Google Introduces Guidelines For Publishing Web Stories

Google has recently advised local SEO companies to follow a set of guidelines when determining which web stories are acceptable to publish. Specifically, there are six mistakes that a Google SEO company should avoid to prevent their content from being blocked on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

Web Stories is just one of Google’s many features that SEOs can use to boost their website’s traffic. This recently launched content is specially designed for users, providing information in a short, easily digestible format. These stories are presented in a straightforward manner, making them perfect for users who are on the go.

Web stories can also appear in all kinds of search, including Google Discover and News.

However, just like any other web page content, there are guidelines that SEOs and webmasters need to comply with if they do not want their web stories to get blocked on Google search results.

There are currently six major mistakes that webmasters and SEOs have to avoid. Doing so will increase the chances of having their web stories appear on Google’s results page and send more traffic to their websites.

1. Using Copyrighted Content

The first and most obvious mistake to avoid is publishing content that infringes copyright. Such content is disqualified from getting featured in web stories. However, it seems that Google is relying on publishers to actively report others who have infringed on their content.

2. Excessive Word Count Or Video Content

Pages that have too much video content or contain too many words will not be eligible for Google web stories. Google recommends publishers to keep their videos one minute long at most. The content in web story pages must also have a maximum word count of 180.

3. Low-Quality Images And Videos

According to Google, only pages with high-quality videos and images will be eligible for web stories. This means that media content should have high resolution for a better user experience.

4. Lack Of Narrative

As for web story articles, they should have a narrative. For instance, a post should tell its readers about what happened, what the result was, the people who commented on the issue, and so on.

Irrelevant content that does not have proper narrative flow will be prohibited from appearing on Google web stories. Moreover, they should have a binding theme to make them more interesting for the readers.

5. Incomplete Stories

Google also blocks web stories that are incomplete. In this case, “incomplete stories” refers to the type of content where users must click a website’s link to get access to the whole article.

This reminds local SEO companies about the original purpose of web stories: to present concise and relevant information to users who want exact answers to their queries.

6. Overly Commercial Content

Last but not least, Google blocks content that is specifically written for the sole purpose of advertising. Although this is the case, the search engine giant still allows web stories that have display ads or are affiliated advertising.

As for ad-clicking schemes, Google has implemented stricter rules to prohibit such techniques that keep interrupting user experience.

When AdSense was introduced, many SEOs and webmasters found new ways to get more clicks and boost their revenue. Some publishers wrote content that was indistinguishable from advertisements, while others used Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising.

But with Google’s stricter rules, they can ban such schemes in Web Stories and improve the overall user experience.

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