Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is a Google-originated initiative aiming to make the web a faster, more user-centric place by creating a set of lightweight web components for everything from image carousels to flying carpets for ads.
AMP for Email builds on the AMP format and applies it to email. You can't do everything in an email that you can do on the web, but here are some things you can do:
Place images in carousels and lightboxes
Add forms
Show menus in sidebars
Display relative dates and times
To see a full list of AMP email components, check out The AMP Component Catalogue.
AMP forms are built in your AMP code. You can't use a Dotdigital Marketing survey, page, or form as an AMP form.
AMP is great for programs and high-value campaigns
AMP campaigns have a higher production overhead than traditional HTML campaigns because they take longer to design, build and test. Therefore, we recommend using them as part of an automation program. This way, you gain value throughout the program's duration. Alternatively, you might use AMP for high-value campaigns, such as a new product or brand launch, where you can offset the higher-than-usual upfront costs.
Before you start
Things you need to know:
You write the AMP version in code
AMP content isn't built in EasyEditor. You build it in code outside Dotdigital Marketing, for example in the AMP playground, and paste it into a code editor in your campaign. The design you create in EasyEditor stays as the HTML version of your campaign.AMP content doesn't replace your HTML content
AMP content is formed from traditional HTML and unique AMP for Email components. It is in addition to the plain text and HTML content that forms an email. In other words, the multipart email that gets sent when including AMP content is formed of three parts: plain text, HTML, and AMP.
AMP content won’t show for all your contacts
AMP content only works in AMP supported email clients.
All unsupported email clients will show the HTML content, or in a small number of cases, the plain text content instead. But as long as you create plain text and HTML versions of your email campaign, your contacts will always see valid content.
AMP emails need to be approved by Google
Once you have your plain text, HTML and AMP content ready, you must submit it to Google for review. Sending it without approval will guarantee that all your contacts only see the plain text or HTML content. However, there are ways of sending AMP content to yourself for testing without approval. We cover how to do this later on.
Add interactive elements to your email campaigns
The recommended route to creating and sending AMP emails:
Enable AMP support in your account.
In Marketing, select the Account menu icon, then go to Settings > General > Account settings.
Under Features, select Enable AMP support for your email campaigns.
Select SAVE. This enables AMP support for all campaigns and all users in your account with the Edit campaigns user permission. You don't have to provide AMP content for every campaign, but it is possible for your users to do so.
Design and build the HTML version of your campaign.
Use the AMP playground to build your AMP version. You can also use the AMP playground to ensure your code is valid. You can include our
@…@personalisation markers to personalise the AMP content.Add your AMP code to your campaign.
Go to Utilities > Edit plain text version.
Select the AMP version tab, and paste your code into the code editor. The AMP version tab only appears when AMP support is enabled in your account.
Select Save & close. Paste your AMP code into the AMP version tab only. Don't add it to the HTML version of your campaign.
Set up a Gmail address to receive test AMP content. Create a Gmail email address or use an existing one, then set it to receive test AMP content. Learn more in Test your AMP emails in Gmail (Google).
Test send the campaign to yourself. In the Test send side panel, select All versions (HTML, AMP and plain text). You don't need Google approval to test send. You should see the AMP version at the Gmail address you set up in step 5, and the HTML or plain text version everywhere else. If you need to make changes, go back to step 3.
Submit your campaign to Google for approval. Complete the AMP for Email: Sender Registration form (Google). Include the email address where you want to receive Google's decision.
Wait for approval. Google sends its decision to the email address you included on the form in step 7. Your campaign doesn't send as an AMP campaign if you send it before approval is granted. If approval isn't granted, go back to step 3, make the changes Google asks for, and submit again.
Send your campaign. Once approval is granted, send your campaign in the usual way.
Learn more
If you only see the HTML version
If your test send or campaign shows the HTML or plain text version instead of the AMP version, check that:
AMP support is enabled in your account and your AMP code is in the AMP version tab.
Your AMP code is valid in the AMP playground.
For test sends, your Gmail address is set to receive test AMP content.
For live sends, Google has approved your campaign.
Your contact's email client supports AMP. Learn more in AMP supported email clients (AMP).
Reporting for AMP campaigns
After you send an email campaign with AMP content, you see additional reporting metrics in the email reports.
As well as your normal engagement and interaction metrics, you also see:
The number of clicks made from the AMP version of the campaign in the Top 10 clicks report
AMP as the Email type in reports for:
Full links and clicks
Sends
Unique openers
Unique clickers