Google announced today it\u2019s introducing a Stories feature to its Google app for iOS and Android, which now reaches more than 800 million people per month. In a new carousel within the app, users in supported markets will be presented with a row of tappable visual Stories from participating publishers. These Stories can include full-screen video, photos and audio, and can link out to the publisher\u2019s other content, if desired.
\nThe company has been developing its own Stories product for some time. In 2018, it introduced AMP Stories, based on technology developed for Google\u2019s Accelerated Mobile Pages project. The Stories, which are already integrated into mobile Google Search, are meant to give Google its own alternative to the Stories offering found in other apps like Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. But, in Google\u2019s case, Stories are focused on publisher content.<\/p>\n
Image Credits: Google<\/p>\n
Today, Google is referring to this visual content as \u201cWeb Stories,\u201d not AMP Stories, and is integrating the experience into the Google search app in the U.S., India and Brazil to start.<\/p>\n
Google takes AMP beyond basic posts with its new story format<\/p>\n
Here, users will see the row of Web Stories at the top of the Discover tab, where they can tap to enter the full-screen Story experience. Like Stories found in other apps, you can tap to move forward to the next page in a Google Web Story or swipe to move to a different Story in the carousel.<\/p>\n
Image Credits: Google<\/p>\n
Publishers are responsible for authoring their Stories and have control over Story monetization, hosting and sharing, and adding links to the Stories, Google notes. To create these Stories, the publishers can use drag-and-drop tools like the Web Story editor\u00a0for WordPress,\u00a0MakeStories or NewsroomAI. Technical users can instead opt to code Web Stories themselves.
\nEarly adopters of the format have been using Web Stories on their home page, on social channels, in newsletters and more, in addition to having them featured in Google Search, the company says.<\/p>\n
Image Credits: Google<\/p>\n
Google has been working with a number of publishers to help them create Web Stories for Search and now, its native mobile app. Partners include Forbes, Vice, Refinery29, USA Today, Lonely Planet, Now This, Thrillist, PopSugar, The Dodo, Bustle, Input, Nylon, The Hollywood Reporter, Blavity, PC Gamer, Golfweek and many others. The publishers and Google collaborated on the new product and helped build out its features, Google says.
\nTo date, more than 2,000 websites have published Stories that have been indexed by Google.
\nThe update to the Google app on iOS and Android is rolling out today.<\/p>\n