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Why Social Media Platforms Are Clamping Down on Links (and What You Can Do About It)
Navigating the Shifting Sands of External Link Visibility
For years, social media has been a powerful engine for driving traffic to websites and online content. But a quiet shift is happening. The era of freely sharing external links and reaping the organic reach rewards is fading, replaced by a landscape where platforms increasingly prioritize content within their own walls. This article explores this evolving trend and what it means for content creators, marketers, and businesses.
Major social media platforms, while not always explicitly stating their intentions, are demonstrably reducing the visibility and reach of external links. This is a strategic move driven by the platforms’ core business models. Their primary goal is to keep users engaged on their platform, maximizing ad revenue and controlling the user experience. External links, by their very nature, direct traffic away from the platform, a concept that increasingly clashes with these objectives.
The Platform Breakdown
While not officially penalizing link posts, Facebook’s algorithm clearly favors native content like Reels and videos. The staggering statistic that over 95%…
