Akshay Kulkarni Feb 18, 2019
With Google stepping into the Stories trend with AMP Stories, the question now arises - what sets them apart from the social media giants' long-existing Stories?
Snapchat pioneered the Stories format with Snapchat Stories in 2013. After its success, Instagram copied the idea as Instagram Stories in 2016, followed by Facebook in early 2017. Now, Google has jumped on the Stories bandwagon with AMP Stories.
AMP Stories is an innovative storytelling format developed by Google as a part of the AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) project. Although inspired by the Instagram/Snapchat Stories, AMP Stories differentiate themselves with their unique features.
Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook Stories disappear after 24 hours. To retain these Stories, a user needs to either repost them or save them to his profile. In contrast to that, AMP Stories do not disappear after 24 hours. In fact, a user has all the control over their longevity.
Instagram Stories counts to 400 million daily users, Snapchat Stories to 188 million, and Facebook Stories to 150 million. Although Google is backing them, AMP Stories aren’t as much popular. Being comparatively new might be the reason; but AMP Stories are yet to reach the expected ubiquity.
Searchability and Shareability
Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook Stories cannot be searched on the web, and are shareable only on their respective and sister platforms. AMP Stories are searchable and shareable, all across the web.
Platform Dependency
AMP Stories are platform independent, i.e., with just a few additions to the existing code, anyone can incorporate AMP Stories on their website and apps. Whereas, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook Stories are accessible only on their respective and sister platforms.
Effect on Ranking
AMP Stories are search engine friendly. With them, users can effectively target the ranking factors such as time-on-site, bounce rate, dwell time, etc. Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook Stories cannot help with SEO, as they do not appear on any SERP.
To access Instagram/Snapchat Stories on computer, a user needs to install either Android Emulator softwares or some paid tools in the system, or enable specific plugins in the browser. On the contrary, Facebook and AMP Stories are easily accessible on all devices.
To create Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook Stories, a user is only required to use his camera or specific tools like filters, stickers, emojis, etc. Whereas to create AMP Stories, a user has to download its boilerplate code from GitHub, and then configure it according to the needs of his AMP Story.
The creation of AMP Stories is made easy by Visual Stories’ AMP Story Builder. It is the first and only stellar tool available for crafting immersive AMP Stories. It provides the necessary toolkit and complete workflow for the effortless creation of entrancing Stories.