What Are Web Stories and How Do You Integrate Them Into Your Ecommerce Strategy?

What Is a Web Story? Definition and History

It is impossible to talk about a web story without talking, above all, about a story.

In 2013, a new content format appeared on the web, which would quickly revolutionize the world of Content Marketing: The Story, Born from the Social Network Snapchat. You're probably already familiar with stories, those ephemeral videos that disappear after 24 hours.

Over time, seeing the potential of this format, All Social Networks Release Their Own Stories Feature : Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, LinkedIn, LinkedIn, LinkedIn, LinkedIn, YouTube, and even Pinterest or messengers like WhatsApp and Signal.

But It was only in 2018 that the web story as such was born. Google is launching it, under the name AMP Stories, as an extension of its Accelerated Mobile Pages. Since then, they have been known under the name of Google Web Stories, and you can find them both in the search engine results, but also in Google Images and Google Discover.

Back to the present: web stories have now become an innovative key format for working on your natural referencing (SEO) strategy, but also, quite simply, for communicating your brand messages in an engaging way.

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Web Stories vs Instagram Stories

Beyond the fact that they appear directly in search engine results, web stories have significant differences from stories that are traditionally found on social networks:

• They have an unlimited duration, since they don't disappear after 24 hours.
• You Can Integrate Your Web Story Directly Into Websites, on the home page, on your product sheets, or on any other type of page.
• You are the owner of your web story, which is not the case with a traditional story. Indeed, if the social network where it was designed disappears, your story disappears with it.

What Does a Web Story Look Like?

A web story is a full-fledged page on your website, which contains several pages that the visitor can scroll using arrows. By nature, a web story has a format responsive : It adapts to any screen size, from the Desktop To the mobile, through the tablet.

Generally, a web story adopts the same Vertical format Than the stories that we traditionally see on social networks. It combines different types of content : video, text, image, GIFs...

You Can Also Integrate Into Your Web Stories Links, to improve navigation on your website or conversion.

Another interesting possibility: the inclusion in your web story of Engaging content formats, like quizzes or polls, for example to collect Feedback On your brand.

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Best Practices for Using Web Stories

Tempted by the idea of creating web stories? Here are some best practices to apply to effectively use this innovative format.

Create a script for your web story

To create a good web story, everything starts with the design of a script. In the same way as when you design a video, the script of your web story allows you to be sure of Broadcast the Key Message You Want to Get Across, and of Structure your content effectively.

However, creating your script requires Think about the objective you are experiencing through this web content. Do you want to reassure your targets before buying your products on your e-commerce site? Increase the time spent on a blog post? Explain your value proposition in an engaging way on your home page?

By thinking about this primary objective, you determine the most effective format to give to your web story, and also think about the channels where you will broadcast it.

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Skillfully handle the Storytelling

As a marketer, you know it: words have weight, and every web project must know how to make good use of them. That's where the Storytelling, or the art of telling stories, comes into play.

Your web story should Tell an Engaging, Self-Sufficient Story, just like another page on your website.

Of course, your content can link to other pages, to make your visitor dig deeper or to encourage conversion. But your web story must be able to be consumed alone, and get your key message across accurately, while generating engagement.

Beware of Information Overload

While it is tempting to make the most of the web story format, one of the key mistakes is to overload each of its pages with supernumerary information.

We generally recommend designing web stories of a maximum of dozen pages - Number beyond which you risk losing the attention of your target.

But Be Careful With Do not overload these pages with text, links or visuals, which would blur the key message That you want to pass. Choose clear, airy pages, and a level of textual information that remains legible in just a few seconds.

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Use a web story editing tool designed for marketers

The technology behind Web Stories is open and accessible to everyone. But creating Web Stories that engage visitors and drive sales requires more than just code.

To create Web Stories efficiently, you need a platform that:

• Is simple for marketing teams to use
• Reflects your brand identity
• Offers proven, conversion-focused templates
• Lets you publish Stories across your entire customer journey

That's exactly what JOIN Stories delivers.

Discover how to create immersive, responsive Web Stories that engage shoppers and increase conversions.

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Broadcast Your Web Stories As They Should

You're probably familiar with Pareto's law and how it applies to the world of content creation and management. It is generally said that you need to spend 20% of the time spent creating your content, and 80% of the time distributing and promoting it so that it receives the necessary visibility.

That's why, once your web story is designed, you need to work on Broadcast it on all relevant marketing channels: 

• On your website, on the pages that make it possible to achieve the marketing goals underlying your web story
• In your newsletter or other emails
• In Your Communication Print, Via a QR Code that leads to the web story page
• In the Feeds Organic Pages of Your Social Networks, to create engaging carousels...

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Measuring the Performance of Your Web Stories

As with any web marketing strategy, it is crucial, once your web stories are published, to Measure the performance they collect.

Take the time to regularly do a Reporting comprehensive, including in particular:

• The Number of Views
• Click-through rate
• The completion rate of your videos

This allows you not only to measure the ROI of your strategy, but also to optimize your content continuously, to make it even more effective.

You now have the theoretical bases to learn how to use web stories in your communication.

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FAQ about Web Stories

What Is the Definition of a Web Story?

A Web Story is a story-format web page designed to be consumed quickly on both mobile and desktop devices. Unlike Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat Stories, a Web Story is not ephemeral and can be indexed by search engines.

A Web Story is therefore a visual and interactive content format inspired by social media stories but hosted directly on a website. It typically consists of multiple vertical screens combining images, videos, text, links, and calls-to-action.

What Is a Web Story Used For?

A Web Story is used to present a message, product, article, or brand experience in a more visual and engaging way than a traditional web page. It can be used to increase engagement, guide navigation, support an SEO strategy, and drive conversions.

What Is the Difference Between a Web Story and an Instagram Story?

An Instagram Story is published on Instagram and typically disappears after 24 hours. A Web Story is hosted on your own website, remains accessible over time, and can appear in Google Search, Google Images, and Google Discover.

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