What Are AMP Stories and What They Can Do For Your Business?

Google’s AMP Stories allow content creators an open platform that is very similar to Facebook and Instagram stories, designed with mobile websites in mind.

Users of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat will likely have first-hand experience with "Stories". They're visually orientated content that encourage the user to scroll horizontally through a series of content pages instead of scrolling down through content.

They can be very engaging with the only down-side being the content is only accessible in the respective social media app, and with some of the platforms e.g. Instagram, the stories are removed after 24 hours.

Recognising the growing popularity of "stories", Google has developed AMP Stories, which is an open "Stories" platform that works on both desktop and mobile.

What stands them apart from their social media counterparts is the fact that Google give preferential treatment to the display of stories in their search engine results. Story results are often shown in a prime position complete with an icon and an image to set them apart from standard search results. Story results can also appear in Google Images and News. 

Another advantage is that AMP Stories are served from Google’s own Content Display Network (CDN) and load much faster than regular pages. As google considers page speed a signifcant factor when it comes to rankings, the superior page speed is a definite plus in their favour.

It's early days with this technology but it's certainly worth considering for businesses looking for an advantage. Content created for carousels and stories can usually be repurposed for the creation of AMP Stories as well so this can make it an attractive addition to your publishing arsenal.