Unlike Stories on social media, Web Stories are part of the open web. You can embed them in your site, share them across all your social media outlets, or use them as a destination page in their own right – making them a truly versatile advertising tool.
Key benefits of Web Stories
Web Stories create a full-screen multi-media experience designed to immerse and captivate users. For advertisers, they are a blank page in terms of creating absorbing and enticing content. By occupying the full screen they guarantee to catch the users’ full attention for the time they are on that page and because of that you'll be able to:
Engage with your consumers faster
The captivating nature of Web Stories is a great way to connect with customers who are increasingly immune to traditional advertising methods.
Improve sharing
Web Stories can be embedded across various sites or apps and can be easily shared by users or linked to.
Formulate creative, multi-media communication
The combination of media available in a Web Story makes it a uniquely versatile platform for advertisers to work with.
Improve loading and UX
Users don’t wait around for a page to load, but Web Stories enable you to incorporate fast-loading video content, making it an attractive advertising medium.
Enhance Storytelling
The storytelling nature of this format has the ability to take the user on a journey and connect with them on multiple levels.
Track easily
Google tools will be able to identify Web Stories, and the Search Console reports on how much traffic your Web Stories are generating. So you will be able to track the impact of your Stories easily.
Be more interactive
You can boost user engagement with interactive elements in your story – add a multiple choice question that can double up as useful customer feedback.
Fast track checkout
By integrating your story with an e-commerce platform such as Shopify, you can have direct links to your products pages and even to checkout, providing a streamlined sales conversion process.
How to create Web Stories
Web Stories are essentially a web page and are designed and created in the same way. To avoid coding, you can use a story editor tool such as News Room AI or Make Stories. These provide simple drag and drop approach, making the process fast and user-friendly.
For sites using a CMS such as WordPress, a simple plugin will enable you to build Web Stories seamlessly. Alternatively, if you are looking to build your own from scratch you will find full tutorials from original AMP documentation.
Top tips for successful Web Stories
Web Stories are designed for short, sharp bursts of engagement. Primarily aimed at mobile users, they will be likely viewed on the commute to work, waiting for a friend to arrive or for a kettle to boil. The best Web Stories engage instantly, are visually rich, and are ideal clickbait.
Here are some tips to creating a successful Web Story:
Build a narrative
Tell a story, however short it might be, with a beginning, story arc and satisfying end.
Take them on a journey
The average length of a Web Story is about 10-20 pages. By allowing them to tap through your story, you satisfy their need for filling their time.
Make it attractive
Take advantage of the full screen format to impress users with visually impactful video footage and imagery. Use colour, line and movement to capture their attention from the get go.
Avoid overusing text
Web Stories should be easily digestible so keep text brief and take advantage of other media to expand on your meaning.
Keep videos short
15 seconds or less is the optimal length for a video, to keep the pace moving and avoid users losing interest and swiping.
Message in mute
The majority of video content online is viewed in a mute setting so, whilst audio can be a big plus, make sure your message is clearly communicated without relying on it. Captions to any audio dialogue are a must.
Use animation to guide the eye
Think carefully about your animations, making sure they add to – and do not distract from – your content. Sliding text towards an image, for example, will draw the eye to that image.
Encourage interaction
Draw upon external sources to make your content interactive, by embedding social media posts, YouTube videos or customer surveys. You could also include attachments to encourage further reading. For example, if you are just showing a short clip, a link to the full video will give the user the option of participating further in your brand.