The WordPress community was buzzing when the Web Stories plugin was recently released in beta. This plugin makes it possible for WordPress users to create Instagram Story-like interactive content for their websites.
The Web Stories plugin runs on Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) technology, which will help WordPress users make their websites even more mobile-friendly.
Read on to get the scoop on this exciting new WordPress plugin, including:
- Who created Google Web Stories
- Why it’s revolutionary
- What Google Web Stories are
- How to build Web Stories via WordPress
- What templates are available for Web Stories
- When the full version of the plugin will be available
7 Things We Know About the Web Stories WordPress Plugin
Here’s what we know so far about the Web Stories plugin for WordPress:
1. The Web Stories WordPress Plugin Was Created by Google
The Web Stories WordPress plugin was developed by Google, on their own Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) coding framework. Google originally named Web Stories “AMP Stories.”
The open-source plugin is available for free in beta mode.
2. The Web Stories Plugin Is Bringing Web Stories to WordPress for the First Time
The AMP plugin has been available for WordPress for some time. However, the Web Stories plugin allows WordPress users to easily create Web Stories directly on WordPress for the first time ever.
The plugin integrates with both the Gutenberg block editor and WordPress’s classic editor.
4. Google Web Stories Resemble Instagram Stories
So…what are Web Stories exactly?
They closely resemble Instagram Stories — full screen, mobile-friendly, tappable content that mixes images with text and links.
The Web Stories plugin lets you create multimedia experiences with pictures, videos, GIFs, text, and audio. You can even animate your Web Stories by making elements fly in and out, much like the early days of Microsoft PowerPoint.
The WordPress plugin lets you build full screen, standalone Web Stories, rather than just embedding them onto pages or posts.
Want to see Web Stories in action?
Check out this example from the Atlantic about fraud on Amazon.
5. The Plugin Makes It Possible to Build Google Web Stories Without Coding
The Web Stories WordPress plugin installs a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) builder on your WordPress website. This tool resembles Photoshop and lets you drag and drop elements to create Google Web Stories.
In the past, creating dynamic visual content like this wouldn’t have been possible without in-depth coding knowledge.
Check out Google’s best practices for creating Web Stories.
6. The Google Web Stories WordPress Plugin Comes with 8 Templates
The possibilities are endless with Web Stories, and can, therefore, be overwhelming.
Google helps you get started with eight templates for different use cases, including:
- Beauty
- Cooking
- DIY
- Entertainment
- Fashion
- Fitness
- Travel
- Wellbeing
7. The Final Version of the Web Stories Plugin Is Due Out Later This Summer
If you don’t want to try out the beta of the Web Stories WordPress plugin, you won’t have to wait long for the full version to launch. It’s expected to become available on the WordPress Plugin Directory in late summer 2020.
Smartphones have revolutionized how we consume website content. WordPress has revolutionized how we build websites. The Web Stories plugin for WordPress will revolutionize how we build mobile-first content for WordPress.
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