Google Drops Web Stories From Images & Carousel View & Updates Search Feature Availability

Google has updated its Web Stories documentation to explain where Web Stories can show in search. Google said Web Stories no longer will show up within Google Image Search, the carousel view and made some changes to where these Web Stories show within Google Search.

Google wrote, "Web Stories don't appear in Google Images anymore, and the grid view is now a carousel view in Search results."

Google added a new section for feature availability to that help document that explains:

• Web Stories can appear as a single result on Google Search, which is available in all regions and languages where Google Search is available.
• Web Stories can also appear in a carousel on Google Search, which is available in the United States (in English), India (in English and Hindi), and Brazil (in Brazilian Portuguese).
• In the Discover feed, Web Stories can appear as a single card where you can tap through the story.
• While this appearance is available in all regions and languages where Google Discover is available, it's most likely to appear in the United States, India, and Brazil.

Originally this section just wrote, "Note: The actual appearance across Google surfaces might be different."

Google also updated this line from:

This guide explains how Web Stories can appear on Google across Search, Google Discover, and Google Images, and how to enable those appearances.

Now it reads:

A Web Story on Google Search

This guide explains how to make your Web Stories eligible to appear on Google Search (including Discover).

In fact, the old documentation had a screenshot of Web Stories showing up in the image tab within Google Search. Google swapped it out.

Before screenshot:

After screenshot:

The writing has been on the wall for a long time now with Web Stories. I barely saw the carousel anymore in Discover and many stories were just low quality. IMO, this is step 1 of a few... I think Web Stories could be completely gone in a year or so. Heads-up to publishers… pic.twitter.com/l4tvsKfP8o

— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) February 9, 2024

Google is FINALLY deprecating the carousel view of Web Stories in Discover.

Amazing catch by @glenngabe.

If you’re an SEO who is sad about this, be sad that your fellow “SEOs” blew this opportunity for everyone else by spamming the hell out of Web Stories, not only creating…

— Lily Ray 😏 (@lilyraynyc) February 9, 2024

…and also 301-redirect to some expired domain for a local pizza shop, hardware store or nail salon in the middle of Kansas.

SEOs did that and ruined web stories for everyone else.

HOPEFULLY this restores some legitimate Discover traffic to other sites.

— Lily Ray 😏 (@lilyraynyc) February 9, 2024

Have you been seeing fewer Web Stories show up within Google Search?

Forum discussion at X.

Update: On March 28th, Google posted a correction saying, "Web Stories continue to appear in Google Images, just as other web content may appear, but Web Stories no longer appear with the Web Stories icon in Google Images."