San Francisco – It has been a tumultuous first year for the social media platform formerly known as Twitter since its takeover by billionaire Elon Musk in October 2022. Now rebranded as simply “X”, the site has weathered numerous controversies, advertiser pullouts, features added and removed, along with fluctuating traffic and search trends. But has all this chaos actually impacted X’s overall popularity and online presence?
A recent analysis by hosting provider Fasthosts utilizing search data from Google Trends and SEO tool Ahrefs explored how website traffic, search volume and account creation for X have fared over the past 12 months. Their findings highlight the ongoing public fascination with the embattled platform, despite its precarious financial position.
Making the Switch from Twitter to X
The official rebranding from Twitter to X occurred in late July 2022, allowing for a comparison of search trends between August 2022 and November 2023. Searches for just the single letter “X” increased 19.4%, while searches for the term “Twitter” decreased 26%.
This indicates a transition in public awareness and interest away from X’s former brand name, although news outlets frequently still refer to it by its legacy title. It’s clear that intrigue in the new X branding has grown substantially.
Searches for phrases like “create X account” also skyrocketed 142.86% since the rebranding. However, it was accompanied by a 66% increase for “delete X account,” highlighting the ongoing polarization around the platform.
Surprising Website Traffic Growth Despite Controversies
In the lead up to Musk’s buyout in April 2022, Twitter’s website traffic stood at 66,397,934 monthly visits. But during the drawn-out acquisition process, traffic dropped nearly 8% to 61,176,937 visits in November 2022, reflecting user worries about Twitter’s future.
However, one year after the takeover, traffic has rebounded 22.3% to 74,844,760 monthly visits in November 2023 – Twitter’s highest level since February 2022. This rebound is striking given the non-stop controversies plaguing X over the past year under Musk’s management.
It remains unclear whether the traffic increase stems from new sign-ups, returned former users, or simply those morbidly curious to view X’s chaotic evolution. But it highlights an ongoing public fascination with the platform despite its recent volatility.
The Road Ahead for the Beleaguered Platform
Only time will tell whether X can maintain its shaky momentum heading into 2023 and beyond. Advertiser confidence has plummeted in wake of Musk’s scathing tweets, with some analysts speculating the loss of key sponsors could destabilize operations further.
Yet others remain hopeful that X can leverage its energized user base and new features like long-form Notes to open fresh revenue streams outside of conventional ads.
Regardless, one thing is undisputed – the eyes of the technology world will remain glued to Elon Musk’s grand but risky Twitter experiment as it continues to make headlines for better or worse. The once-predictable social network is now the web’s biggest question mark.
