Introduction to Google Web Stories
Hey there! Wondering what Google Web Stories are and how they fit in with Search Marketing strategy?
In this blog post/podcast episode, we cover
What Google Web Stories are?
Benefits/cool features of doing your own Web Stories
Should you invest in Google Web Stories?
Listen to the podcast version of this blog post here:
What are Google Web Stories?
Google’s official definition of Web Stories is:
“Web Stories are a visually rich, full-screen content format for the web, which allows you to tap or swipe through stories. To consume content, you can tap or swipe through Web Stories.
Google supports Web Stories, so you might find them across Google Search and Discover.”
My interpretation of Web Stories is Google took some of the recent social media trends (Instagram, TikTok) and created their own version of this.
Here’s an example of how Web Stories can be seen in the Google Search Results on a phone:
And how an actual Web Story looks like:
More examples of Web Stories that Google gives us here: https://stories.google/
There are a few benefits from doing your own Web Stories:
You own your Web Story (as you host your own Web Stories)
Compared to social media, Web Stories are fully under your ownership since you hosting them directly on your website.
Link back to your own website
You can control how the traffic links from the Web Story to the rest of your website. You can link to a specific landing page or offer.
Run ads
If you have some high-trafficking web stories, you can run display ads on them.
Control the length of each story
You can also decide the length of each story.
Google Web Stories can be seen in the “traditional” Google search, Google images, or through the Google Discover app, available on Apple and Android devices.
Should you invest in Google Web Stories?
So you might be wondering if it’s a good idea for you to invest in Google Web Stories. Here are some recommendations/things to consider:
Do you have a current SEO strategy?
If you are starting to dip your toes in the SEO world and you stumbled upon Google Web Stories, I would recommend first having a strong foundational SEO strategy in place before doing Web Stories. This is mostly because there is a slightly bigger time/complexity/money investment in Web Stories and you want to make sure you understand how it ties into the rest of your SEO.
Great beginners SEO resources to get started with:
Are you aware of your keywords and content ranking today?
Again, it is better to invest in Web Stories once you have awareness of your current keywords and content rankings. This will not only allow you to get better results from your Web Stories, but also make better decisions on which content to promote.
Do you have Google Analytics ready to track the effectiveness of your Web Stories?
Tracking your Web Stories with Google Analytics will allow you to see what your visitors are doing after they click through from the story to your website, including converting to your email list or buying something. It’s important to have this tracking in place to really see the effectiveness of the stories beyond visits, but actual ROI.
Those are a few questions to consider when it comes to deciding if you want to invest in Google Web Stories next.
Additional Google Web Story Resources
More examples of Web Stories: https://stories.google/
Tools used to create web stories: https://stories.google/create/
What is your take on Google Web Stories? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.