Google Web Stories is once again Story of the week. The freshest content format offered by Google is a bet taken by the leading search engine to deliver engaging news and stories.
There is already a set of rules and many articles on how to use them, but basically, Google Web Stories are about:
- concise content
- mobile portrait format
- great visuals
- catchy headlines
During week 43, 2020 Google announced that this new content format is soon going to be available on Discover‘s section in Google iOS and Android apps, grouped as carousels.
Examples of Web Stories on iOS app
Although not more than 2000 websites use Web Stories, they are visible in the apps. Here are some print screens from the iOS app:
How to see Google Web Stories on your mobile
Basically, browsing them is just as on any other app that features stories: swipe between stories in the respective carousel, and if interested, click on one and swipe through its slides. The idea of stories is quite popular, so you’ll find them easy to use.
Web Stories carousels feature previews of each story, and unlike Instagram and Snapchat, seeing the story takes the user to the respective website. As a website owner, I really like it because the content promoted by Google via Web Stories carousels is mine.
Additionally, directing users to the respective websites gives content owners full control over how to monetize it, which is great.
How to promote Web Stories
In case you are interested in trying this format, I suggest doing more than placing them in one place on your website. Here are a few more ideas:
- key-pages on your website (including homepage)
- social media accounts
- emailing
The benefits of using Google Web Stories
First of all, as a publisher, you can deliver key ideas in less space for the mobile user that is used with swiping stories in Social Media apps.
You own the content. This is key, so all you create stays with you whether you decide to bring significant changes to your social media accounts.
Last but not least, publishers that use Google Web Stories carousels say that they recorded higher user engagement and better quality traffic on their websites.
Learn more about this topic:
- What is Google Discover
- About Discover on blog.google
- A freemium tool to create web stories (makestories.io)
