Authored By :
Bill Kochman
Published On :
February 2, 2017
Last Updated :
February 26, 2017
BBB Website Now AMP-Compliant
I am happy to report that Bill's Bible Basics is now a fully Google AMP-compliant, mobile-friendly website which has passed Google's strict AMP validation test on many different pages with zero errors. Considering how much time, energy and work I have invested in order to achieve this goal, I hope that the BBB website will provide a positive and inspiring experience for my visitors, and for people who use both desktop computers, and/or a wide range of mobile devices.
The Original Plan
When I first began this AMP conversion project not too long ago, it was originally my intention to offer both a standard website -- which Google refers to as a "canonical" website -- as well as a second AMP-compliant, mobile-friendly version of the same. In other words, there would be the original version of the Bill's Bible Basics website -- which, incidentally, was formerly known as Endtime Prophecy Net, and which has been in operation since 1997 -- as well as the new AMPed up, speedy, lean-machine version of Bill's Bible Basics website which uses less resources.
As I have explained before, the original version of Bill's Bible Basics used standard HTML and CSS code, which is what is used to display website content on a typical desktop computer, regardless of the platform -- that is, the OS, or operating system -- that is being used on that particular computer.
AMP’s Strict Specifications
However, standard websites have long used certain things -- such as large images, java scripts and java applets, background images and gradients, external stylesheets, inline font styles, table summaries, image borders, and other things which Google not only frowns upon, but now even disallows/prohibits under their AMP standard, because such things may cause problems for the owners of hand-held mobile devices, such as Androids, iPhones, iPads and the like. One of the biggest problems is that all of those extra resources bog down a web page's loading time on a mobile device.
Go for It, Bill!
At any rate, despite my previously saying that I am getting too old and too tired -- and am already too busy here with the ministry -- to learn yet another new technology, and undergo the grueling and tedious task of implementing it on the BBB website, as some of you will already know, I made a 180-degree turn in recent days, and decided to bite Google's AMP bullet. In other words, all of the stuff which they don't like, and which will prevent a website from passing their online AMP validation test, I have now removed from the BBB website.
Projects Yet to Be Completed
Of course, there is still some mopping up and fine-tuning to do with all of the underlying code, but most of the surface work is now done. For example, at this current time, I am still working on the following projects, which will take me quite a while to complete:
• Giving all articles and series the same standard-sized header image. That is the graphic which is located on the top right portion of each page.
√
02-26-17 - Now done!
• Adjusting font sizes on all pages so that text does not appear too big or too small on mobile devices.
√
02-26-17 - Pretty much done!
• Removing many line breaks -- "[br]" -- so that sentences wrap more nicely on all computers and mobile devices.
X
02-26-17 - This will take a lot longer.
• Optimizing images to decrease page load time.
X
02-26-17 - Many images have been optimized, but not all.
Visit Us and See the Speed Improvement
However, even now, if you visit the BBB website, you will notice some differences in its physical appearance -- because I had to find a balance in design between what desktop computers can handle, and what mobile devices can handle. But over all, because of these changes, and the lightening of the resources load, you will hopefully notice some level of speed improvement in your web browser as each page of the BBB website loads on your desktop computer or mobile device, compared to before I began the conversion to the AMP standard. The decrease in loading time should be particularly noticeable on mobile devices.
One BBB Website for Everyone
To continue, earlier today, after I had finally passed Google's AMP validation test -- but not before experiencing quite a bit of frustration and discouragement at times -- I was sitting here thinking to myself, "Wow! I have invested so much time and energy in making this AMP-compliant, mobile-friendly version of the BBB website. Now, if I keep both versions of the site -- standard and AMP -- I am going to have double the amount of work to do in order to properly maintain them." As a one-man show here at BBB, trust me when I say that I already keep very busy as it is.
So I made a decision. Being as the new version of the site feels fresh, snappier and lighter -- and looks pretty nice in its simplicity on mobile phones that have screen dimensions of 320 x 480 pixels and 360 x 640 pixels -- and being as I actually like it and have already grown used to it, this morning I decided to replace the original version of the Bill's Bible Basics website, with the new AMP-compliant version of the same.
Feedback is Appreciated
As I said, overall, I am very pleased with the results I have achieved, and I hope that you are too. Please let me know. Send me an email. Post on my Facebook page or Facebook timeline. Join the BBB Blog and post a message there. I will, of course, appreciate anything you do to let me know what you think, and if you feel that you are having a better experience on the BBB website, particularly if you are a mobile device user.
Speed and User Friendliness
Now, to those of you -- particularly other website webmasters and designers -- who don't know yet what the big deal is regarding AMP, let me briefly explain it again.
As defined by Google and the GitHub folks who are behind it, AMP stands for "Accelerated Mobile Pages". As I mentioned a moment ago, a lot of things which are permissible and have been accepted in standard website design for many years now, are not allowed when designing an AMP-compliant website. To reiterate, this is because one of the main objectives behind AMP-designed websites, is speed for the mobile device user; plus, if possible, not having to scroll horizontally to the right in order to see things, not having to zoom in on graphics and text in order to see them clearly, etc.
So AMP is all about speed and user-friendliness. It is intentionally designed to give mobile device users the best and fastest experience possible when visiting a website. It is for this reason that AMP-compliant websites -- such as this one -- have a much more simpler, cleaner design, without some of the extras that you find on thousands -- millions? -- of standard, "canonical" websites, such as the former version of the BBB website.
Advantages of Using Accelerated Mobile Pages
Webmasters, please bear in mind that taking the time to learn AMP's rules, and to convert your "canonical" website to the AMP specifications and standard has advantages; not just for your visitors who will appreciate the speed boost, but for you as a webmaster as well.
I am not going to promote the economic advantages of getting AMPed up, because that should already be obvious to you. Besides, that is not what the Bill's Bible Basics website is about anyway, as my regular visitors will already know. However, with a speedier, lighter site, there is a good probability that your visitors will remain longer on your site than before. What webmaster doesn't want their visitors exploring every niche and corner of their website, instead of just disappearing after a few seconds or minutes? Persistent, regular visitors is what every webmaster dreams of, but often finds rather elusive to achieve. Converting your website to the AMP standard can contribute to helping you to reach such a goal.
But there is more. If you go AMP, not only will Google love you for it, but they will reward you for it as well. One of the biggest rewards is that you may find your website's position moving up on Google's SERPs -- or Search Engine Results Pages -- which pertain to your particular areas of interest and expertise. Those are the pages that computer users see when they conduct a web search for information, products, etc.
Stated another way, Google is very much interested in speedy websites, and that is why they are now so strongly promoting the AMP standard, and giving preference to AMP-compliant websites on their SERPs. Aha! Now you see the advantage, don't you? In fact, Google has already begun to include a small blue AMP symbol next to AMP-compliant websites on its SERPs, so that mobile device users know that the site is mobile-friendly.
How to Access AMPed Up BBB Website
So how do you access the AMPed up version of the Bill's Bible Basics website? Actually, you really don't have to do anything different or special. Bill's Bible Basics is located at the very same URL where it has always been; which is the following:
https://www.billkochman.com/index.html
Please note that being as I have automatic redirects implemented on the BBB web server, even if you try to go to an "http" version of a web page here, you will be immediately redirected to the much more secure "https" version of the same page instead. You can learn more about BBB security and privacy
at this link.
On a final note, let me also mention that I have installed a special WordPress plugin, so that the
Bill's Bible Basics Blog pages will hopefully display properly -- and maybe faster -- on your mobile devices as well. As occurs with my new AMPed up BBB website, the AMP versions of my blog pages are much-simplified versions of the actual blog posts, with all of the extra dressings stripped away for speed.
Whichever kind of device or computer you use, I hope that the new AMPed up version of Bill's Bible Basics will provide you with even more inspiring and fulfilling visits.
With those thoughts, I will bring this announcement to its conclusion. May God truly bless you richly as you delve into the wonders of His magnificent Word, here on the more speedy BBB website.
Your fellowservant,
Bill Kochman