The rise of Reddit in Google's search results is part of a broader shift in search behavior, with younger users turning to alternative sources such as TikTok and Instagram for information. Google's deal with Reddit, reportedly worth $60 million, allows Google to train its AI models on Reddit content, which could improve the accuracy of chatbots. However, there are concerns that this could lead to the manipulation of search results, with some already exploiting the prominence of Reddit in Google's rankings. Despite these concerns, SEO experts believe there is still room for Reddit's presence in Google Search to grow.
Key takeaways:
- Reddit's visibility in Google Search has significantly increased, with data analysis from Semrush showing that traffic to Reddit has climbed impressively since August 2023.
- Google's shift towards promoting more 'helpful and human' sites has led to an increase in visibility for Reddit, Quora, and other forum sites within Google's search results.
- There are concerns about the potential for abuse of this increased visibility, with evidence of spam and manipulation already emerging on Reddit's top-ranking threads in Google Search's forums sections.
- Despite these concerns, there is still room for Reddit's presence in Google Search to grow even bigger, which could be beneficial for Reddit investors.