SEO Practices for Web Stories and Things to Know
Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2024 7:44 am
Would you like to see the stories feature that we often see on social media in Google search results? Then this article is for you! Especially if you have a CMS like Wordpress, these processes are easier. Moreover, this plugin was written by Google. So everything works as per the rules as possible You can download the plugin from here . Don't forget to make a backup.
Web stories can be seen in Google search results, so you should apply all the optimizations you would apply to regular pages to story pages.
What are AMP Web Stories?
Web stories or AMP stories are AMP technology that reflects the stories we often see on social media onto the web with interesting visuals and text.
You can watch the video about Web Stories below:
Web stories are not only visible on mobile devices but also on desktop devices. At the AMP conference in February 2019 , it was also mentioned that web stories can appear on the SERP. It is now shown in Discovery sections in the United States, India, and Brazil.
In simple terms, the structure of an AMP story is as follows:
Web stories also have some advantages over social media stories:
It offers more freedom than social media platforms like Instagram,
You can offer unlimited CTA buttons or other developments specific to your target audience.
You can create much more interactive stories with HTML codes.
You can track stories by integrating Google Analytics codes
Because it is indexable, it may appear more in search results.
Here is a sample story published by CNN :
Web Stories & SERP
You can use web stories for step-by-step product purchasing guides, or you can use them for breaking news or posts that your followers will enjoy. For example, instead of explaining a situation with 10 pictures, you can use videos in stories to increase interaction and perhaps even sharing.
You can gather the most frequently asked questions job seekers database related to your industry and create evergreen content on them.
According to data shared at the conference by a site that uses web stories, almost 87% of its users reach the very end of the story. In addition, when stories are structured correctly, they can also increase your conversion rates:
The “Visual Stories” section shown at the conference is as follows:
The story pages you create are also seen separately in the organic results on the SERP:
AMP stories can also be seen in the illustrated results:
With web stories, you can also appear in Google Discover. Appearing with stories on mobile devices can increase your brand awareness and make your target audience stay on your site longer:
You can also connect stories to your regular pages in internal site links. This way, Googlebot can understand the main purpose of the story and users can be directed to a more relevant page with the help of the story.
I am sure you have the following question in mind: “Can we rank first on Google when we use web stories?” Of course, there is no clear answer to this. Google treats web stories just like any other page and ranks them accordingly . Since stories usually contain little content, it may be difficult for you to rank first on SERP for high-volume keywords with your stories.
Creating a Web Story (Wordpress)
Creating stories for Wordpress sites is very easy. Click on the plugin settings in the admin panel and access the previously created or first story button you want to create in the My Stories section:
You can also use ready-made templates by clicking on the "Templates" section:
Let's start creating our first story with the "Create New Story" section. You will see a screen like the one below. Here you can select previously uploaded images or add a new story image with the upload button. As an example, I found and added an image to create a story about Google Update:
You can click on the icon below to continue with the same design:
To add text to the Story, click on the section below and add the details you want to write in the H1 tags, up to the normal plain text, above the story:
You can edit visual aspects such as the color or size of the text from the “Design” section:
You can even add a GIF or video to the story you created:
Since design developments are actually completely up to your imagination and include details aimed at impressing users, and I am not an expert on the subject, I did not dwell on it too much. You have come to the last step, if the design and everything is ok, click on the “Document” section. If you want to create a story that is open to everyone, select the “Public” option. You can also set the time/date of the story from this section.
Web stories can be seen in Google search results, so you should apply all the optimizations you would apply to regular pages to story pages.
What are AMP Web Stories?
Web stories or AMP stories are AMP technology that reflects the stories we often see on social media onto the web with interesting visuals and text.
You can watch the video about Web Stories below:
Web stories are not only visible on mobile devices but also on desktop devices. At the AMP conference in February 2019 , it was also mentioned that web stories can appear on the SERP. It is now shown in Discovery sections in the United States, India, and Brazil.
In simple terms, the structure of an AMP story is as follows:
Web stories also have some advantages over social media stories:
It offers more freedom than social media platforms like Instagram,
You can offer unlimited CTA buttons or other developments specific to your target audience.
You can create much more interactive stories with HTML codes.
You can track stories by integrating Google Analytics codes
Because it is indexable, it may appear more in search results.
Here is a sample story published by CNN :
Web Stories & SERP
You can use web stories for step-by-step product purchasing guides, or you can use them for breaking news or posts that your followers will enjoy. For example, instead of explaining a situation with 10 pictures, you can use videos in stories to increase interaction and perhaps even sharing.
You can gather the most frequently asked questions job seekers database related to your industry and create evergreen content on them.
According to data shared at the conference by a site that uses web stories, almost 87% of its users reach the very end of the story. In addition, when stories are structured correctly, they can also increase your conversion rates:
The “Visual Stories” section shown at the conference is as follows:
The story pages you create are also seen separately in the organic results on the SERP:
AMP stories can also be seen in the illustrated results:
With web stories, you can also appear in Google Discover. Appearing with stories on mobile devices can increase your brand awareness and make your target audience stay on your site longer:
You can also connect stories to your regular pages in internal site links. This way, Googlebot can understand the main purpose of the story and users can be directed to a more relevant page with the help of the story.
I am sure you have the following question in mind: “Can we rank first on Google when we use web stories?” Of course, there is no clear answer to this. Google treats web stories just like any other page and ranks them accordingly . Since stories usually contain little content, it may be difficult for you to rank first on SERP for high-volume keywords with your stories.
Creating a Web Story (Wordpress)
Creating stories for Wordpress sites is very easy. Click on the plugin settings in the admin panel and access the previously created or first story button you want to create in the My Stories section:
You can also use ready-made templates by clicking on the "Templates" section:
Let's start creating our first story with the "Create New Story" section. You will see a screen like the one below. Here you can select previously uploaded images or add a new story image with the upload button. As an example, I found and added an image to create a story about Google Update:
You can click on the icon below to continue with the same design:
To add text to the Story, click on the section below and add the details you want to write in the H1 tags, up to the normal plain text, above the story:
You can edit visual aspects such as the color or size of the text from the “Design” section:
You can even add a GIF or video to the story you created:
Since design developments are actually completely up to your imagination and include details aimed at impressing users, and I am not an expert on the subject, I did not dwell on it too much. You have come to the last step, if the design and everything is ok, click on the “Document” section. If you want to create a story that is open to everyone, select the “Public” option. You can also set the time/date of the story from this section.