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13.11.2020

Google Web Stories Plugin for WordPress Gets First Big Update

Google is rolling out the first major update to its Web Stories plugin for WordPress which comes with three useful new features.

Google’s Web Stories for WordPress version 1.1 gives site owners the ability to:

  • Add GIFs to Web Stories via integration with Tenor.
  • Create Web Stories with a greater variety of typography options.
  • Add captions to Web Stories with video content.

Here’s a rundown of each of the new updates.

GIFs!

Google is integrating Tenor into its Web Stories plugin making it possible to add GIFs using a simple drag and drop interface.

But these aren’t just regular GIFs. “As an added bonus,” Google says, “we use high performance video instead of the GIF format behind the scenes to make sure stories load quickly.“

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With this upgrade users of the plugin can search through a vast library of GIFs using keywords, then click and drag one into the Web Story.

Google Web Stories Plugin for WordPress Gets First Big Update

It’s designed to be almost as easy as adding GIFs to an Instagram or Facebook story.

New Typography

Users will be able to select new fonts from a list of high quality text sets when creating a Web Story.

Google partnered with typography experts at iA, known for an app called iA Writer, to ensure the highest quality of typography craftsmanship.

A personal note here – I’ve been using iA Writer on a daily basis for years to draft my articles. It’s my writing app of choice in large part due to how aesthetic the fonts are.

Google notes the specific fonts chosen for the Web Stories plugin are created with editorial use-cases in mind.

“The result is a set of carefully created combinations that let you mix and match different harmonious typography, and a dynamic toggle (“Fonts in Use”) that shows you only text sets that match what you’re already using, so you can be confident that your choices pair well together.”

Google Web Stories Plugin for WordPress Gets First Big Update

Video Captions

Users of the Web Stories plugin can now create more accessible content by adding video captions.

Video captions can be uploaded directly in the editor. As long as they’re formatted in the required VTT format they can be quickly added to all videos.

These updates are now available by updating the Web Stories plugin from the WordPress backend.