Using AMP for Shopify has helped thousands of Shop Sheriff users get in front of more potential customers by providing better organic SEO and a faster loading storefront. But many newcomers to AMP are often confused about where AMP pages actually appear. Do they replace your shop? Do they create duplicate content? In this article, we'll break down all of your questions regarding AMP visibility.
Where do AMP pages appear?
AMP pages appear in multiple places, but the most common place is in Organic Mobile Search Results. Your Shopify AMP pages don't appear in desktop search results. They are optimized for mobile and Google gives them priority in mobile search. 
When someone clicks on one this result, they are directed to the AMP page (example: https://amp.manlymanco.com), which is cached by Google and loads nearly instantaneously.
What about Ads?
AMP pages may also appear in Ads, but only if you manually set them up for this. This will not happen by default. If you'd like them to appear in Ads, check our tutorial here. One of the benefits of using Ads in Google Ads (formerly Adwords), is that you will experience a higher Quality Score, and therefore a lower Cost Per Click, when using AMP pages. People also use AMP for Google Shopping (Merchant Center), because they love the fast loading experience that a user receives from clicking their ad. AMP pages don't show up in Ads automatically. It requires some configuration by you to tell Google: "Hey Google, show my AMP pages for mobile Ad clicks!". You can read up on how to do that here: Using AMP with your favorite Ads platform.
The last way a user finds an AMP page is when they are sent to a direct AMP link. By using AMP by Shop Sheriff, your direct AMP link will default to: yoursite.com/a/s/. So if your product is currently at yoursite.com/products/amazing-fun-thing, then your AMP URL will be yoursite.com/a/s/products/amazing-fun-thing.
Are all mobile visitors redirected to AMP pages?
Mobile visitors aren't automatically redirected to AMP pages unless you have the page published on AMP, and the user clicks on one of the following:
- A page in Mobile Search Results (Google and Bing).
- A page in Google Ads (only if you've set this up in Google Ads, this doesn't happen by default).
- A page in Pinterest (pinterest does this automatically, by detecting if you have an AMP version of that URL).
- The direct AMP link. Any "direct AMP" link by default has "a/s/" in the URL, such as mysite.com/a/s/products/some-product.
Do AMP pages show up in desktop search?
No, AMP pages are strictly for mobile search engines. Which is pretty huge, since 81% of all Shopify traffic comes from a mobile device.
Do AMP pages replace my existing pages?
No, AMP pages are essentially "a faster, lighter, parallel version of your shop optimized for mobile and SEO". You'll still have your original shop, and you'll have the AMP version of your shop, which will be undoubtedly a faster loading experience. Your AMP theme doesn't replace your existing theme.
Do AMP pages create duplicate content?
No, by using Shop Sheriff, we put the required "canonical" and "amphtml" meta tags in place on your pages, so that Google does not flag any duplicate content. Using these meta tags is exactly how Google intends AMP to work, so Shop Sheriff is doing everything by the book, and your shop won't be penalized. Instead, your shop will be rewarded with higher SEO due to a faster loading AMP site.