Bluesky has introduced a significant innovation to make referral traffic from its platform more visible and trackable. The new system aims to simplify the analysis of traffic that publishers receive through shared links, highlighting the platform’s role in news and content sharing more concretely. NEW REFERRAL MECHANISM This feature offered by Bluesky is based on redirecting links on the platform through a subdomain “go.bsky.app” for a short period. This method allows publishers to identify link traffic in their analytics tools as originating from Bluesky. As a result, measuring how content sharing converts from engagement to web traffic becomes easier. The company is offering a solution that can particularly benefit news publishers and media organizations. TRAFFIC 4.5 TIMES MORE THAN X This new feature by Bluesky could help the platform stand out in competition with platforms like Threads and X (formerly known as Twitter). According to Bluesky, the referral traffic is significantly higher than its competitors. As per feedback from publishers, traffic from Bluesky is three times more than Threads and four and a half times more than X. This indicates that the platform has become a strong alternative for news sharing and access. The Boston Globe, one of the prominent media organizations in the US, revealed in a report published in November 2024 that it received the most traffic from Bluesky among social media platforms. The report stated that the direct referral numbers from Bluesky were four times that of X and three times that of Threads. Major names like New York Times and The Guardian confirmed last year that Bluesky was the social media platform where they received the highest engagement. Bluesky’s COO, Rose Wang, attributed their prominence in referral traffic to not using an algorithm that “pushes link shares into the background.” According to Wang, Threads and X “penalize” accounts that share web traffic-related posts to make users stay on their platforms longer. VALUABLE ANALYTICS FOR PUBLISHERS Thanks to Bluesky’s new referral analysis system, content creators and media organizations can better understand how likes, shares, and other interactions translate into real traffic. This conversion data helps publishers and users determine a more effective social media strategy. Bluesky aims to enhance the platform’s functionality for both content creators and end-users by developing this feature. The new update makes the platform more appealing for publishers while increasing the potential for users to reach a broader audience with their content.