The news: X’s new link preview function is artificially inflating web traffic and skewing attribution and engagement metrics for publishers and brands, per The Verge.

• The feature collapses posts when links are clicked on, letting users bookmark, like, repost, and reply while viewing a webpage. It also preloads pages before any interactions, resulting in false page views.
• By preloading links, attribution and traffic statistics are being “ruined,” Bluesky CTO Paul Frazee wrote on X, as click invalid traffic (CIT) makes it difficult for marketers to separate genuine interest from engineered page views.

Why it matters: While the X link feature might increase on-platform engagement on X, it risks inflating metrics to the point that they become unusable. Measuring web traffic and attribution has already become an outsized challenge with the prevalence of AI web crawlers.

“We’re entering an era where metrics inflation through interface tricks, preloading, autoplay, and AI summarization will blur the line between user engagement and machine behavior,” Semrush vice president of owned media Nick Eubanks told The Verge.

Erroneous engagement metrics can mislead advertisers, distort ROI models, and erode trust in campaign reporting.

Looking ahead: As AI systems, social platforms, and browser behaviors evolve, analytics frameworks need to change to distinguish between human and automated activity. Analytics providers should refine detection methods and introduce new standards for authentic engagement, and brands should ask for more transparency from partners.

What marketers should do: Marketers and publishers should audit their analytics tools and scrutinize any sudden, extreme traffic spikes. Prioritizing first-party data and metrics like time spent and conversions—rather than simply counting page views—will help provide more reliable insights.

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