Twitter is discontinuing support for AMP links, redirecting users to the publisher’s original webpage.
The company confirms that this change will be implemented by the end of the year.
Twitter states in an updated developer document about AMP pages that the format is being phased out.
“We’re in the process of discontinuing support for this feature and it will be fully retired in Q4 of 2021.“
Christian Oliveira, an SEO, discovered the updated document after Twitter user David Esteve reported a lack of support for AMP pages as early as mid-October.
Because Twitter is “in the process” of discontinuing AMP support, it’s possible that the format has already been phased out in some locations.
Twitter will no longer direct all users to AMP pages after 2021.
What Does This Mean for AMP-Enabled Websites?
Websites that publish AMP versions of their pages can continue to do so, and the links can be shared on Twitter in the meantime.
The only thing that has changed is the location of Twitter’s traffic.
Twitter will redirect users to the publisher’s original URL rather than a stripped-down AMP page.
There is nothing you need to do to comply with this change if you own or work for a website that publishes AMP pages.
Links to AMP pages will continue to function on Twitter. Because users will not be directed to broken pages, you do not need to worry about 301 redirecting all of your AMP URLs.
It is entirely up to you whether you wish to continue supporting the format.
There is no inherent advantage to creating web pages with AMP HTML. It’s a simple way to publish content that’s fast and easy to navigate, but it can be done without using AMP.
Read How to Run an Outreach Link Building Campaign?
Because Google has confirmed that AMP is not a ranking factor, it is not necessary to use it for SEO purposes.
It’s becoming more difficult to make a case for publishing pages in the AMP format, especially after what’s happened in the last year.
Google is gradually phasing out AMP in a number of places where it was previously prominent.
In case you missed it, here’s a rundown of some recent events.
Google is discontinuing AMP
Google made a number of changes with the launch of the Page Experience Update that indicate it is attempting to move away from AMP.
Google took the first step toward phasing out AMP by removing the lightning bolt icon from search results.
AMP pages are less visible in mobile search results, but they can rank just as well as any other type of webpage.
Google has taken another step toward abandoning AMP by removing it as a requirement for pages that appear in the Top Stories carousel.
To be clear, AMP pages were not removed from the carousel. They can still appear, but they will be mixed in with regular HTML pages.
Google’s most recent step toward phasing out AMP occurred in September when the company announced that non-AMP content would be displayed more frequently in Google News.
AMP pages, like the Top Stories carousel, are still eligible to appear in Google News, but users are now seeing regular HTML pages more frequently.
Furthermore, rather than rendering the URLs in the app, Google News directs users to the publisher’s URLs.
That update was supposed to be released alongside the Page Experience Update, but it was delayed by a few months.
Users are much less likely to land on AMP pages across Google and, soon, Twitter.
As a result, publishers will receive more traffic to their native URLs, where they will be able to use features that would have been removed from the AMP version.
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