What Are AMP Stories?
As a part of the AMP framework, the AMP Stories format lets publishers create visually compelling content in search that is similar to Snapchat Stories, giving content creators an engaging way to deliver news and information. Described by Google as “visually-rich, tap-through stories”, AMP Stories are intended to be creative mobile experiences that can be shared and embedded across platforms on the web.
AMP Stories are similar in many ways to Snapchat Stories and Instagram, with a series of tile-like pages containing images, video, and text placed together to tell a specific story in an extremely simplified, highly visible, fast-loading and easily consumed media format.
Is AMP Stories Free?
The AMP framework is an open-source initiative, and AMP Stories is free and open for everyone to use. If you’re not comfortable with coding, building advanced custom stories and ads may require hiring a developer or designer.
AMP Stories Examples
To see an AMP Story demo, visit g.co/ampstories on a mobile device and do a search for “CNN”. On the search results page, scroll down to the “Visual Stories from CNN.com” section and click one of the options. You can tap through the pages to get a sense of what’s possible with the framework.
As you click through the pages, you’ll eventually come to an example of a Google AMP Stories ad. AMP Stories also provides a framework for creating interactive, full-screen mobile ads integrated within your AMP Story.
Since mid-2018, AMP Stories appear under “Featured Visual Story” in Google search results on mobile devices.
Do AMP Stories Help SEO?
AMP Stories are not a core tool for improving SEO. That said, publishers that invest in creating AMP Stories will have an advantage on certain search results pages, controlling a greater share of the results and providing potential audiences with an attention-grabbing, fast-loading option to experience their content directly from Google search.
How Do I Get Started with AMP Stories?
To get started, visit the AMP Stories documentation and check out the AMP Stories tutorial.
If you’re interested in integrating AMP Stories into your web strategy, please contact ValleyStormWeb. We can help you plan, develop, and implement innovative AMP web experiences that will help your brand stand out and build stronger engagement with your target audiences.