Reddit Results on SERP (#5)

During our class sessions this week, we talked about Google’s Quality Guidelines, that they look for content that fulfills the EEAT accroynm. This is content that should be based in Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.

I have noticed lately that while using Google to search for information, whether personal or for a project, very high on the SERP are links to different Reddit threads. In fact, when I Googled “why does reddit pop up seo” to help research this blog post, the second result was a Reddit thread with the title tag: “Hey, Have You Noticed Reddit Taking Over Google …” Ironic. I wanted to dive into this phenomenon a little bit more, exploring which of the EEAT categories Reddit meets well, and which ones they might be falling behind in.

It is obvious that the majority of Reddit threads are people first content, questions and answers posted by real humans and real users. Some threads are meant to just be conversational, discussing a variety of topics, from pop-culture to politics, but other threads are created to specifically ask questions and get advice. In these cases, the pain point is obvious. Real people looking for real, helpful answers. In this respect, Reddit threads meet the trustworthiness and Experience criteria of EEAT. Answers are often posted from people who have first hand experience dealing with that specific, or a similar, problem. Additionally, they often are incredibly honest and upfront in their responses. While everyone’s experience will be different, Reddit can help give other perspectives and ideas for those trying to solve a problem.

However, Reddit posts might miss the mark on the Expertise and Authoritativeness criteria. While I want to believe the best about each person’s posts on the platform, ultimately there is very little way to verify a user’s credentials and determine if they are actually qualified to speak authoritatively on the topic, especially any health, finance or intellectual content.

However, there might be more to the story than just the fact that Reddit threads tend to better meet user’s search intent. This article from Marie Haynes Consulting, an SEO Consulting firm, speculates that the increase in the number of Reddit threads appearing in the SERP has to do with recent Google updates and efforts to train Gemini on how humans talk about different topics. As seen in the screenshot below, organic traffic for Reddit started significantly increasing in August of 2023, right around the time of a Google update. Gemini was then officially launched to the public in December of 2023.

The article goes on to describe how AI chatbots are now using crowdsourced Q&A platforms like Reddit and Quora to better formulate their responses. A year ago, Reddit signed a $60 million contract with Google to allow Google to use posts to train Gemini, and it is likely that other partnerships like this will continue to occur.

So, what does this mean for search?

First, expect to see Reddit threads in your SERP. But secondly,expect to see continued improvements to AIs ability to read through the lines, providing answers that are more relevant and human-like. This might not actually change the way that you or I search, but it is good to be aware of when we are reading through the SERP.