Google Web Stories have gained prominence in the Discover section of the Google app, reaching over 800 million users each month. A dedicated Web Stories carousel is now displayed at the top of Discover for users in the US, India, and Brazil, with plans to extend this feature to more Google products in more countries.
Before their addition to Discover, Web Stories have been a part of search results since 2019 and continue to appear in both search results and Discover. This change enhances visibility for Web Stories, encouraging more publishers to create them.
Viewing Google Web Stories
Browsing Google Web Stories in Discover is similar to browsing stories in other applications. Users can view these stories in an immersive full-screen experience by tapping on previews shown in the carousel. They can easily navigate through slides and move between stories, much like Instagram or Snapchat. However, unlike these platforms, creators of Google Web Stories retain ownership of their content. These stories are hosted on the publishers’ own websites, granting them control over links, advertising, and sharing via URLs, allowing them to be seen beyond the Google app.
Early adopters of Web Stories are using this feature innovatively, incorporating them into homepages, social channels, and newsletters. Since Web Stories are essentially web pages, they can remain online as long as a publisher chooses to host them. Google emphasizes, "For creators and publishers, Web Stories are entirely under your direction, just like any other content on your website. Story authors are in full control of monetization, hosting, sharing, and adding links to their Stories." Publishers have already observed significant success with Web Stories, with standout examples showcased by Google.
Creating Google Web Stories
Anyone, from individual creators to large publishers, can create Google Web Stories. Despite this, only a small number of sites have embraced this format, with just 2,000 websites having published stories so far. To facilitate the adoption of Web Stories, Google has released tools to assist publishers in creating them, including an officially launched WordPress plugin. This plugin features a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, enabling users with minimal coding experience to craft Web Stories quickly.
Additional free tools for creating Web Stories are available from MakeStories and NewsroomAI.
Source: Google.
