Do you regularly use links in your posts on X and do you have the feeling that these posts are less seen by your followers? That may be true, according to Elon Musk himself. The solution is surprisingly simple, but not known to everyone.
It has now been a year and a half since Elon Musk took over Twitter, for a purchase price of which at least half has now evaporated. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is known for his rigorous approach to making processes and products as efficient as possible, often by eliminating unnecessary parts or steps. In line with this, he fired 80% of the staff and renamed the platform to Many users switched to alternatives such as Bluesky and Mastodon. However, the question is whether this is the only reason for the mass departure.
Frustrated influencers
An important cause of the disrupted timeline now appears to be the algorithm. After all, posts with links would score less highly in X’s ranking, as Musk suggests. In his response he advises not to place links directly in your post, but to add them as a response. This simple adjustment could improve reach, but raises questions because most users have never been informed about this before. For influencers who rely on promotion of external content, such as YouTube videos, this policy is particularly detrimental. Moreover, it seems as if their content is found less interesting.
Not a fan of the left
Why doesn’t Musk like the left? The logic behind this is simple: a link directs users away from the platform, for example to YouTube or another website. For Musk, this is sufficient reason to limit the reach of posts with links. This policy is similar to Apple’s former approach, which for years banned developers from directing users to their own payment pages. Both Apple and X want to keep control as much as possible, much to the dismay of some users.
Google’s search results
Earlier this year it also emerged how changes to Google’s algorithm caused many authentic websites to score lower in search results. This led to a flood of complaints from website owners, who saw their revenues drop. Google acts as a kind of gatekeeper to the web, meaning changes in its algorithm have a major impact on the visibility of online content – and therefore on the number of monthly visitors.
Algorithmic dependency
Although platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram have grown in popularity in recent years, many content creators and influencers have become dependent on these platforms. When a platform such as X adjusts the algorithm, making content less visible, the question arises as to where creators can still find visibility. This problem is further exacerbated by the growing influence of AI companies, which are processing and repurposing more and more online content – without compensating the original authors.
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Source: www.bright.nl
