If Google can’t reach your AMP pages because of a rogue robots.txt rule, you’re forfeiting the four-times-faster load times and the Core Web Vitals boost that keep mobile visitors—and rankings—alive. The article walks you through spotting the “blocked” warning in Search Console’s AMP status report, hunting down common culprits like Disallow: /amp/ or wildcard misfires, and then surgically fixing them with targeted Allow directives so Googlebot can crawl while other restrictions stay intact. You’ll learn to pair every AMP URL with a canonical tag (or self-reference) and to link the non-AMP page back via rel=amphtml, eliminating duplicate-content risk without building a separate XML sitemap. It demystifies AMP’s strict validation rules—inline CSS under 75 KB, no author JavaScript outside amp-script, mandatory boilerplate—and shows how to bulk-test thousands of pages with Screaming Frog or Sitebulb before Google’s AMP Test tool gives the final green light. Finally, it lays out a low-maintenance compliance routine: monthly crawls, Search Console performance filters for AMP non-rich results, and Core Web Vitals tracking, ensuring your lightning-fast pages stay discoverable, indexable, and profitable long after the fixes go live.
Understanding AMP Page URL Disallowance
Disallowing AMP URLs via robots.txt erases every speed and data-saving advantage—four-times-faster loads, 75% less wait, eight-times-lower bandwidth—that would otherwise lift your Core Web Vitals, visibility, and mobile engagement.
What is an AMP Page URL?
AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) is an open-source HTML framework developed by Google to create fast-loading mobile web pages [1].
These optimized pages load in less than one second and use ten times less data than equivalent non-AMP pages [2].
CNBC reported a 75% decrease in mobile page load time for AMP pages, while Google found that AMP pages load four times faster and use eight times less data than traditional mobile-optimized pages [2].
Common Reasons for URL Disallowance
URL disallowance prevents Googlebot from accessing AMP pages, resulting in "blocked by robots. txt" errors in Search Console [3].
Common disallowance errors include disallowed JavaScript, invalid attributes, missing required tags, and robots. txt blocking [3].
These technical barriers create a complete roadblock between search engines and your AMP content, making it impossible for users to discover your optimized pages through organic search.
Impact on SEO and User Experience
While AMP is not a direct ranking factor as of April 2021, it indirectly impacts SEO through improved page speed and Core Web Vitals [4].
When AMP URLs are disallowed, your site loses the performance benefits that contribute to better search rankings and user engagement metrics.
The inability to serve fast-loading AMP pages to mobile users can result in higher bounce rates, reduced session durations, and diminished overall site performance scores.
Identifying Disallowed AMP Page URLs
Use Google Search Console’s AMP status report and tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to quickly spot and fix robots.txt blocks—such as “Disallow: /amp/” or wildcard slips—that silently kill your AMP pages in search.
Using Google Search Console to Detect Issues
Google Search Console AMP status report shows critical and non-critical issues affecting AMP pages [5]. The report categorizes problems by severity, helping you prioritize which disallowance issues need immediate attention versus those that can be addressed during routine maintenance.
You can also use the URL inspection tool within Search Console to identify robots. txt blocking for specific AMP pages [5].
Analyzing robots.txt File for Disallowed URLs
Common causes of URL disallowance include explicit /amp/ directory blocking and wildcard misuse in robots. txt [7].
Review your robots. txt file for any directives that might inadvertently block AMP content, such as "Disallow: /amp/" or overly broad wildcard patterns.
Pay special attention to rules that might affect URL parameters commonly used in AMP implementations.
Using Third-Party SEO Tools for URL Audits
Screaming Frog SEO Spider provides AMP crawling and validation using the official integrated AMP Validator [6].
The tool costs £149 yearly (with a free version limited to 500 URLs) and offers comprehensive AMP analysis capabilities [8].
Alternatively, Sitebulb offers user-friendly visual reports and detects over 300 technical issues including AMP validation errors, costing £35 per month or £299 per year [7][8].
Resolving AMP Page URL Disallowance
Unblock your AMP pages with precise robots.txt edits—use “Allow: /amp/” to carve out exceptions, pair every AMP URL with a canonical tag, and let the rel=amphtml link handle discovery so you can skip the extra sitemap.
Modifying robots.txt to Allow AMP URLs
To fix robots. txt disallowance, update the robots.
txt file and remove or amend disallow rules affecting AMP URLs [9]. The "Allow" directive can create exceptions in blocked areas—use it to allow specific AMP directories when broader restrictions exist [10].
For example, if you have "Disallow: /" for certain user agents, add "Allow: /amp/" to grant access to your AMP content while maintaining other restrictions.
Correcting Canonical Tag Implementation
Every AMP page must include a canonical tag pointing to the non-AMP version (or self-referencing if standalone) [11].
Non-AMP pages should include rel=amphtml tag linking to the AMP version for proper discovery [11].
Without a canonical tag, search engines might treat the AMP page as a separate entity, leading to duplicate content issues [12].
Updating XML Sitemaps for Proper Indexing
AMP pages do not require separate XML sitemaps—the rel=amphtml link is sufficient for Google to discover AMP versions [13]. John Mueller of Google stated: "You do not need to submit a separate XML sitemap file for your AMP pages.
The rel=amphtml link is enough for Google to pick up on the AMP version" [13]. Focus instead on ensuring your main sitemap includes all canonical URLs with proper rel=amphtml annotations.
Validating AMP Content for Google Search
Use Google’s AMP Test tool to confirm your page meets every rigid rule—from the unalterable boilerplate and 75 KB inline CSS to the ban on custom JavaScript—before Google will serve it in Search.
Using the Official AMP Validator
Google AMP Test tool can be used to verify page validity and identify specific validation errors [18].
All AMP pages must include mandatory boilerplate code in the head tag that cannot be modified [16].
The validation process checks for proper implementation of required elements and flags any violations of AMP specifications.
Addressing Disallowed HTML Elements
AMP pages prohibit author-written JavaScript except through AMP-provided custom elements and components [14].
Disallowed elements include script tags (except AMP runtime), external stylesheets, object, frame, and img tags (use amp-img instead) [14].
The amp-script component allows custom JavaScript to run in a Web Worker with certain restrictions for cases requiring custom functionality [15].
Ensuring Proper AMP Page Structure
Required AMP structure includes: doctype html, html amp or html ⚡ tag, head and body sections [14].
The head section must contain: meta viewport tag, canonical link, AMP runtime script, and AMP boilerplate CSS [16].
Custom CSS must be inline within a style amp-custom tag and cannot exceed 75KB [17].
Maintaining AMP Page URL Compliance
Run monthly Screaming Frog crawls integrated with the official AMP validator and pair the results with Search Console’s AMP and Core Web Vitals reports to catch critical disallowance issues within the two-week validation window and safeguard your search visibility.
Implementing Regular AMP Audits
Regular AMP audits should use tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider with integrated official AMP validator for bulk validation [19].
Screaming Frog has 17 filters to identify common SEO or validation issues [19].
Schedule monthly audits to catch new disallowance issues before they impact your search visibility and user experience.
Staying Updated with AMP Best Practices
The AMP project is open source with ongoing updates through amp. dev and GitHub [23].
Google Search Console AMP status report distinguishes between critical issues (prevent display) and non-critical issues (warnings) [5]. AMP validation typically takes up to about two weeks after fixes are implemented [20].
Monitoring Search Performance of AMP Pages
Performance monitoring should track clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position through Search Console Performance report [21].
Filter Search Console data by "Search Appearance: AMP non-rich results" to analyze AMP-specific performance metrics [21].
Core Web Vitals report in Search Console provides critical indicators of AMP page performance [22].
- AMP pages blocked by robots.txt lose all SEO speed benefits
- Check Search Console AMP report and robots.txt for /amp/ blocks
- Add 'Allow: /amp/' in robots.txt to unblock without removing other rules
- Every AMP page needs a canonical tag pointing to its non-AMP version
- Use Google AMP Test tool to verify mandatory boilerplate and validation
- Custom CSS must be inline under 75KB and no author JavaScript allowed
- Schedule monthly Screaming Frog audits to catch new disallowance issues
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerated_Mobile_Pages
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerated_Mobile_Pages
- https://sitebulb.com/hints/amp/amp-page-url-is-disallowed/
- https://nightwatch.io/blog/amp-for-seo-professionals/
- https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7450883?hl=en
- https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/
- https://sitebulb.com/hints/amp/amp-page-url-is-disallowed/
- https://www.gtechme.com/insights/screaming-frog-vs-sitebulb-seo-crawler-comparison/
- https://sitebulb.com/hints/amp/amp-page-url-is-disallowed/
- https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/robots-txt/robots-txt-spec
- https://amp.dev/documentation/guides-and-tutorials/optimize-and-measure/discovery
- https://sitebulb.com/hints/amp/amp-page-url-is-missing-a-canonical-tag/
- https://www.seroundtable.com/google-amp-pages-sitemaps-22848.html
- https://amp.dev/documentation/guides-and-tutorials/learn/spec/amphtml
- https://amp.dev/documentation/components/amp-script
- https://amp.dev/documentation/guides-and-tutorials/learn/spec/amp-boilerplate
- https://www.semrush.com/blog/amp-pages/
- https://search.google.com/test/amp
- https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/how-to-audit-validate-amp/
- https://blog.amp.dev/2020/02/24/learn-how-to-use-the-search-console-amp-status-report/
- https://searchxpro.com/how-to-use-google-search-console-for-amp-optimization/
- https://aicontentfy.com/en/blog/comprehensive-guide-to-using-amp-in-google-search-console
- https://github.com/ampproject/amphtml