# Web Traffic Spike Simulator X (`m3web/web-traffic-spike-simulator-x`)

Simulates realistic web traffic spikes triggered by viral posts on X (Twitter), mimicking user engagement patterns that influence SEO and search visibility. Using this Actor produces realistic referral bursts that affect search rankings and online reach over time.

- **URL**: https://beta-securitybyobscurity.apify.com/m3web/web-traffic-spike-simulator-x.md
- **Developed by:** [M3Web](https://beta-securitybyobscurity.apify.com/m3web) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, Social media, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$15.00/month + usage

To use this Actor, you pay a monthly rental fee to the developer. The rent is subtracted from your prepaid usage every month after the free trial period.
You also pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher Apify subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#rental-actors

# README

## Web Traffic Spike Simulator 𝕏 (Twitter)

Simulates realistic web traffic spikes triggered by viral posts on X (Twitter), mimicking user engagement patterns that influence SEO and search visibility. Using this Actor produces realistic referral bursts that affect search rankings and online reach over time.

### Overview

In today’s personalized search landscape, websites without traffic are often invisible to search engines. To be ranked at all, a site needs signals of relevance — and one of the strongest indirect signals is social engagement.

This Actor is designed to simulate the kind of traffic spike that occurs when a link is shared widely on social media, especially on X (formerly Twitter). By emulating sudden bursts of user visits, it sends a clear message to search engines:\
**“This site is active, relevant, and trending.”**

Social media links don’t just drive clicks — they drive momentum. This tool helps replicate that momentum in a controlled, realistic way, using time-based concurrency shaping, device fingerprinting, and behavioral modeling to simulate authentic engagement patterns.

If you want your website to get noticed and clicked on, you need to trigger momentum. This simulator helps you spark that trend by mimicking a surge of visits from social media — sending the kind of signals search engines look for when deciding what’s worth ranking.

***

### 🚀 Features

- 📊 **Simulates Traffic Spikes from X (Twitter)**\
  Recreates the surge of visits that happens when a link goes viral, sending SEO-relevant signals to search engines and boosting visibility.

- 👨🏻‍💻 **Human-Like Visit Behavior to Boost Engagement**\
  Each visit lasts 25–75 seconds and mimics real user actions: scrolling (mostly downward), hovering, touch simulation, and — when time allows — clicking through to another page on the same site. These behaviors are designed to increase engagement and signal relevance to search engines.

- ⏱️ **Dynamic Concurrency Curve**\
  Traffic ramps up at the beginning, peaks during the core window, and tapers off toward the end. Most of the time, concurrency stays close to your selected "Max Concurrency" value (between 2 and 12).

- 📱 **Device & Browser Diversity by Country**\
  Every visit simulates a different device type, screen resolution, OS, and browser — based on real-world market share data from [StatCounter](https://gs.statcounter.com/) for each selected country.

- 🎯 **Ideal for Marketing Campaigns**\
  Especially useful for marketers launching new landing pages, product pages, or websites that are invisible to search engines due to lack of traffic. This Actor helps simulate authentic visits to kickstart indexing and visibility.

- 🌍 **Country-Based Simulation with Proxies**\
  Choose from 30 countries to simulate localized traffic using residential proxies. If your target country isn’t available, use the "Worldwide" option.

***

#### 📈 Extend the Spike with Organic Visit Simulator X

After your simulated traffic spike, search engines continue monitoring engagement to assess relevance and ranking longevity. To maintain momentum and reinforce credibility, use the follow-up Actor:\
👉 [**Organic Visit Simulator X**](https://apify.com/m3web/organic-visit-simulator-x)\
It mimics steady, human-like visits over multiple days — ideal for sustaining visibility after a viral burst. Designed to work seamlessly with this Actor, it helps simulate natural post-trend engagement patterns that search engines recognize and reward.

***

### 🛠️ How to Use It

1. **Set your Start URL**\
   This is the page you want to simulate traffic to — it can be a landing page, blog post, product page, or your site’s homepage.

2. **Choose a Country**\
   Select the country whose traffic you want to simulate. The Actor will use realistic device/browser stats and residential proxies for that region.

3. **Pick a Run Duration**\
   The Actor will randomly choose a time within the selected range (e.g. 15–20 minutes). Longer durations simulate more sustained trends.

4. **Set Max Concurrency (2–12)**\
   This controls how many visits can happen at the same time. The Actor will shape traffic to peak near this value during the core window.

5. **Run the Actor**\
   The simulation begins with a ramp-up phase, peaks with realistic engagement, and winds down — mimicking the natural lifecycle of a trending link.

***

### 📥 Input Parameters

| Field             | Description |
|------------------|-------------|
| `Start URL`       | The webpage, landing page, or domain you want to simulate traffic to |
| `Country`         | Select from 30 countries or use "Worldwide" for global traffic |
| `Run duration`    | Choose a time range (e.g. 15–20 minutes, up to 120 minutes) for the simulation |
| `Max Concurrency` | Set the peak number of simultaneous visits during the core traffic window (between 2 and 12) |

***

### 🕒 Best Time to Post on X (Twitter)

To maximize the impact of your simulated traffic spike, it's best to align it with peak engagement times on X (formerly Twitter). These are the hours when real users are most active — increasing the chance your link will trend and send strong SEO signals.

#### Recommended Posting Times (Local Time)

| Day       | Best Time(s) to Post       |
|-----------|----------------------------|
| Monday    | 8 a.m. – 11 a.m.           |
| Tuesday   | 8 a.m. – 10 a.m., 1–3 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 9 a.m., 3 p.m.             |
| Thursday  | 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 3 p.m.    |
| Friday    | 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m. |
| Saturday  | 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 8 p.m.     |
| Sunday    | 7–9 a.m., 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.  |

Weekday mornings (especially Wednesday at 9 a.m.) show the strongest engagement. Early afternoons on Tuesday to Thursday also perform well. Weekend engagement dips, but early mornings still offer visibility.

For country-specific insights or industry-tailored timing, check out these resources:

- [Buffer: Best Time to Post on X](https://buffer.com/resources/best-time-to-post-on-twitter-x/)
- [SocialPilot Guide](https://www.socialpilot.co/blog/best-time-to-post-on-twitter)
- [Sprout Social Insights](https://sproutsocial.com/insights/best-times-to-post-on-twitter/)
- [Hootsuite Recommendations](https://blog.hootsuite.com/best-time-to-post-on-social-media/)

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrl` (type: `string`):

Single URL to simulate traffic spike.

## `countryCode` (type: `string`):

Select the country for simulation.

## `runTime` (type: `string`):

Select run duration in minutes.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Set a maximum number of visits during the core traffic window.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrl": "https://apify.com/m3web/web-traffic-spike-simulator-x",
  "countryCode": "WW",
  "runTime": "2",
  "maxConcurrency": 6
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("m3web/web-traffic-spike-simulator-x").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("m3web/web-traffic-spike-simulator-x").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call m3web/web-traffic-spike-simulator-x --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=m3web/web-traffic-spike-simulator-x",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "Web Traffic Spike Simulator X",
        "description": "Simulates realistic web traffic spikes triggered by viral posts on X (Twitter), mimicking user engagement patterns that influence SEO and search visibility. Using this Actor produces realistic referral bursts that affect search rankings and online reach over time.",
        "version": "0.0",
        "x-build-id": "5Lq44lIqA7rcFGwbx"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/m3web~web-traffic-spike-simulator-x/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-m3web-web-traffic-spike-simulator-x",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/m3web~web-traffic-spike-simulator-x/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-m3web-web-traffic-spike-simulator-x",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/m3web~web-traffic-spike-simulator-x/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-m3web-web-traffic-spike-simulator-x",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "required": [
                    "startUrl",
                    "runTime"
                ],
                "properties": {
                    "startUrl": {
                        "title": "Start URL",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Single URL to simulate traffic spike.",
                        "default": "https://apify.com/m3web/web-traffic-spike-simulator-x"
                    },
                    "countryCode": {
                        "title": "Country",
                        "enum": [
                            "WW",
                            "AR",
                            "AU",
                            "AT",
                            "BE",
                            "BR",
                            "CA",
                            "CN",
                            "FR",
                            "DE",
                            "IN",
                            "ID",
                            "IE",
                            "IL",
                            "IT",
                            "JP",
                            "MX",
                            "NL",
                            "NO",
                            "PL",
                            "RU",
                            "SA",
                            "KR",
                            "ES",
                            "SE",
                            "CH",
                            "TW",
                            "TH",
                            "TR",
                            "GB",
                            "US"
                        ],
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Select the country for simulation.",
                        "default": "WW"
                    },
                    "runTime": {
                        "title": "Run duration",
                        "enum": [
                            "2",
                            "15",
                            "20",
                            "25",
                            "30",
                            "40",
                            "50",
                            "60",
                            "75",
                            "90",
                            "105"
                        ],
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Select run duration in minutes.",
                        "default": "2"
                    },
                    "maxConcurrency": {
                        "title": "Max Concurrency",
                        "minimum": 2,
                        "maximum": 12,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Set a maximum number of visits during the core traffic window.",
                        "default": 6
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```
