2016 it followed up with a second mobile-friendly ranking update. Mobile was clearly the priority that year.
The Top Stories carousel and the AMP requirement
This is the part that mattered most to publishers. AMP was not technically required to rank in normal search results. But to appear in the AMP news carousel, you needed AMP pages. Wikipedia's history notes that AMP pages first appeared only in the Top Stories section.
For a news site, Top Stories was prime real estate. It sat at the top of the mobile results for breaking news and trending topics. Missing out could mean losing a large share of mobile search traffic on the stories that mattered most. So even though Google did not call AMP a ranking factor, the carousel created a strong practical reason to adopt it.
The format then spread. In September 2016, Google started linking AMP versions in the main mobile results too, marked with the AMP icon, according to Wikipedia. By May 2017, Google said about 900,000 domains had published more than 2 billion AMP pages.
Was AMP ever a ranking factor?
This is the question I get most often. Google's answer was consistent: AMP itself was not a ranking signal. In July 2016, Google's Gary Illyes said it directly:
“Currently, AMP is not a mobile ranking factor.”
— Gary Illyes, Google, quoted by Search Engine Watch, Is Google AMP a ranking signal?
But that is not the whole story. Let me separate the three different ways AMP could help a site:
| Effect | Was it real? | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Direct ranking boost for using AMP | No, according to Google | AMP was not a ranking factor on its own |
| Eligibility for the Top Stories carousel | Yes, until June 2021 | Only AMP pages could appear in the carousel, so non-AMP news pages were locked out |
| Speed benefits | Partly | Fast pages are good for users, and page speed later became part of mobile ranking with the 2018 Speed Update |
| More clicks from the AMP icon | Possibly | Illyes reported in 2016 that 90% of publishers saw higher click-through rates, but this was Google's own figure |
So when people say "AMP was a ranking boost," what they usually mean is that AMP was a ticket to a special feature. That is different from a ranking signal, but for news publishers the effect on traffic could look much the same. Wikipedia describes Google's 2020 announcement as removing the "ranking inflation" for AMP, which shows how even neutral observers came to see it.
The criticism that built up around AMP
AMP was popular with Google and many publishers at first, but criticism grew over time. The main concerns were:
- Control: Pages were served from Google's cache under a Google URL, and critics argued Google gained too much control over how news was distributed and monetized.
- Revenue: Some publishers reported lower ad revenue per AMP page, while others saw similar results.
- Double work: Most sites had to maintain two versions of every article, the normal page and the AMP page.
- Competition concerns: Politico reported antitrust concerns in 2018, and critics argued the carousel requirement pushed publishers into a Google-led format.
Joshua Benton of Nieman Journalism Lab summed up the worry: "We are moving from a world where you can put anything on your website to one where you can't because Google says so," as quoted on Wikipedia.
How the 2021 page experience update ended AMP's special status
In May 2020, Google announced it would bring page experience signals, including Core Web Vitals, into ranking. As part of that plan, non-AMP pages would become eligible for Top Stories. In April 2021, Google confirmed the rollout would start in mid-June 2021. From then on:
- Top Stories was no longer limited to AMP pages.
- The AMP icon was removed from search results.
- Any page could compete for Top Stories if it met Google News content policies.
- Page experience, measured by Core Web Vitals, became the way Google judged speed and usability for everyone.
I have written about that change in detail in our guide to the 2021 page experience update. Before that, the Speed Update in 2018 had already made page speed a factor for mobile rankings for all pages, AMP or not.
After 2021, many publishers and platforms moved away from AMP. Twitter stopped opening AMP links in November 2021, and in 2023 the Ghost publishing platform announced it would remove AMP, citing that Google no longer used it as a ranking factor. If you are thinking about doing the same, read our guide to removing AMP without losing traffic.
An example of the before and after for a news site
Here is a hypothetical example to show the trade-off. Imagine a regional news site with 400 new articles a month.
- In 2017: The site builds AMP versions of every article. It now maintains two templates, and its developers spend time fixing AMP validation errors. In return, its stories can appear in the Top Stories carousel on mobile.
- In 2022: The AMP requirement is gone. The site can drop AMP and focus on making its main pages fast, with good Core Web Vitals. It keeps eligibility for Top Stories while maintaining only one template.
The lesson is not that AMP was a waste. For several years it was the entry ticket. The lesson is that building around a single Google feature is a short-term strategy, while making your own pages fast and useful lasts.
What AMP's rise and fall teaches publishers in 2026
Top Stories is still important, but the rules have changed again since AMP. In 2025, Google started letting users choose preferred sources for Top Stories, which put more weight on reader loyalty. Here are the lessons I take from the AMP years:
- Speed is now a baseline, not a special format. Work on Core Web Vitals for your real pages.
- Feature eligibility can change overnight. AMP was required for Top Stories for about five years, and then it was not.
- Own your audience. Newsletters, direct traffic and loyal readers protect you when Google changes features.
- Do not maintain two versions of content unless you have a clear reason. It doubles the work and the room for errors.
For a wider view of how Google changes have affected news sites over time, see how Google updates affect news publishers. If you are learning the basics of mobile SEO, start with our free lesson on mobile-first indexing and mobile SEO.
Questions publishers ask about AMP in Google search
Did Google ever say AMP was a ranking factor?
No. Google said AMP was not a ranking factor. Gary Illyes said in 2016, "Currently, AMP is not a mobile ranking factor." But AMP was required for the Top Stories carousel until June 2021, which gave AMP pages a real visibility advantage on news searches.
Do I need AMP for Top Stories today?
No. Since the page experience rollout in mid-June 2021, non-AMP pages can appear in Top Stories. What matters is your content and meeting Google News policies.
Is it safe to remove AMP from my site?
Usually yes, if your normal pages are fast and you redirect AMP URLs properly. Plan the change carefully, monitor Search Console and keep Core Web Vitals in good shape.
Why did AMP pages load so fast from Google?
Mainly because Google stored copies in its AMP cache and could pre-render them before the user tapped. The strict AMP HTML rules also kept pages light.
Building fast pages that don't depend on one format
In brief, the February 2016 launch made AMP a must-have for news publishers by tying it to the Top Stories carousel, even though Google always said AMP itself was not a ranking factor. Five years later, page experience replaced AMP as the way Google judged speed, and the carousel opened to everyone.
If you publish content today, the smart move is to make your own pages fast, stable and useful, and to build an audience that follows you directly.
If you want help improving page speed or planning an AMP removal, see our page speed optimization service or get a free quote.
Google updates around the same time
Before this update:
- Google Removes Right-Side Ads (February 2016): The Four-Ad Top Block (Feb 2016)
- Panda Joins the Core Algorithm (January 2016): The End of Panda Refreshes (Jan 2016)
After this update:
- Google Retires Toolbar PageRank (March 2016): The End of a Public Metric (Mar 2016)
- Google's Second Mobile-Friendly Update (May 2016): Strengthening the Mobile Signal (May 2016)
Or browse every Google update on one timeline, newest first.
Sources for this AMP launch guide
- TechCrunch: Google now highlights AMP pages in its mobile search results
- Search Engine Land: Google launches AMP results in mobile search results
- Search Engine Watch: Is Google AMP a ranking signal?
- Wikipedia: Accelerated Mobile Pages
- Google Search Central: Understanding page experience in Google Search results
