Web Stories SEO: How to Rank Web Stories on Google

Google Web Stories is Google’s latest discovery in content marketing. We are sure that if you are searching for how to rank web stories, you must know what they are and how to create them.

Still, just for your reminder, web stories are visually rich snippets that are designed as short, and engaging.

While Google Stories rank on Google Discover, you can also get them ranked on SERP using the right strategies.

This detailed guide will help you learn the best tips and practices to excel in Web Stories SEO for the real world to perform at its best.

What Are Google Web Stories?

Google web stories are created for your website and are a look-a-like of social media stories. It is a mobile-first content format.

It comprises images, videos, and text in tappable full-screen slides.

Key Benefits of Web Stories:

• Visibility on Google Discover:

Stories if crawled and indexed appear on the Google Discover Search Feed.

• Search Engine Indexing:

Web stories are indexed and ranked on search results.

• Enhanced Engagement:

User experience can be improved with the interactive format.

But, only SEO optimization can help your stories to stand out and drive traffic. Here is how you can optimize your Web Stories for better user engagement.

How to Rank Web Stories on Google

If you are looking for tips to optimize Web Stories for SEO, you must hear basic SEO principles such as metadata optimization, keyword targeting, and content quality.

Here’s the detailed breakdown:

1. Start with Keyword Research

SEO strategy is only complete with keywords. It is the same for Web Story SEO where you need to find out the terms your audience is searching for.

Steps to Identify Keywords:

• Use Tools:
  Use platforms like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to find accurate, relevant, and high-volume keywords.
• Focus on Long-Tail Keywords:
  Long-tail keywords like “tips to rank Web Stories” or “Google Web Stories SEO tricks” have less competition and higher volume, the easiest ranking factors.

• Analyze Trends:
  You can use tools like Google Trends to find popular and trending topics related to your offerings for Web Stories.

Pro Tip: Add primary keywords to your Web Story’s title, headings, and metadata.

2. Craft SEO-Friendly Titles

The title is the first thing that a reader will see and the search engine will analyze it to check relevance.

Create a well-optimized and catchy title to increase click-through rates (CTR) and rankings on SERP.

Best Practices for Titles:

• Include Keywords: Don’t forget to add the primary keyword early in the title.
• Keep It Concise: The title should be simple and precise. Limit it to 55-60 characters for best SEO results.
• Engage Users: Use engaging and actionable terms in the title for user engagement and clicks.

Example:
A Web Story titled “How Does Instagram Reels Algorithm Work” precisely combines clarity and keyword optimization.

3. Optimize URLs

URL is the most essential factor for Web Story SEO as it helps search engines categorize your web story and show it in the relevant search results.

Tips for URL Optimization:

• Short and Descriptive: URLs that are on point, yet speak clear category rank better on search engines. An ideal URL length should be between 6-8 words.
• Include Keywords: Add your primary keyword in the URL for a search engine to know what your story is all about.
• Readable Structure: You can add hyphens to separate words for clarity.

Example:
For a Web Story on fashion tips, an optimized URL might look like this:
yourwebsite.com/how-does-instagram-reels-algorithm-work

4. Focus on High-Quality Content

Web Stories can only rank if it has high-quality content that engages the audience.

Google favors stories that solve the user problems in a precise manner with top-notch content.

Content Optimization Tips:

Keyword Placement:

• Ensure to include primary keywords in the title, headings, and subheadings naturally.
• Use synonyms to include more relevant keywords and to avoid keyword stuffing.

Visual Appeal:

• Add high-quality images and videos for clear and engaging visuals.
• Do not overstuff texts in any slide. Limit text to 15-20 words for ca lear message.
• Follow a similar design theme to create brand resemblance for search engines and readers.

Metadata:

• Create a 150-200-character meta description that includes your primary keyword.
• Use schema markup (structured data) to create a sitemap for search engines for easy navigation.

Case Study:
A social media blogger created a Web Story title for “How Does Instagram Reels Algorithm Work?”, featuring each combination with concise text. By targeting keywords like “instagram reel algorithm”, the story can appear in multiple search queries.

5. Leverage Internal Linking

Internal linking helps search engines to crawl relevant pages within your site. If you internally link your Web Story with a relevant page, it would improve user engagement and SEO.

Why It Matters:

• Improved Crawlability: Internal links help search engines discover and index your content by improving crawlability.
• Enhanced User Experience: It improves user experience leading to better user engagement as they are easily navigated to explore related content.

How to Use Internal Links:

• Link to Related Articles: If your Web Story is related to Weight loss tips and tricks, link it to blog posts related to healthy foods and weight loss exercises.
• Use Keyword-Rich Anchor Text: Anchor text is important. So instead of just writing “click now”, you can write descriptive text like “diet food for weight loss”.

6. Submit an XML Sitemap

Create an XML sitemap and submit it to a search engine for easy navigation on your site. It helps search engines crawl through all the important pages on your site including Web Stories.

Steps to Submit an XML Sitemap:

Create a Sitemap:
You can create an XML sitemap using SEO plugins like Yoast and ScreamFrog.

Include Web Stories:
Add your web story links to your sitemap for search engines to find them.

Submit to Google Search Console:

Go to the “Sitemaps” section on Google Search Console and upload your file for indexing.

Pro Tip: Every time you upload a new story, update it to a sitemap as well to get discovered by a search engine.

7. Optimize for Mobile

Do not forget to optimize each Web Story for mobile. It is a mobile-first format content and optimizing it for the same will increase your chances of indexing and getting clicks.

Mobile Optimization Tips:

• Responsive Design: You should create a Web Story on mobile-friendly themes and templates.
• Fast Loading Times: Remember to optimize videos and images to improve loading speed.
• Test Performance: Before going live with your Web Story, check it will a tool like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test for compatibility.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Keyword Stuffing: Overstuffing keywords is a long-gone strategy. Even Google now penalizes you for the same. So do not stuff keywords if you do not want to lose your rankings.

Low-Quality Visuals: Blurry images and low-quality videos can deter users. Avoid doing it.
Ignoring Analytics: Do not forget to measure your performance using Google Analytics as it will give you a chance for improvement.

Additional Tips for Success

• Engage Users: Include a call-to-action command like “Tap now to buy” to take the user to the product page.
• Track Metrics: Tracking metrics like impressions, clicks, and engagement using Google Analytics provides you with detailed insight into Web Story’s performance.
• Ensure Accessibility: Write in legible fonts and add alt text to images.
• Provide Credibility: Write information from a genuine source and give it a mention to increase the credibility of the content and images.

Conclusion

Web Stories are the coolest way to improve the engagement and visibility of your site. This short-form content can generate better user engagement.

Optimizing Web Stories requires attention to keywords, titles, URLs, content, links, mobile-friendliness, and XML sitemaps.

Incorporating each strategy will help your Web Story to stand out and get Google Discovered.

So don’t miss your chance to get higher traffic on your site using Web Stories and learn web stories SEO to achieve new heights of success!

Contact Uvisible, a performance-oriented Digital Marketing Company, if you need assistance managing the Google web stories services for your website.