Why You Should Be Using Web Stories and How to Create Them

by | Nov 22, 2022 | Blog, Digital Marketing, Local SEO, Mobile Strategy, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, Social Media, Web Design, Website

Why You Should Be Using Web Stories and How to Create Them | Mixed Media Ventures

A web story is a short, visual way to tell a story on the web. They are made up of a series of images, videos, or text and can be used to promote your brand, products, or services. 

Web stories are an excellent way to engage with your audience and can be shared across social media platforms for maximum reach. They are also mobile-friendly and can be easily consumed on the go. 

If you’re not using web stories for your business yet, now is the time to start. Here’s everything you need to know about web stories and why you should be using them.

What are Web Stories? 

As we mentioned before, web stories are short, visual stories that can be told on the web. They are made up of a series of images, videos, or text and can usually be consumed in under two minutes. 

Web stories are an excellent way to engage with your audience and promote your brand, products, or services. They are easy to create and can be shared across social media platforms for maximum reach. Plus, they are mobile-friendly and can be easily consumed on the go. 

Why You Should Be Using Them 

If you’re not using web stories for your business yet, now is the time to start. Here’s why: 

They’re Visually Appealing

Web stories are highly visual and use a lot of imagery to tell their story. This makes them more eye-catching than traditional blog posts or articles and more likely to stop someone scrolling through their feed. 

Use high-quality images or videos that capture attention and help tell your story. You can also use graphics, infographics, or even just text to create visual interest. Just make sure that whatever you use fits with your brand’s aesthetic. 

They’re easy to consume

The fast-paced nature of modern life can leave many people with minimal free time to consume content, but web stories offer a convenient solution. These brief, visually-appealing pieces of content can provide the latest updates in a succinct and engaging format. This makes web stories perfect for busy individuals who want to stay informed without committing a lot of time to reading. Additionally, web stories offer flexibility for how they are accessed and consumed. They can be easily viewed on a computer or mobile device, making it simple for users to access them at their convenience. For individuals with limited time but a desire to stay up-to-date, web stories provide the perfect solution.

They’re shareable

In the age of social media, web stories offer a unique and efficient way to share your message across multiple channels. With just a few clicks, web stories can be easily shared on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, giving you the opportunity to reach a wider audience and promote your brand. Not only are web stories visually appealing and engaging for viewers, but they also provide an easy way to track their performance and understand how they impact your overall digital presence. Whether used as part of a larger marketing strategy or as standalone content, web stories provide an exciting opportunity for businesses to connect with their audience in a dynamic way. So why not take advantage of this shareable format and see what web stories can do for your brand? 

They’re mobile-friendly

The trend of accessing the internet through mobile devices continues to rise, and web stories were created to cater to this shift. These bite-sized visuals are designed to be easily consumed on the go, with a layout optimized for mobile screens. Web stories can also be linked to other web pages and social media platforms, making it easy for users to access more information or share with others. As more people rely on their phones for web browsing, web stories provide a convenient option for businesses and individuals looking to engage this audience. With their mobile-friendly format and versatile sharing capabilities, web stories can be a valuable tool for reaching today’s tech-savvy and on-the-go consumers.

They boost SEO

In the ongoing battle to improve website SEO rankings, web stories can be a valuable tool. As visual content that lives directly on your site, they help drive traffic back to your web pages. Plus, if people share your web story on social media, it can lead to even more web traffic and potentially increase your social media following. In other words, web stories have the potential to boost your SEO from both on-site and off-site perspectives. So, consider incorporating web stories into your digital marketing strategy for a well-rounded approach to improving your search engine standings.

Easy to Create

While web stories can add a dynamic element to your website or online presence, you might be wondering if creating one requires special skills or software. The good news is that all it takes is some basic knowledge of HTML, or even better, using one of the many user-friendly online tools available. Once you’ve crafted your web story, you have the option to upload it directly to your website or embed it on another site. In other words, anyone with access to the internet has the ability to create a visually compelling web story without any fancy equipment or technical know-how. So why not give it a try? Your audience will thank you for the engaging and interactive content.

Creating a web story is easy, and there are nine simple steps you can follow to get the job done: 

Choose Your Story

The first step is to choose the story you want to tell. It could be about your company, your product, your service, or anything else that’s relevant to your brand. Once you’ve decided on a topic, it’s time to start planning your story. 

Plan Your Story

Before you start creating your web story, it’s important to take some time to plan it out. What will the beginning, middle, and end of your story be? What kind of multimedia elements will you use? Answering these questions will make the actual creation process much easier. 

Gather Your Materials

Now that you know what kind of story you want to tell and how you want to tell it, it’s time to gather the materials you’ll need to bring your vision to life. This might include text, images, videos, audio files, etc. If you’re not sure where to find high-quality multimedia elements, don’t worry—there are plenty of online resources that can help you out. 

Create Your Storyboard. 

Once you have all of your materials gathered together, it’s time to create a storyboard . This is basically an outline of your story that will help you keep track of everything as you’re putting it all together. A storyboard doesn’t have to be anything fancy—a simple bullet point list will do the trick. 

Create Your Title Page. 

The title page is the first thing people will see when they visit your web story, so it’s important to make a good impression . Start by adding a catchy headline and then include a brief introduction that sets the stage for the rest of the story . You should also include an image or video on the title page (more on that later). 

Add Multimedia Elements . 

One of the best things about web stories is that they allow you to combine different types of media into one cohesive experience . So don’t be afraid to add images , videos , audio files , etc., throughout your story . Just make sure that each element enhances the overall narrative rather than distracts from it . 

Make it Interactive . 

Interactivity is another key element of web stories . After all , what’s the point of creating an interactive experience if there’s no interactivity ? There are a few different ways you can make your web story interactive , but one of the most popular is by adding hyperlinks . By adding links to other websites , resources , etc., you can give readers the opportunity to learn more about what they’re reading .  8. Optimize for mobile .  It’s no secret that more and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to access the internet these days , so it’s important to make sure your web story is optimized for mobile viewing . This means keeping things like file size and load time in mind when choosing which multimedia elements to include . 

Publish and Share! 

Once you’ve created and optimized your web story , it’s time hit publish and share it with the world ! You can share your web story on social media , via email marketing campaigns , or even on other websites ( with permission , of course ) .

Tools for Creating Web Stories

There are a number of tools out there for creating Web Stories.  This makes it easier for you to go live with them, as well as save time and effort in getting your story published.  

WordPress

If you are using WordPress, you can go straight to Google and their Web Stories website and grab their plugin here: https://wp.stories.google or by grabbing it here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/web-stories/ and installing it on your WordPress website.  

Shopify

Shopify has a few as well that we Google’d and found these:  

3rd Party Tools

There are 3rd party tools available to make it easier for you to build and publish a Web Story like https://makestories.io/ that have nominal fees associated with them, but will help you get to market fast.

HTML

Lastly, if you would rather code a Web Story from scratch you can do so yourself and then embed into your website.  This of course is the most labor intensive option…

Interactive and Engaging

Web stories are more than just a bunch of pretty pictures—they’re interactive and engaging too. Readers can tap or click on elements within the story to learn more, watch videos, or even play games. This makes them perfect for both informative and entertaining stories alike. 

Conclusion

While they’ve only been around for a little while, Web Stories are growing in popularity and usage. They offer businesses like yours a great way to engage with your audience and promote your brand effectively. If you’re not already using them, now is the time to start reaping the many benefits they offer. If you’re interested in learning more about Web Stories and how to use them to increase your SEO, we can help. 

Our team of experts would be happy to answer any questions you have and show you how easy it is get started creatingWeb Story content that promotes your business successfully. Contact us today to by scheduling a brief discovery call here, and we would be happy to discuss with you.

 

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