Almost no one cares if your site is not on social media
Many website owners are finding that being active on social platforms does little to drive meaningful traffic, with Google remaining the dominant referrer for most written content. Commenters describe social media as increasingly optimized to keep users inside closed ecosystems, where algorithms downrank external links and users are reluctant to click out, especially given today’s ad-heavy, user-hostile web. Others note important exceptions — e‑commerce, professional branding, and certain niches like tech on Mastodon or video on TikTok and Instagram — but overall argue that owning a site and mailing list matters more than chasing reach on third‑party platforms.
Traffic Sources & Effectiveness
- Several commenters agree that, for most sites, Google is now the dominant traffic referrer; social platforms are minor or negligible in comparison.
- The article’s author reports dropping a large Twitter/X account with ~17k followers and seeing no meaningful change in site traffic.
- Others counter with anecdotes where a single social post (especially on Mastodon) triggered huge spikes and mainstream-media pickup, showing social can still be a catalyst in specific cases.
- Some note that dark social and referrer stripping mean social-driven traffic may appear as “direct,” complicating measurement.
Platform Dynamics & Algorithms
- Twitter/X is widely perceived as far less useful post‑acquisition: link reach appears throttled, especially for non-paying users; links in replies sometimes perform better than in main posts.
- TikTok, Instagram, and Shorts are described as increasingly central to e‑commerce and discovery, but extremely poor at sending users off‑platform.
- LinkedIn is repeatedly cited as still effective for professional/commercial outreach. Mastodon is seen as small but influential in tech niches.
User Behavior Toward Links
- Many say social users rarely click links: they skim previews, react, and comment without leaving the platform.
- Some explicitly avoid links because the broader web feels hostile (slow pages, popups, cookie banners, trackers), which discourages exploration.
- On HN‑like sites, multiple people admit they come mainly for the discussion, not the linked article.
Content Type, Audience & Goals
- Social media can work better for products, video, shops, and events than for long‑form writing.
- Written content and blogs often see poor conversion from feeds optimized for dopamine hits and short attention.
- For niche or underserved languages/topics, search traffic can be especially strong, independent of social.
Social Presence as a Trust Signal
- Several commenters check a company’s Twitter/Instagram/Maps activity to gauge if it’s alive, growing, or in “maintenance mode.” Lack of any presence can be a red flag for choosing vendors.
- Conversely, some users refuse to engage with businesses that only exist on Facebook/Instagram, insisting on a standalone website.
Broader Reflections
- Multiple comments lament the shift from early “social networks” (friends, blogs, web rings) to today’s broadcast‑and‑ads feeds.
- People distinguish between mass‑broadcast platforms, group‑chat tools, and direct messaging, and some deliberately prune “time‑wasting” apps to regain focus.