Is Threads the X-killer we’ve been waiting for? Two years in, the platform’s not just alive, it’s thriving. Surpassing 350 million monthly users this year alone, Threads is shaping up to be a serious contender. Mark Zuckerberg himself is betting big, predicting it could be Meta’s next billion-user sensation. The question is: can Threads unseat the reigning champ?
Threads’ Traffic Tease: Is It Enough to Lure Creators?
Threads boasts impressive user numbers, but a key question lingers: is it actually driving trafficoutto the wider web? While referrals from the platform hit 28.4 million in June, a substantial leap from last year’s 15.1 million (according to Similarweb), that figure pales in comparison to the app’s daily average of 115+ million users. This discrepancy could be a deal-breaker. For creators, publishers, and anyone relying on non-Meta platforms, Threads’ allure hinges on its ability to be more than just another walled garden. Is it a community builder, or just another echo chamber? The answer, for many, is tied to those outbound clicks.
Threads’ dirty little secret? Links. For ages, users whispered that Meta buried posts containing them. The unwritten rule: ditch the link or bury it in the comments. Even Instagram’s head honcho, Adam Mosseri (who also pulls the strings at Threads), has been lukewarm. He claims no intentional downranking, but admits links get little love from the algorithm because, well, people just don’t engage with them. Are links the kryptonite of Threads’ engagement? The jury’s still out, but the evidence is mounting.
Meta’s initial hesitation wasn’t solely driven by user desires; a darker concern loomed – the potential for link-slinging spammers and malicious actors to infest their text-based realm. But tides shift. Now, Meta’s charting a new course, selectively unearthing valuable links amidst the digital noise, curating a better experience one post at a time.
Threads is leveling up its link game! Adam Mosseri hinted back in June that link ranking was getting a serious tune-up, and apparently, the results are in: links are performing “much better” after a month of behind-the-scenes tweaks. Meta’s doubling down on this, empowering users to deck out their profiles with multiple links and providing in-depth link analytics within the “insights” feature. The ultimate goal? To transform Threads into a launchpad, extending your influence far beyond the app itself, according to a May announcement.
Threads’ traffic-driving potential? Still a whisper, not a roar. Last spring, a behemoth of 150 million users barely nudged 24.8 million clicks toward external sites (Similarweb data). Fast forward a year: engagement doubled to 51.8 million, but is that really a victory for a platform teeming with potential? The needle’s moving, but slowly.
But here’s the rub: those numbers whisper a tale of untapped potential. Are Threads users simply blind to the allure of a well-placed link? Lia Haberman, the social media whisperer behind the ICYMI newsletter, isn’t shocked. “We’ve unintentionally trained people to ignore them,” she argues. “Links became afterthoughts. You can’t just expect a sudden 180-degree turn.” So, is Threads a link-free zone, or is there a way to reignite the click?
Threads: A Traffic Mirage for Publishers?
Publishers are prolific sharers on Threads, yet the platform remains a questionable source of website traffic. Chartbeat data reveals publisher page views sourced from Threads nearly doubled in the first half of the year, leaping from 8.8 million in January to 15.1 million in June. However, this apparent growth may not be enough to satisfy their desire.
Threads’ Buzz Peak: A Flash in the Referral Pan? March 2025 saw websites flooded with traffic from the upstart social platform. Similarweb clocked 28.8 million outbound referrals, while Chartbeat publishers enjoyed a surge of 25 million page views. Was this a glimpse of Threads’ true potential, or just a fleeting moment in the ever-shifting social media landscape?
Threads’ growth is undeniable, yet it’s a mere blip on publishers’ traffic radar. Chartbeat data reveals Threads consistently delivers less than 0.1% of referral traffic over the past 18 months. Facebook, though not what it once was, still pulls in 2-3%. Google Discover dominates with a whopping 13-14%. Even comparing Threads to other emerging platforms like ChatGPT and Reddit, it barely edges out Perplexity in driving traffic to websites. The numbers paint a clear picture: Threads is still a very, very small player in the referral game.
Threads’ referral traffic? A mere whisper compared to Twitter’s already faint shout. Even before the Elon Musk era, Twitter wasn’t exactly a traffic titan. Back in January 2018, it drove a paltry 3% of publishers’ page views (per Chartbeat data in Press Gazette). Fast forward to April 2023, post-Musk but pre-X, and that trickle dwindled to a measly 1.2%.
Chartbeat’s peek into the internet’s soul, gleaned from 3,000 sites sharing anonymized data, isn’t the whole story, but it hints at something big: a slight bump in referral traffic. Coincidence? Maybe. But it dances awfully close to another seismic shift in the Meta-verse. Remember Zuckerberg’s January decree? Fact-checking faded, content moderation loosened, and, oh yeah, Threads threw open its doors to political content. Are these separate tremors, or ripples from a single, powerful quake reshaping online engagement?
Threads is tossing lifelines to some political news outlets. Newsweek, Politico, and Forbes are seeing a surge in traffic thanks to referrals from the platform, Digiday reports. But before you rewrite your traffic strategy, know this: it’s not a rising tide lifting all boats. The gains are uneven, and the reasons remain murky. The Boston Globe’s Mark Karolian recently dropped a truth bomb on Threads itself: compared to Bluesky and X, Threads is lagging way behind in traffic, subscription sign-ups, and overall conversions. Is the Threads bump fleeting, or a sign of things to come? Only time will tell.
Threads’ rocket-ship growth hasn’t stalled despite its walled-garden approach, but Meta’s creator dreams might. If attracting top talent is the goal, letting them actuallydrivetraffic off the app is key. And speaking of key – Meta’s about to unlock the ad floodgates. But a link-resistant user base? That’s a cold shower for advertisers already eyeing Threads with skepticism. Meta remained tight-lipped, leaving us to wonder if this potential disconnect could unravel their monetization plans.
According to Haberman, Threads’ lukewarm embrace of links hints at a deeper identity struggle. Boasting a sizable audience, the platform still grapples with its core purpose. Unlike Twitter’s reign as a breaking news hub or the niche-community havens found elsewhere, Threads currently lacks a defining role. “Threads needs a reason to exist,” Haberman argues, “instead, it feels like an office suggestion box overflowing with complaints and emotional baggage.”
The pressure is on: Can upstart platforms like Threads actually send website traffic? As the internet’s search function degrades and AI emerges as a hungry cannibal, devouring search traffic once destined for websites, publishers find themselves on increasingly shaky ground. The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted the pain – is salvation found in these new platforms, or are they just another mirage?
Threads alone probably won’t bridge the divides, even with a surge in referrals. Publishers, especially, should think twice about hitching their wagons too tightly to a Meta platform. Yet, a golden chance glimmers: Threads could carve out a vital niche in a search-diminished future. This isn’t just a boon for the creators, publishers, and small businesses Meta woos; it’s Threads forging its own distinct identity.
Got a hot tip for Karissa? Unleash your inner source! You can find her firing up her inbox or setting the internet ablaze on X, Bluesky, and Threads. Or, for super-secret intel, drop a Signal message to @karissabe.51 – strictly hush-hush, of course.
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