Google Web Stories are the newest way to bring EXPLOSIVE site traffic to your blog and I am going to share with you how to use Google Web Stories today so that you can get a piece of that action!
What Are Google Web Stories?
In my eyes, Google Web Stories are Google’s version of idea or carousel Pinterest pins. They are accessed through the Google Discover App and have been generating insane traffic for many bloggers, including one of my clients! They are definitely something to hop on now while they are new and being pushed by Google. In my opinion, getting started with Google Web Stories right now will put you on Google’s good side. It’s just a feeling I have haha!
So what are they? Essentially the Web Stories are a series of slides centered around a certain topic. Say you have a post about potty training tips that does well on Google search + Pinterest. That post would be a great one to start with and what you would do is create a Web Story outlining several of the tips, but of course leave some out to get readers back to your blog post itself!
Check out this example of one I made for a client that has done exceptionally well on Google (7k+ views in a single day alone). It is incredibly simple, gets to the point, and leaves readers wanting MORE which is how she’s gotten so many people back onto her actual site and not just the story itself.
If you’re worried you don’t have the creative ability to put together Web Stories, I want to reassure you that you CAN make them happen. That example I shared is incredibly basic and similar to what I’ll be going over in today’s lesson. You can easily get started on them with the Google Web Stories WordPress plug-in right away after reading through this post about how to use Google Web Stories and start making way for incredible site traffic that will far exceed your goals!
Why Should We Use Google Web Stories?
Short answer: for INSANE organic site traffic like mentioned above.
Google Web Stories are generating massive amounts of traffic for many established and new bloggers. One of my clients, for example, hit over 10k site page views from one web story ALONE.
INSANE.
It does take a while to get started though. My understanding is you need to be creating them regularly (a few each week) along with producing fresh content on your blog for the biggest impact.
Okay, so you’re sold, right? Let’s dive in!
Diving into starting your first blog?
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In the course we dive into:
- How to create your blog business plan
- How to set up WordPress hosting
- A detailed WordPress dashboard walk-thru
- How to customize your website
- Which website plug-ins are recommended
- What pages you need on your site
- How to write your first blog post
- How to create a content plan & strategy
- Info about your social media accounts
- How to set up Google Analytics
- What other sites/apps are recommended
- A list of influencer/blogger networks that pay
Click the button below to learn more!
How to Use Google Web Stories
Now that you know what web stories are and the importance of them, we’re going to dive into how to use Google Web Stories through how to set up the plug in, how to create a web story, and then my pro tips!
How to Set-up Web Stories
Setting up your plug in is fairly simple.
The hardest part is actually creating a secondary Google Analytics property to properly track the web story site traffic. For a detailed explanation of setting up another Google Analytics property, click here.
Aside from the site property, you’re going to want to set your publishing logo and you’re ready to dive in!
How to Create a Web Story
Before we talk creating a web story, let me walk you through the dashboard!
- Left-hand side: uploads, stock images, text options, shapes & stickers, page templates, saved templates
- Right-hand side: design options (vary for different elements), document options (where you add in your poster image, publisher logo, description, permalink & duration of slides – all of which are required)
- Center page: add title (upper left-hand corner), preview/save/publish (upper right-hand corner), checklist (useful when editing & in lower left-hand corner), viewing options (bottom right-hand corner), graphic options including quick adds, duplication, additions, and arrows to swap through graphics created
Creating Your First Google Web Story
Here is the basic set up of a solid web story:
- First page
- add your post title, image/graphic/video, and a small blurb of text if it works well for what you are discussing in your post
- Add animations to your text
- Swap around elements easily with the layers tool on the bottom right-hand section of the screen
- Info pages
- Include 5+ pages describing your topic. These could be steps to a routine or recipe, laid out product list, or individual tips!
- Add combinations of text, photos, and videos to the pages
- Link pages back to your blog post either by linking the entire page or individual elements
- Last page
- Use a CTA to get viewers back to your blog
Google Web Story Tips
Okay my final section on how to use Google Web Stories is a must read. These tips for creating solid Google Web Stories are essential if you want Google to show them to your target audience!
- Create stories with 7-12 slides
- Start with TOP blog posts (create a list and go for it!)
- Keep your title under 90 characters (ideally 70)
- Add a link to your web stories page in your sidebar
- Do NOT title the story the same as your corresponding blog post
- Utilize a few elements with each story (animated text,
- Make the most of your already created content by breaking down videos to include as story slides
- Include a mix of photos, text, and videos inside of each story (videos are HIGHLY recommended)
- Breakdown list-style blog posts into individual story slides
- Breakdown old recipe videos into steps to place on each story slide
- Breakdown round-ups or product lists by individual slides
- Set up a separate Google Analytics profile for the stories
- The main goal should be to bring readers from the story to your blog post, not vice versa
- Make sure you’re providing value in the story itself and not just using it to get traffic to your blog post
- SEO is still important. Remember keywords, alt text, and all else you would usually pay attention to in a blog post
Now that we’ve walked through how to use Google Web Stories, I hope you have learned enough to get started on your own! Seriously. Get started today and grab some of that awesome site traffic Google is PUSHING!
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