According to data from Similarweb, traffic to Reddit's website has increased 39% year over year.
This growth was likely fueled by Reddit's increased visibility in Google search results.
Why is Reddit growing so fast, and what does this mean for businesses and SEO professionals?
Here's our take.
Why Reddit is growing
Several factors likely contribute to Reddit’s improved search rankings and visibility, including Google’s recent algorithm update that prioritizes “helpful content” from discussion forums.
According to a report from Business Insider, more and more people are finding Reddit through Google searches rather than visiting the reddit.com website directly.
Mordy Oberstein, Head of SEO at Wix, shared recent data showing a steady increase in the share of Reddit sources appearing in Google’s Discussions & Forums SERP feature.
A week ago, I accidentally “noticed” that Reddit might be under-represented in the Discussions & Forums SERP feature. @TypeSEO I noticed the same thing.
We asked the people of Sem Rush I pulled the data to see if I was crazy, and the answer is… Maybe?
There are few, but consistent… pic.twitter.com/D93d35NU61
— Mordy Oberstein *Is this guy still here? Hey hey hey* (@MordyOberstein) June 19, 2024
Lily Ray, senior director of SEO and head of organic research at Amsive Digital, tweeted about Reddit's increased visibility in Google search results.
She noted that in recent weeks, Reddit had appeared as a “discussion and forum” for a variety of medical-related questions, but that today it no longer does.
Ah hi https://t.co/jXwei3CStU https://t.co/s2GclYw9wY
— Lily Ray 😏 (@lilyraynyc) June 19, 2024
Ray also noticed that the number of discussion and forum features with multiple Reddit URLs has decreased slightly over the past few months.
Google's $60 million deal with Reddit
Google recently signed a $60 million deal to license Reddit data for its AI products.
The timing of this deal and the growth of searches on Reddit raise questions.
While Google denies there is a direct connection between the deal and Reddit's search visibility, the coincidence is noteworthy.
Implications for Marketers and SEO Professionals
Reddit's newfound dominance in Google search results brings business challenges and opportunities.
assignment
Roger Montti, a staff writer at Search Engine Journal, expressed concerns about the expertise and reliability of Reddit content.
In the article, “Let’s be real: Google Search’s Reddit is unreliable,” Monty said:
“Opinions shared on Reddit by anonymous people with no expertise are questionable. Yet Google not only favors Reddit in its search results, it is paying millions of dollars to access content that lacks expertise, experience, authority, and credibility.”
This is difficult because it means that content written by experts can be overridden by the opinions of anonymous Reddit users.
opportunity
Brent Csutoras, owner of Search Engine Journal, was more optimistic and believes marketers should take advantage of Reddit's newfound popularity.
In the article “Why Every Marketer Should Be on Reddit,” Cusutoras states:
“If your brand wants to say something meaningful and is interested in truly connecting with your audience, you should get on Reddit.”
But Csutoras adds that the community-driven nature of Reddit requires a nuanced approach.
“The Reddit community can be very negative about self-serving promotion. But if you put in the effort and solve people's needs and problems, Reddit can be a high-performing channel.”
Why is SEJ interested?
SEO experts and marketers should keep in mind that an expert-written resource may be ranked higher by a Reddit thread that reflects personal opinion rather than authoritative information.
But by providing real value and respecting Reddit's community guidelines, businesses can potentially leverage the platform's name recognition to increase awareness and audience engagement.
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