Stories are one of the most successful formats on networks and social media, as they have impressive potential to increase visibility and presence on networks, especially if it is a business or brand that is emerging.
For this reason, Google has decided to include this content trend in its search products, through the tool called Web Stories. The purpose of Web Stories is for web pages to take advantage of this format.
If you are not sure how to use Web Stories to give your brand or company a boost, in this article you will discover what they consist of and how you can adapt them to your marketing strategy.
WHAT ARE WEB STORIES?
It is the web version of the Stories format, which has become popular on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. Web Stories combine video, audio, images, text and animation, so that the user enjoys a dynamic experience, exploring at their own pace with just a tap or swipe.
Web Stories work almost the same way as social media stories , except for a few differences in length, look, etc. These stories developed by Google help brands and companies to decide the duration of their content.
You can enjoy this format thanks to Google's AMP technology , responsible for optimizing websites so that they load faster on mobile devices.
WHERE CAN WEB STORIES BE DISPLAYED ON GOOGLE?
On these sites, users will be able to see Google stories:
GOOGLE DISCOVER
Web Stories will be viewable in a carousel format near the top of the Google Apps feed in Google Discover for Android and iOS . Available in Brazil, India, and the United States, this feature is often used for lifestyle, opinion, beauty, and more.
This format can also be presented as a single card, as part of the Discover feed. This service is only available in the United States.
GOOGLE SEARCH
Configure your Web Stories in the form of a grid for Google searches. For example, when you enter the search “activities in Miami” , the search engine will reflect Web Stories from various profiles in a grid format.
If you search for a publication, the results will be the Web Stories of the site in question. This tool is only available in English for the United States. Web Stories also appear as a single result, available in places around the world supported by Google Search.
GOOGLE IMAGES
Web Stories will be able to appear in Google Images results as an image card on the Web Stories icon. You can find this design in all the places and languages that Google Search supports.
TIPS FOR CREATING WEB STORIES
Web Stories, being like any Internet page, must follow good practices to achieve positioning. In the first place, it is suggested to use videos, since they generate greater engagement than texts and images, especially used in a complementary way.
Do not write more than 280 characters per slide, and do not use image-formatted text. And it is that the stories adjust to the screen of each device, which cuts the margins of the figure. If the slide has text, it may not be fully visible.
To ensure good SEO, try to create quality content to promote positioning, as Google also evaluates this for Web Stories.
HOW TO CREATE WEB STORIES?
Although it is true that you can create Web Stories through web programming, there are tools that will help you simplify the process. One of the best known is the Web Stories plugin for WordPress.
After entering the administrator panel, place the mouse on the “Plugins” option and click on “Add new” . In the search field type “Web Stories” so that you find the corresponding plugin (If you are familiar with WordPress, you will know what the plugin is).
Then click on “Install Now” and then on “Activate” . Finally you will be able to access the plugin, which you will find in the sidebar. The generation of Web Stories works intuitively, similar to the Canva design tool, to take a well-known example.
You can find other tools to create Web Stories that work independently of WordPress, such as MakeStories. With these utilities you won't have problems with the size, but you will when you create videos for your Web Stories.
Always remember to use the vertical camera so that the user enjoys a better experience.
HOW TO TRACK YOUR WEB STORIES WITH GOOGLE ANALYTICS?
When you have created your Web Stories, you are probably wondering who they will reach or if they are in line with the tastes of your audience. Google Analytics and Data Studio are tools that help you understand the performance of these stories, plus they are easy to use.
If you're going to use Google Analytics, the first thing you need to do is set up tracking. And it is that many of the editors for Web Stories (WordPress or MakeStories) offer a very simple experience of tracking in Google Analytics by story created.
You will then need to enter the UA Tracking ID, related to the Google Analytics property you use for your Web Stories. After tracking you will find the performance metrics, available in the Google Analytics events report.
You will be able to see this report by navigating to “Behavior” , then “Events” and finally “Summary in navigation bar” . The available metrics are:
BEGINNINGS OF HISTORY
It is the measure of how many users started watching your stories. They are reported as pageviews in Google Analytics.
DEDICATED TIME
It is the average measure of the time users spend reviewing your story. This metric is very useful for understanding how engaging your story is and is reported as Average Time on the Google Analytics page.
HISTORY PAGEVIEWS
This is the measure of how many users read your story pages. It is a metric used to study how far users reach your Web Story and where they lose interest. They are reported as story_pages_viewed events , available in the Google Analytics events report.
COMPLETED STORIES
It is the measure of how many users finished viewing your stories until the last page. They are reflected in Google Analytics as story_completion events .
The event summary report shows you the title of the story under Event Category . You can click on each numbered story to review the data for the aforementioned metrics. To do this, select Event Action as the default dimension.
Top comments (0)