Google has stopped showing Web Stories in image search, the carousel view in Google Discover, plus the grid view is now a carousel view in the Google search results. Plus Google made some other availability changes to Web Stories.
Announcement. “To make sure our documentation aligns with how the feature appears in Google Search. Web Stories don’t appear in Google Images anymore, and the grid view is now a carousel view in Search results,” Google wrote.
Documentation change. Google added a new “Feature availability” section to the Web Stories section of the Google documentation, it reads:
What changed. Google will no longer show Web Stories within:
- Image Search results
- Google Discover carousel view
- Grid view is now a carousel view in Google Search
History. In 2018, Google launched AMP Stories, which was later renamed Web Stories. Google brought Web Stories to Google Discover in 2020. In May 2020, Google said AMP was no longer re. In 2021, Google pulled back a bit and removed teaser-based Web Stories. Web Stories became a craze for a lot of publishers real quick.
Reaction. Here is some reaction about this news:
Why we care. If you received a lot of traffic through Web Stories you may want to shift your strategy. Google stepped back on where and when these Web Stories can show and seems like Google may continue to show fewer and fewer web stories in the future.
Postscript. Several weeks later, Google issued a correction; Web Stories still do show up in Google Images.
