Google Web Stories WordPress Plugin for More Traffic
There are tons and tons of WordPress plugins being released every day. Some of the newly released plugins are definitely worth it, while some are not. Though some plugins are free, it doesn't mean they are naturally worth it. Plugins do load some extra space on your server. Even worse, heavy plugins can take a dent on the website loading speed. Moreover, the vulnerable plugins may leave a chink in the security of your server and thereby your website. Database based plugins can potentially compromise on your website security. There are some plugins which really opens up the debate of whether or not to deploy it. One such is the Google Web Stories WordPress Plugin for More Traffic. Before we dive in further you need to understand the basics of Google web story and how the plugin really works.
Google Web Story
So, what exactly is Google Web Story? It's nothing but a feature that works like WhatsApp status. All you are going to see are photo snippets along with some attractive captions. You can also add short videos instead of these images. The time for displaying these images or videos is clearly indicated in form of timeline. In addition, these things load exclusively on mobiles and not on desktop platforms. It is almost like WhatsApp statues or Instagram stories. The 2K generation can easily relate with it as well as the userbase obsessed with Instagram. We will look more into other aspects of it in following sections.
Google Web Story plugin is not quite ready for prime time yet. At least, that is what the developers believe so. If you want to take the risk, the team invites you to try the public beta phase. The plugin was last updated on 20th August 2020. No bugs have been reported as of late. The team is bringing in first class support on the WordPress platform. They have provided with over half a dozen expressive templates - Fresh & Bright, Sleep, Fashion on the go, No Days, Weekly Entertainment, Experience Thailand, Doers get more done and Food & Stuff.
Help & support
The team has supplied with tons of tips to make the best use of the plugin. These are nothing but trappable visual stories brought to the internet. The plugin is powered by AMP technology, about which you can learn more on amp.dev. If you happen to spot a bug or missing feature, feel free to report to the team. After all that is what the beta phase intends to do. Later this year, performance fixes and bug fixes will be given in addition to stabilization. In addition, the final version will feature animation and page attachment support. You can report bugs directly from the plugin as well as mail them to support.
How to install the plugin?
Download the Google Web Story plugin from Github page. Browse to Plugins > Add New. Click the upload plugin menu at the top right corner of the screen. Select the zip file from your local drive. Hit the Install Now button. When the installation is over, you will see the 'Plugin installed successfully' message. Click the 'Activate Plugin' menu at the bottom of the screen. Tada, you have successfully added Google Web Story to your blog.
How it looks on search results?
Stories are nothing new to the World Wide Web. Instagram, Facebook and even Youtube have got it. However the Google web stories doesn’t even show up on search results at times. You might have to search for your domain name along with ‘stories’ to even see them. Even worse, they can only be seen from mobile search results. The results are shown under the section, ‘Visual Stories’. The good part is the results account for a really immersive experience. You basically have an image or short video to go along with the captions. The visual content fits so well into your mobile screens. You are by default, allowed to have one link per slide.
If you are into affiliate marketing, the team doesn’t recommend using more than one link per story. When you click on a slide it goes to the next available slide. It its moving automatically, you will see the timeline and pace in which it’s browsing to the next slide. So you basically click through the entire sequence. With each click, you are getting an image plus some text. Google recommends using a minimum of 4-5 slides for these web stories. You can use up to 30 slides or even more technically. However, we suggest you stick with the Google guidelines for best results. We don’t have much information on the best practices for this newly launched feature.
How to create a Google Web Story?
Once you activated the plugin, you are going to have a new menu on the dashboard – Stories. When you click and load the page, you will see a menu – Create New Story. Before doing that, you can explore templates and choose the one that best suits you. The templates look elegant and strong for its graphics. The editor/builder for making these web stories are pretty clear and concise. You can add image, text and shapes to your web story. You have styling options for text on the right. There are 8 basic shapes to work with, while creating your web story. You can delete or duplicate an existing page. Similarly, you can always add a new page to the sliding gallery. Once you click publish, your web stories will show up in search results.
Summing it up...
Whether or not, you should use Google Web Store WordPress Plugin is entirely up to you. Regardless, it is a cool addition to your web presence. Nevertheless, the plugin is still in beta phase. In addition, it doesn't have any impact on desktop results. You can opt for it if you are willing to bear the risks of a beta plugin. The final verdict is start out with this plugin after exercising necessary caution.