Google Web Stories gain custom WordPress embed options, native theme integration

Google’s push for AMP-powered Web Stories saw a boost with the launch of a WordPress plugin in September. A recent update makes it easy to embed Web Stories into sites, while there are now WordPress themes that natively display carousels of AMP content.

Version 1.5 of the Web Stories Editor for WordPress makes it “very easy to embed Web Stories into your site.” In posts or pages, this takes the form of a more advanced Web Stories block. Creators could previously only enter an individual story URL to have it displayed. That’s now joined by two other options: 

• Latest Stories: Display your most recent stories, with filtering and sorting options. The list automatically updates as you publish new stories. 
• Selected Stories: Display a list of handpicked stories. 

Available layouts include a carousel of rectangular cards or circular items, a grid view with up to four columns, or a list of stacked stories. Google explains how this helps your “content strategy”:

1. Take advantage of both original and third-party story experiences to enhance the quality of your content strategy. You can embed your own Web Stories or Web Stories created by other publishers into your content. 
2. Diversify your traffic sources by combining organic traffic from search results and Discover, with direct traffic from origin, and social sharing. 

Meanwhile, in addition to integration with the Classic Editor, Web Stories can now be part of WordPress theme customization. Options today include a carousel that’s vaguely similar to the top of the Instagram or Twitter (Fleets) mobile apps, as well as grids:

• The makers of the popular Astra theme announced their integration of stories.
• The Neve theme also provides integration of Web Stories into their theme.
• The Newspack project provides native stories support to the Newspack theme and the new capabilities will be released soon.
• The Web Stories WordPress plugin provides built-in integrations for all WordPress core default themes so that they have this opt-in functionality out-of-the-box.

In the screenshots below you can again see a selected stories embed using a circle carousel at the top of the theme, a selected stories embed using a box carousel displaying the members of the team, a selected stories embed using a box carousel displaying stories for the menu items, and a selected stories embed using a list layout.