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The Rise of Reddit in Google Search Results

What it means for B2B SEO and how your brand can capitalise on it.

If you’ve been paying attention to Google search results lately, you might have noticed Reddit and other discussion forums showing up more frequently. For B2B companies, this shift could be a game-changer for their search strategies. Our Senior Digital Expert, Gracia Novoa, is sharing how you can use this trend to your advantage.

Reddit’s surge in search results

Reddit has gone from being a niche community to one of the biggest social media platforms globally, with over 430 million monthly active users as of 2024. Its mix of user-generated content, active communities and diverse discussions makes it a go-to resource for information and engagement.

In June 2024, Business Insider highlighted that more users were finding Reddit through Google searches rather than visiting the site directly. This coincided with website owners noticing a drop in traffic and rankings, because Google’s latest updates prioritised user-generated content (UGC) from forums.

Data from Similarweb backed up these observations, showing a 39% increase in Reddit’s traffic compared to the previous year.

Why is Google favouring user forums?

Google aims to deliver the most helpful content, as reflected in the September 2023 Helpful Content Update and the March 2024 Core Update. Reddit’s content is fresh, relevant and engaging, with user discussions that are constantly updated and provide first hand insights.

Users have been adding ‘Reddit’ to their search queries to get real-life opinions, and it seems Google has taken note, boosting Reddit’s visibility in search results. Additionally, there’s been a recent partnership between Google and Reddit, where Google used Reddit’s content to train its AI models, so it’s not farfetched to think there might be a relation with its rise in search results.

Concerns and challenges

Despite the benefits, the rise of Reddit in search results comes with some concerns:

  1. Credibility Issues: Forums often feature opinions from non-experts, which can clash with Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines. There have been reports of Reddit results appearing for sensitive medical queries, which could be risky if not corroborated by reliable sources.
  2. Lack of Diversity: Sometimes the search results are dominated by Reddit, reducing the variety of responses and leaving users without different content formats. While this might change as the platform evolves, certain queries still primarily show Reddit results.

How B2B companies can maintain visibility

The increase in UGC in SERPs can be an opportunity for B2B companies to engage more closely with their audiences. Here are some ways to use Reddit and forums in your SEO strategy:

  1. Keyword Research and Content Ideas: Reddit is a goldmine of insights into your audience’s interests and pain points. It’s perfect for keyword research and content planning. By browsing relevant subreddits, you can discover trending topics and popular search terms.
  2. Engaging with Communities: Being active in niche subreddits can boost your brand’s visibility and authority. Sharing valuable insights and participating in meaningful discussions can also help establish your company as a thought leader. Just remember, Reddit users don’t appreciate self-promotion, so focus on providing genuine value and only link to your site when it’s relevant.
  3. Creating Brand-Owned Forums: For industries like SaaS and automotive, having your own forum can help users with product or process-related questions. With forums gaining traction, it’s worth considering their value for your organic search performance, especially for terms where user forum results are increasing.

However, managing forums can be tricky. They can attract irrelevant queries and require proper setup to avoid using up your crawl budget. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, so evaluate each case to determine the best strategy for integrating forums into your SEO plan.

In conclusion, while the rise of Reddit in search results presents challenges, it also offers new opportunities for B2B companies to connect with their audience and enhance their SEO strategies.