Reddit’s recent and unprecedented visibility surge is one of the most significant changes to the SEO landscape this year. The platform’s array of deep, niche, user-generated content and community-driven discussion provides user-focused content that Google has been touting since the implementation of their Helpful Content Update in 2023, and its subsequent addition to their core ranking system earlier this year. As Reddit’s search prominence increases, its posts and discussions are gaining higher search rankings and altering the SERP by replacing traditional editorial, informational, and review-focused sites.
In a recent article by Amsive, we presented our research surrounding the 1,328% increase in SEO visibility for reddit.com on Google between July 2023 and April 2024, according to SEO monitoring tool, Sistrix.
As seen in the image below of top domains on Sistrix, as of July 2024, Reddit is now ranked as the #5 highest visibility domain in Google’s U.S. organic search results.
For context, in July 2023, Reddit was ranked position #68 on this same list.
In the chart below, you can also see Reddit.com’s steady increase in visibility year-over-year (YoY). From a visibility index of 95.1 in July of 2023, the visibility index has grown to 1,370 visibility points on Sistrix in July of 2024.
Because Reddit’s SEO growth has continued to surge throughout 2024, we decided to conduct an even deeper dive into Reddit’s SEO traffic, with particular attention to which types of sites previously held visibility for the keywords where Reddit now holds top positions.
This article explores various categories where Reddit and other forum sites have earned visibility in 2024, and which types of sites previously held those top positions. On a large scale, these changes can explain much of the significant traffic patterns we have seen in 2024, with many editorial and review sites losing traffic, while forum, community, and social media sites are driving more organic search traffic than ever.
It’s important to note, however, that Reddit’s dominance isn’t without controversy. While Reddit threads often provide authentic, first-hand insights, they can also surface incomplete, misleading, or even unsafe information. Examples include casual advice on prescription drugs, dangerous weight loss suggestions, or one-word answers to complex technical issues. These concerns highlight a growing tension: Reddit’s visibility is rising because Google values its community-driven content, but that doesn’t always mean the results are the most helpful for users.
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Methodology for Analyzing & Important Disclaimers
We used Ahrefs to export the top 50,000 keywords for which Reddit.com is currently ranking in positions 1-10 on Google.com in the U.S. We also collected Reddit’s rankings for the same group of keywords from the prior year (July 2023).
We broke the data up into different Subreddits (individual communities on Reddit) to identify which Subreddits have seen the greatest growth in organic traffic and new ranking keywords on Google YoY.
We used ChatGPT to categorize the Subreddits and place them together into logical topical groups, which resulted in the following list of categories:
- Gaming
- News & Discussion
- eCommerce
- Education
- Movies & TV
- Sports
- Automotive
- Cooking & Recipes
- Travel
- Health & Fitness
Below, we will provide insights about each category group, including the types of Subreddits prominently ranking, examples of keywords the Subreddits are ranking for, and where that traffic previously flowed to before Reddit saw its current level of SEO visibility.
Gaming category
Many different popular video games have thriving communities in Reddit with their own dedicated Subreddits. For example, the popular video games “Game Theory”, “Baldur’s Gate 3”, and “Dungeons and Dragons” each have Subreddits with millions of active members contributing posts daily.
| Subreddit | Count of Keywords Currently Ranking | Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit | Average Position | Count of Ranking URLs in Subreddit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GameTheorists | 13 | 537,376 | 4.31 | 13 |
| Helldivers | 211 | 448,161 | 1.82 | 211 |
| Roms | 144 | 426,383 | 1.62 | 144 |
| BaldursGate3 | 259 | 381,439 | 1.99 | 259 |
| dndnext | 250 | 377,911 | 2.74 | 250 |
| DnD | 244 | 356,276 | 2.63 | 244 |
| wordle | 79 | 265,182 | 4.99 | 79 |
| Games | 55 | 247,007 | 4.05 | 55 |
| Overwatch | 24 | 223,902 | 2.71 | 24 |
| Minecraft | 148 | 210,236 | 2.84 | 148 |
| StardewValley | 126 | 207,794 | 1.59 | 126 |
| PS5 | 48 | 192,899 | 3.67 | 48 |
| pcgaming | 53 | 189,257 | 2.36 | 53 |
| GTA6 | 18 | 187,415 | 3.06 | 18 |
| Rainbow6 | 30 | 171,352 | 3.17 | 30 |
| TwoBestFriendsPlay | 49 | 151,251 | 3.16 | 49 |
| xbox | 41 | 147,180 | 3.63 | 41 |
| ShouldIbuythisgame | 60 | 145,146 | 2.82 | 60 |
| gamingsuggestions | 57 | 135,471 | 2.74 | 57 |
| GeForceNOW | 3 | 129,420 | 4.33 | 3 |
| BLOOKET | 19 | 128,092 | 4.74 | 19 |
| Fallout | 107 | 124,715 | 1.89 | 107 |
| MonopolyGoDiceLinks | 17 | 124,628 | 4.41 | 17 |
| gaming | 66 | 118,137 | 2.64 | 66 |
| FortNiteBR | 76 | 116,216 | 3.13 | 76 |
| PixelCarRacer | 16 | 115,351 | 2.13 | 16 |
| PokemonInfiniteFusion | 15 | 109,611 | 1.73 | 15 |
| Eldenring | 100 | 107,683 | 2.75 | 100 |
| WouldYouRather | 10 | 103,441 | 2.50 | 10 |
| VALORANT | 40 | 100,253 | 4.18 | 40 |
| PokemonROMhacks | 33 | 98,042 | 1.21 | 33 |
| TheSims4Mods | 32 | 96,378 | 2.69 | 32 |
| 2007scape | 76 | 95,331 | 2.09 | 76 |
| playstation | 74 | 94,309 | 2.82 | 74 |
| roblox | 51 | 93,989 | 2.61 | 51 |
| Genshin_Impact | 72 | 91,047 | 4.07 | 72 |
| fo4 | 39 | 90,481 | 1.67 | 39 |
| diablo4 | 36 | 85,223 | 3.31 | 36 |
| ZoroZone | 18 | 84,741 | 2.06 | 18 |
| robloxjailbreak | 13 | 80,632 | 4.38 | 13 |
| 3d6 | 59 | 78,737 | 2.61 | 59 |
| LivestreamFail | 28 | 78,496 | 2.32 | 28 |
| ffxiv | 50 | 78,408 | 2.30 | 50 |
| boardgames | 41 | 68,842 | 3.12 | 41 |
| GamingLeaksAndRumours | 42 | 68,396 | 2.57 | 42 |
| pokemon | 55 | 68,058 | 2.78 | 55 |
| octordle | 3 | 65,759 | 5.67 | 3 |
| Starfield | 17 | 65,146 | 2.00 | 17 |
| EscapefromTarkov | 27 | 64,068 | 1.81 | 27 |
| HonkaiStarRail | 38 | 58,947 | 4.74 | 38 |
| AndroidGaming | 23 | 58,744 | 4.65 | 23 |
| MurimLogin | 5 | 58,388 | 2.60 | 5 |
| DragonsDogma | 47 | 58,023 | 2.15 | 47 |
| TESVI | 5 | 58,005 | 4.20 | 5 |
| monkeytype | 3 | 57,742 | 4.00 | 3 |
| Animedubs | 35 | 57,424 | 1.94 | 35 |
| Warframe | 36 | 54,336 | 1.67 | 36 |
| NFLFantasy | 23 | 52,972 | 3.65 | 23 |
| OnePunchMan | 17 | 52,627 | 3.00 | 17 |
| Sims4 | 40 | 52,186 | 2.63 | 40 |
| geometrydash | 10 | 51,032 | 4.20 | 10 |
| XboxGamePass | 20 | 50,761 | 3.40 | 20 |
| pokemongo | 41 | 49,724 | 2.51 | 41 |
| GamingLaptops | 18 | 48,906 | 2.89 | 18 |
| minecraftseeds | 16 | 48,850 | 1.38 | 16 |
| nintendo | 34 | 47,898 | 3.74 | 34 |
| DestinyTheGame | 38 | 47,147 | 2.08 | 38 |
| SteamDeck | 21 | 46,712 | 1.95 | 21 |
| NintendoSwitch | 44 | 45,486 | 3.20 | 44 |
| wow | 14 | 45,269 | 2.43 | 14 |
| PokemonScarletViolet | 20 | 44,810 | 3.25 | 20 |
| gdevelop | 2 | 44,334 | 2.50 | 2 |
| UnearthedArcana | 17 | 44,304 | 2.35 | 17 |
| DevilMayCry | 13 | 43,728 | 2.15 | 13 |
| deadbydaylight | 14 | 42,842 | 4.14 | 14 |
| PoppyPlaytime | 26 | 42,647 | 3.81 | 26 |
| yugioh | 14 | 42,557 | 1.57 | 14 |
| FalloutMods | 17 | 42,515 | 1.76 | 17 |
| PiratedGames | 20 | 42,447 | 1.95 | 20 |
| tf2 | 19 | 42,286 | 2.68 | 19 |
| stellarblade | 24 | 42,154 | 2.71 | 24 |
| leagueoflegends | 31 | 41,864 | 2.87 | 31 |
| thesimscc | 9 | 41,674 | 3.44 | 9 |
| PokeDoku | 1 | 41,636 | 2.00 | 1 |
| patientgamers | 32 | 41,281 | 4.25 | 32 |
| fivenightsatfreddys | 28 | 40,719 | 3.11 | 28 |
| DungeonsAndDragons | 21 | 38,729 | 2.33 | 21 |
| TheSilphRoad | 30 | 38,661 | 2.33 | 30 |
| Competitiveoverwatch | 9 | 38,493 | 1.67 | 9 |
| halo | 20 | 37,828 | 2.65 | 20 |
| SuicideSquadGaming | 4 | 37,279 | 4.75 | 4 |
| DMAcademy | 28 | 36,437 | 2.43 | 28 |
| CozyGamers | 28 | 36,118 | 3.04 | 28 |
| steam_giveaway | 5 | 35,926 | 3.00 | 5 |
| feedthebeast | 32 | 35,695 | 2.13 | 32 |
| FFVIIRemake | 20 | 35,431 | 3.50 | 20 |
| Stellaris | 5 | 35,261 | 1.80 | 5 |
| WarriorCats | 7 | 34,779 | 1.43 | 7 |
| IntoTheSpiderverse | 19 | 34,583 | 4.58 | 19 |
These popular Subreddits are ranking prominently for many high-volume keywords on Google, such as:
Keyword: ‘unarmed strike 5e’
Last year, Reddit was not ranking prominently for the query “Unarmed Strike 5e.” Instead, niche gaming blogs held top positions in 2023. Some of these sites currently rank in lower positions on page 1, or not on page 1 at all. Reddit now owns the top position. Two other forum pages from D&D Beyond and Stack Exchange also newly rank in positions 2 and 5, respectively.
Although some niche gaming sites still rank in the top 10 positions for this keyword, we noticed that a YoY shift towards Reddit and other forums in top positions.
Keyword: ‘ps5 vs xbox series x’
An analysis of the rankings for the keyword ‘ps5 vs xbox series x’ in July 2023 showed that several of the top ranking sites were ‘review’ sites, like Toms Guide and Tech Radar. Now, Reddit is ranking in position 1 for this keyword and also appears in the ‘Discussion and Forums’ carousel in position 10.
There also seems to be a shift in this keyword’s ranking that led to more visibility for forum, eCommerce, and social media sites YoY. For example, YouTube currently ranks in 2 of the top 10 positions as shown in the image below—positions 7 and 8. The Discussions & Forums carousel is a new addition in 2024, featuring Reddit and 2 other forums. Also, a comparison article from Best Buy newly appears in 2024. In 2023, there were no top 10 results from eCommerce websites for this query.
Keyword: ‘What game should I play’
The keyword “what game should I play” illustrates a good example of how top search results have shifted toward showing more discussions and forums in 2024. In July 2023, except for wikihow.com, there were predominantly ‘review’ sites and quizzes ranking in the top 10 Google search results for this keyword. Looking at the rankings in July 2024, we saw that there are now 5 new websites ranking for this keyword, all of which are forums and discussion sites.
Reddit is now ranking in position 1, while Quora ranks in position 7. The forum on videogamesage.com ranks in positions 8 & 9. The Steam Community forum now ranks in position 10. Only two ‘review’ sites currently appear in the top 10 positions, and the quizzes no longer rank.
Keyword: ‘monopoly strategy’
In July 2023, the top 10 positions in search results for this keyword were mostly held by guides from various publishers, bloggers, and gaming websites. A year-over-year analysis now shows a shift in favor of forums and discussions, with Reddit, Quora, YouTube and the Stack Exchange board game forum in positions 1, 3, 8 and 9.
Out of the websites that ranked in the top 10 last year, 3 fell out of the top 10 and 3 completely lost their rankings.
News & Discussion category
In the News & Discussion category, we analyzed several Subreddits and saw some like ‘AskOldPeople’, ‘AskParents’ and ‘AskWomenOver30’ that are driving significant organic visibility and traffic from Google.
| Subreddit | Count of Keywords Currently Ranking | Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit | Average Position | Count of Ranking URLs in Subreddit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OutOfTheLoop | 284 | 864,426 | 2.26 | 284 |
| ask | 26 | 86,330 | 2.35 | 26 |
| AskOldPeople | 16 | 78,257 | 3.44 | 16 |
| unpopularopinion | 40 | 76,474 | 3.48 | 40 |
| AskChicago | 13 | 72,893 | 3.85 | 13 |
| Damnthatsinteresting | 28 | 70,266 | 3.25 | 28 |
| AskAnAmerican | 50 | 62,878 | 3.36 | 50 |
| SwiftlyNeutral | 34 | 62,039 | 3.09 | 34 |
| AskUK | 30 | 53,443 | 2.80 | 30 |
| SquaredCircle | 36 | 53,144 | 3.53 | 36 |
| appletv | 17 | 52,999 | 5.41 | 17 |
| MandelaEffect | 36 | 51,768 | 2.75 | 36 |
| Advice | 33 | 51,684 | 3.03 | 33 |
| IAmA | 24 | 51,207 | 2.42 | 24 |
| AskWomenOver30 | 29 | 49,128 | 3.83 | 29 |
| hypotheticalsituation | 4 | 9,895 | 4.50 | 4 |
Some of the high-volume keywords we looked at that these Subreddits are ranking prominently for in Google search are:
Keyword: ‘Riddle’
After analyzing the year-over-year performance for the keyword ‘riddle’, we found that in July 2023, all the websites ranking in the top 10 search results were directly related to riddles, i.e. examples, definitions etc. Several of the top-ranking sites focus on providing informational content across various categories, not limited to riddles or games. Only two of these previously top-ranking sites are currently in the top 10 search results.
In July 2024, Reddit and Instagram are newly ranking for this keyword in positions 3 and 6 respectively. Reddit and Quora are also ranking in the new ”Discussions and Forums’ carousel.
Ranking in position 1 is now a brand website, riddleoil.com. This is an eCommerce site that has nothing to do with actual riddles, and instead sells body oils under the brand name “Riddle.” Position 2 in Google search results is also not related to riddles in any way but is, in fact, a quiz maker tool also named “Riddle Quiz Maker.”
Keyword: ‘funny phrases’
An analysis of the keyword ‘funny phrases’ revealed another example of the shift toward discussion and forum results. In July 2023, all the websites that ranked in the top 10 positions in search for this keyword provided lists with examples of funny phrases. Looking at July 2024, two such sites have since lost their rankings while 5 have dropped in visibility by up to 60 positions in search results. Only 3 previously ranking sites remain in the top 10 results.
As is the case with most keywords we analyzed, despite not ranking in the top 100 search results in July 2023, Reddit is now ranking in position 1 while Quora ranks in position 3.
Keyword: ‘how to potty train a boy’
An analysis of the keyword ‘how to potty train a boy’ showed that despite Reddit ranking in position 50 in Google’s search results in July 2023, it is now ranking in position 2 a year later. Interestingly, this increase in rankings comes from a 5-year old Reddit post by a now deleted author, as seen in the image below.
This post shows screenshots of real search results for queries that may be sensitive topics for some readers.
With the exception of YouTube, only pregnancy-related sites and medical sites ranked in the top 10 positions for this keyword in July 2023.
This month, there’s another increase in rankings from forum and discussion sites, with Reddit in position 3, Quora in position 7, and Stack Exchange in position 8. The rest of the top 10 ranking sites are generally pregnancy and health-related publishers.
Reddit is now ranking even higher for this keyword than authoritative sites like the Mayo Clinic, which ranked in position 1 last year, as well as babycenter.com, which was previously in position 4.
Keyword: ‘best hair dryer’
Whereas the top 10 websites that appeared in Google’s search results for the keyword ‘best hair dryer’ were all previously ‘review’ sites, a YoY analysis shows that there’s been a shift toward forum and discussions, as well as eCommerce pages, in the current top results. Two of those sites completely lost their rankings while 5 dropped in visibility by up to 20 positions.
eCommerce category
In the eCommerce category, we looked at several Subreddits that have seen the greatest growth in organic traffic and new ranking keywords in Google search YoY. These keywords below ranged between a U.S. monthly search volume of 2,400 and 30,000.
Here are some of our findings:
Keyword: ‘best steel toe boots’
In July 2023, our research revealed that ‘review’ sites predominantly ranked in the top 10 positions. However, a year later, 7 of those sites have lost their rankings in the top 100 positions in Google search results for this query. The results in 2024 now primarily show discussions and forums, as well as new eCommerce results, such as the Red Wing Shoes website, Iron Age Footwear, Amazon, and Cat Footwear.
Keyword: ‘high school graduation gifts’
In July 2023, almost all the top 10 ranking results for the keyword ‘high school graduation gifts’ came from publisher sites focused on product reviews. Now, Reddit owns the #1 position for this keyword. While some review sites still rank in top positions, the results have shifted to show more discussion and forum sites (Reddit & Quora), as well as social sites like Pinterest, and eCommerce sites like Amazon. Every result that ranked in the top 10 in 2023 no longer ranks in the top 10, and all of the current search results are newly ranking in the top 10 YoY.
Keyword: ‘best mascara’
Although Reddit is not ranking in position 1 in search results for the keyword ‘best mascara’, it is ranking in both positions 6 and 7 in July 2024, as seen in the image below. We also saw that TikTok entered into position 10, adding to the trend of more social media sites appearing in the results in 2024.
The new search results yet again demonstrate the shift from affiliate, product review articles to discussions and forums, social media sites, and eCommerce sites in 2024.
Education category
In the Education category, we looked at several Subreddits that have seen the greatest growth in organic traffic and newly ranking keywords in Google search results YoY. Let’s look at some of our findings after analyzing some of these keywords:
Keyword: ‘writing exercises’
In July 2023, the top 10 Google search results were ‘review’ sites for the keyword ‘writing exercises.’ In July 2024, three of those ‘review’ sites slightly dropped in rankings, but still stayed in the top 10. Reddit earned the top position, plus the top position in the new Discussions & Forums carousel, alongside 2 Quora results.
Keyword: ‘is Grammarly premium worth it’
Once again, our analysis showed that Reddit is now in position 1 in Google’s search results for the keyword ‘is Grammarly premium worth it.’ However, this answer was posted 7 years ago, which might not be the most relevant or helpful result for users in 2024.
Whereas in July 2023 the top 10 ranking sites for this query were primarily ‘review’ websites and sponsored posts, Reddit, Quora & YouTube are now ranking in the top 10 – in positions 1, 4 and 9.
Keyword: ‘good jobs for college students’
Once again, after analyzing this keyword, we found that Reddit, which previously wasn’t ranking in the top 10 Google search results in July 2023, is currently ranking in position 1 and also appears in the ‘Discussions and Forums’ section. Even more interesting is the fact that the ranking post was made two years ago by a now deleted account. For some users, this answer might be considered a bit dated.
Although there there were no forums ranking in the top 10 positions for this keyword in July 2023, we observed that Quora is newly ranking in positions 6 a year later.
Movies & TV category
We also saw many thriving and active communities on Reddit covering different movie genres. For example, Subreddits like ‘anime’, ‘MovieSuggestions’, and ‘movies’ have significant organic traffic and many active subscribers who post and engage daily.
| Subreddit | Count of Keywords Currently Ranking | Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit | Average Position | Count of Ranking URLs in Subreddit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| movies | 457 | 892,263 | 4.47 | 457 |
| anime | 335 | 592,621 | 2.31 | 335 |
| MovieSuggestions | 214 | 423,146 | 2.35 | 214 |
| horror | 252 | 419,506 | 3.90 | 252 |
| netflix | 122 | 286,264 | 4.61 | 122 |
| LoveIsBlindOnNetflix | 119 | 263,261 | 2.80 | 119 |
| television | 123 | 206,537 | 4.60 | 123 |
| manga | 79 | 194,351 | 1.66 | 79 |
| OnePiece | 101 | 193,050 | 2.34 | 101 |
| JuJutsuKaisen | 97 | 176,465 | 3.05 | 97 |
| Letterboxd | 83 | 166,233 | 3.47 | 83 |
| Jujutsushi | 55 | 159,056 | 2.76 | 55 |
| NetflixBestOf | 58 | 97,781 | 3.60 | 58 |
| Morbidforbadpeople | 5 | 96,078 | 1.20 | 5 |
| flicks | 39 | 93,975 | 4.00 | 39 |
| whowouldwin | 20 | 92,151 | 2.90 | 20 |
| ghostbusters | 8 | 84,765 | 4.38 | 8 |
| boxoffice | 52 | 84,629 | 4.98 | 52 |
| TheLastAirbender | 46 | 83,879 | 2.43 | 46 |
| Shudder | 7 | 82,448 | 5.71 | 7 |
| A24 | 22 | 77,769 | 3.68 | 22 |
| Hulu | 27 | 74,727 | 4.85 | 27 |
| DisneyPlus | 39 | 72,669 | 4.54 | 39 |
| Fotv | 5 | 68,671 | 3.00 | 5 |
| 1001Movies | 4 | 66,225 | 2.25 | 4 |
| StarWars | 46 | 65,668 | 3.15 | 46 |
| AmazonPrimeVideo | 25 | 59,960 | 5.04 | 25 |
| HBOMAX | 31 | 58,318 | 3.10 | 31 |
| YoungSheldon | 19 | 57,648 | 3.84 | 19 |
| OppenheimerMovie | 16 | 56,385 | 2.50 | 16 |
| moviecritic | 33 | 50,693 | 5.73 | 33 |
| BridgertonNetflix | 23 | 49,325 | 4.65 | 23 |
| ShogunTVShow | 27 | 47,613 | 3.07 | 27 |
| televisionsuggestions | 31 | 44,608 | 2.84 | 31 |
| LoveIsBlindNetflix | 25 | 44,361 | 2.56 | 25 |
| RegalUnlimited | 11 | 42,958 | 5.27 | 11 |
| oscarrace | 25 | 41,673 | 6.16 | 25 |
| imax | 16 | 35,098 | 2.06 | 16 |
| Disneyland | 17 | 33,483 | 3.24 | 17 |
| RebelMoon | 4 | 33,322 | 1.75 | 4 |
| Hungergames | 18 | 30,304 | 5.06 | 18 |
| AmericanHorrorStory | 14 | 29,839 | 4.00 | 14 |
| betterCallSaul | 7 | 28,550 | 3.57 | 7 |
| survivor | 16 | 28,211 | 2.38 | 16 |
| TedLasso | 16 | 27,426 | 3.44 | 16 |
| GODZILLA | 21 | 26,611 | 4.57 | 21 |
| MovieLeaksAndRumors | 2 | 25,828 | 1.00 | 2 |
| AllAmericanTV | 4 | 25,612 | 5.25 | 4 |
| DC_Cinematic | 14 | 24,305 | 4.57 | 14 |
| LoveSimon | 4 | 24,196 | 3.25 | 4 |
| GossipGirl | 4 | 24,096 | 3.25 | 4 |
| criterion | 17 | 23,428 | 3.59 | 17 |
| PrisonBreak | 2 | 23,202 | 3.00 | 2 |
| lotr | 17 | 23,165 | 3.35 | 17 |
| TheChosenSeries | 10 | 23,115 | 7.10 | 10 |
| southpark | 11 | 23,089 | 1.64 | 11 |
| HorrorMovies | 8 | 22,700 | 4.63 | 8 |
| 1923Series | 2 | 22,532 | 3.50 | 2 |
| Oscars | 14 | 22,204 | 3.79 | 14 |
| FearTheWalkingDead | 2 | 21,563 | 5.50 | 2 |
| ImpracticalJokers | 10 | 21,416 | 1.30 | 10 |
| VirginRiverNetflix | 5 | 21,349 | 4.00 | 5 |
| Neverhaveievertvshow | 2 | 21,240 | 6.00 | 2 |
| RHOBH | 14 | 21,176 | 4.57 | 14 |
| NetflixSexEducation | 3 | 20,634 | 1.67 | 3 |
| Pixar | 7 | 19,902 | 4.86 | 7 |
| TheRookie | 10 | 19,777 | 4.60 | 10 |
| JackReacher | 5 | 19,731 | 6.00 | 5 |
| gameofthrones | 11 | 19,462 | 3.55 | 11 |
| bmfstarz | 11 | 19,276 | 4.82 | 11 |
| Monsterverse | 17 | 19,141 | 4.24 | 17 |
| shameless | 15 | 18,184 | 2.80 | 15 |
| MarvelStudiosSpoilers | 9 | 17,610 | 2.00 | 9 |
| Tangled | 8 | 17,580 | 3.00 | 8 |
| SnyderCut | 5 | 17,230 | 5.80 | 5 |
| comicbookmovies | 13 | 16,101 | 3.46 | 13 |
| WoTshow | 4 | 15,702 | 2.50 | 4 |
| jackryan | 2 | 14,825 | 3.50 | 2 |
| StarWarsLeaks | 4 | 14,231 | 2.50 | 4 |
| IThinkYouShouldLeave | 7 | 13,708 | 2.57 | 7 |
| UmbrellaAcademy | 6 | 13,257 | 4.00 | 6 |
| TheHandmaidsTale | 4 | 12,922 | 3.50 | 4 |
| PeriodDramas | 7 | 12,626 | 4.29 | 7 |
| TheMaskedSinger | 11 | 12,625 | 4.18 | 11 |
| MovieBoxPro | 4 | 12,499 | 2.25 | 4 |
| CriticalDrinker | 3 | 12,489 | 5.00 | 3 |
| boldandbeautiful | 4 | 12,484 | 7.25 | 4 |
| RetroNickelodeon | 7 | 12,408 | 2.29 | 7 |
| GoodTrouble | 4 | 12,262 | 3.50 | 4 |
| 911FOX | 6 | 12,182 | 4.50 | 6 |
| KDRAMA | 12 | 11,780 | 4.42 | 12 |
| IASIP | 8 | 11,566 | 1.25 | 8 |
| sharktank | 8 | 11,506 | 2.25 | 8 |
| TheBlackList | 8 | 11,269 | 3.00 | 8 |
| BravoRealHousewives | 12 | 11,262 | 2.67 | 12 |
| Bluray | 7 | 11,181 | 1.86 | 7 |
| ginnyandgeorgiashow | 2 | 11,156 | 4.00 | 2 |
| FargoTV | 4 | 11,010 | 3.50 | 4 |
In July 2024, these Subreddits started ranking for high-volume keywords on Google that they were not ranking for in July 2023.
Below are some keywords that Reddit started ranking for in the top 10 positions in search in 2024.
Keyword: ‘Movies’
In July 2024, the Subreddit r/movies started ranking third in search results for the keyword ‘movies,’ which has a global monthly search volume of 3.1 million. Review and editorial websites that were previously ranking in the top 100 in 2023 disappeared completely or significantly lost their rankings, as shown in the image below.
Keyword: ‘New Movies’
In July 2024, Reddit secured the sixth position in search results for the keyword ‘New Movies.’ Notably, most editorial websites ranking for this keyword in July 2023 experienced significant losses in rankings, with some completely disappearing from the top 100 search results, as illustrated below. Forbes and TikTok also earned top positions in 2024.
Keyword: ‘must watch movies’
A comparison of search results from July 2023 to July 2024 reveals a significant decline in rankings for most publisher websites previously occupying the top ten positions in Google search results, with content about the best movies of all time and new movies to watch. Some experienced visibility losses of over 100 positions. In contrast, Reddit is currently in the second position, while Quora secured the fourth position.
Sports category
We also analyzed Reddit’s performance in the sports category and saw a diverse set of Subreddit communities with active, engaged audiences. Reddit hosts a wide range of sports-related content, from mainstream professional leagues to sports news.
Subreddits like ‘Boxing’, ‘Timberwolves’, ‘Warriors’, ‘Soccer’, and ‘CollegeBasketball’ have the most projected organic traffic, as shown in the table below.
| Subreddit | Count of Keywords Currently Ranking | Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit | Average Position | Count of Ranking URLs in Subreddit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxing | 68 | 399,838 | 5.12 | 68 |
| timberwolves | 5 | 320,493 | 5.00 | 5 |
| warriors | 7 | 157,568 | 5.86 | 7 |
| soccer | 59 | 135,887 | 5.15 | 59 |
| CollegeBasketball | 50 | 123,537 | 5.12 | 50 |
| nba | 62 | 116,194 | 4.73 | 62 |
| nfl | 21 | 101,769 | 5.76 | 21 |
| golf | 68 | 88,206 | 3.09 | 68 |
| MostlySports | 7 | 80,686 | 6.57 | 7 |
| NFL_Draft | 11 | 79,272 | 5.36 | 11 |
| OrlandoMagic | 5 | 78,630 | 4.40 | 5 |
| Thunder | 4 | 72,497 | 9.00 | 4 |
| wnba | 30 | 71,134 | 4.60 | 30 |
| Cricket | 25 | 60,290 | 5.52 | 25 |
| MkeBucks | 3 | 45,146 | 4.33 | 3 |
| BBallShoes | 30 | 43,664 | 4.57 | 30 |
| Jujutsufolk | 37 | 43,439 | 2.03 | 37 |
| heat | 13 | 40,878 | 6.38 | 13 |
| sixers | 3 | 39,144 | 5.33 | 3 |
| lebron | 4 | 36,261 | 4.50 | 4 |
| bostonceltics | 8 | 35,741 | 6.25 | 8 |
| baseball | 30 | 35,618 | 4.83 | 30 |
| NCAAW | 17 | 35,497 | 6.24 | 17 |
| Basketball | 18 | 35,450 | 2.72 | 18 |
| realmadrid | 11 | 33,822 | 6.82 | 11 |
| WNBABasketball | 1 | 33,755 | 1.00 | 1 |
| LigaMX | 16 | 33,563 | 6.00 | 16 |
| MMA | 23 | 32,911 | 4.13 | 23 |
| denvernuggets | 12 | 32,187 | 4.67 | 12 |
| billsimmons | 19 | 30,230 | 3.95 | 19 |
| clevelandcavs | 2 | 29,398 | 9.00 | 2 |
| ufc | 22 | 27,052 | 3.00 | 22 |
| MLS | 7 | 25,285 | 4.71 | 7 |
| NBASpurs | 7 | 25,186 | 4.29 | 7 |
| KansasCityChiefs | 5 | 24,818 | 6.40 | 5 |
| InterMiami | 11 | 22,002 | 6.27 | 11 |
| ipl | 6 | 21,482 | 6.50 | 6 |
| bet365 | 16 | 20,319 | 4.75 | 16 |
| bicycling | 6 | 19,628 | 2.50 | 6 |
| Chargers | 5 | 19,527 | 2.20 | 5 |
| Barca | 6 | 19,306 | 7.00 | 6 |
| fcbayern | 4 | 19,302 | 7.25 | 4 |
| NBAtradeideas | 3 | 19,204 | 5.33 | 3 |
| PatMcAfeeShowOfficial | 4 | 18,878 | 3.75 | 4 |
| evolveskateboards | 6 | 18,341 | 2.50 | 6 |
| thefinals | 4 | 17,143 | 4.00 | 4 |
| NashvilleSC | 2 | 17,119 | 3.50 | 2 |
| cycling | 17 | 16,656 | 2.41 | 17 |
| Dodgers | 5 | 16,612 | 1.60 | 5 |
| Pickleball | 13 | 16,469 | 3.69 | 13 |
| NOLAPelicans | 7 | 15,629 | 6.00 | 7 |
| WivesofNFL | 10 | 15,098 | 2.50 | 10 |
| Fighters | 10 | 14,781 | 2.50 | 10 |
| DynastyFF | 10 | 14,676 | 4.70 | 10 |
| NFLNoobs | 7 | 14,093 | 4.00 | 7 |
| WWE | 14 | 13,885 | 3.21 | 14 |
| WWE | 14 | 13,885 | 3.21 | 14 |
| FCInterMilan | 5 | 13,308 | 4.80 | 5 |
| fantasyfootball | 9 | 13,150 | 5.11 | 9 |
| ClevelandGuardians | 5 | 11,999 | 6.60 | 5 |
| sportsbook | 6 | 11,831 | 3.33 | 6 |
| headscissors | 2 | 11,714 | 1.00 | 2 |
| lakers | 5 | 11,636 | 5.20 | 5 |
| nhl | 11 | 11,630 | 2.64 | 11 |
| suns | 7 | 10,945 | 5.00 | 7 |
| mlb | 12 | 10,850 | 4.92 | 12 |
| RBI | 6 | 10,726 | 2.17 | 6 |
| MTB | 10 | 10,074 | 3.90 | 10 |
| chicagobulls | 2 | 9,764 | 6.50 | 2 |
| Nike | 9 | 9,746 | 5.44 | 9 |
| nattyorjuice | 9 | 9,543 | 2.67 | 9 |
| icecoast | 2 | 9,533 | 6.50 | 2 |
| CFBStreams | 1 | 9,433 | 1.00 | 1 |
| hockey | 7 | 9,377 | 3.00 | 7 |
| scuba | 2 | 9,311 | 3.00 | 2 |
| redbull | 5 | 8,976 | 2.80 | 5 |
| Mavericks | 5 | 8,769 | 7.20 | 5 |
| WrestlemaniaPlans | 4 | 8,607 | 4.25 | 4 |
| NWSL | 2 | 8,293 | 5.50 | 2 |
During our research, we identified keywords for which editorial websites previously held top 10 positions in search in July 2023, but have experienced significant ranking declines in 2024.
Below are some of the keywords that have lost top rankings to Reddit in 2024:
Keyword: ‘basketball shoes for volleyball’
Reddit has claimed the top spot in Google’s search rankings for the keyword ‘basketball shoes for volleyball’ in July 2024. YouTube and Quora now appear in positions 5 and 7 in Google search respectively. Nike also earned two rankings for the query, appearing in positions 3 and 8.
Niche, informational websites focused on basketball and volleyball, which previously dominated the top 10 search results, have experienced significant ranking declines, with some websites losing rankings by over 100 positions as shown in the image below. Digging deeper into a few of these sites revealed that these ranking declines likely took place as a result of the September 2023 Helpful Content Update.
Keyword: ‘best golf towel’
We saw big changes in search results for the search term ‘best golf towel,’ where Reddit improved in rankings by 19 positions YoY, and is now in position 1.
Most of the niche, review websites that were in the top 10 results in 2023 took a big hit and most of them have little to no organic visibility for this query in 2024.
In addition to Reddit’s new #2 ranking, the golf-focused forums mygolfspy.com and forumsgolfwrx.com, plus youtube.com, are now ranking in positions 1, and 6 respectively. This is another example of how Google might be prioritizing active discussions and forums from niche sites in 2024, not just results from Reddit and Quora.
Keyword: ‘best indoor basketball’
For the keyword ‘best indoor basketball’, Reddit improved in rankings to position 1 in July 2024, while most of the 6 informational niche sites that ranked in the top 10 in July 2023 completely lost visibility.
YouTube, on the other hand, now appears as the 5th and 8th top search result for this query, plus a couple of eCommerce sites earned top positions as well.
Automotive category
We also conducted a deep dive into the automotive category and discovered active Subreddits, such as ‘whatcarshouldIbuy’, ‘cars’, and ‘askcarguys’, among others, with millions of active subscribers discussing everything from car buying and selling to maintenance, modifications, and car culture.
Discussions about specific car models, automotive industry news, and advice from experienced car owners are also seen in this category.
| Subreddit | Count of Keywords Currently Ranking | Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit | Average Position | Count of Ranking URLs in Subreddit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| whatcarshouldIbuy | 129 | 278,336 | 2.78 | 129 |
| cars | 85 | 137,327 | 4.59 | 85 |
| askcarguys | 44 | 84,354 | 2.32 | 44 |
| FordMaverickTruck | 14 | 70,085 | 3.21 | 14 |
| Toyota | 25 | 60,356 | 4.52 | 25 |
| electricvehicles | 39 | 56,387 | 3.67 | 39 |
| Hyundai | 28 | 53,102 | 4.61 | 28 |
| MechanicAdvice | 33 | 45,282 | 2.73 | 33 |
| AutoDetailing | 32 | 44,159 | 2.50 | 32 |
| mazda | 23 | 43,595 | 2.61 | 23 |
| kia | 25 | 37,320 | 3.68 | 25 |
| AskMechanics | 23 | 37,162 | 3.09 | 23 |
| crv | 14 | 36,327 | 4.29 | 14 |
| Nissan | 24 | 32,059 | 3.54 | 24 |
| LexusGX | 10 | 30,044 | 3.40 | 10 |
| TeslaModelY | 18 | 29,701 | 3.06 | 18 |
| subaruoutback | 4 | 27,016 | 2.00 | 4 |
| Camry | 21 | 26,934 | 6.52 | 21 |
| Lexus | 19 | 25,658 | 4.26 | 19 |
| prius | 10 | 23,302 | 2.90 | 10 |
| 4Runner | 11 | 23,238 | 4.55 | 11 |
| rav4club | 16 | 22,606 | 3.75 | 16 |
| RealTesla | 6 | 22,360 | 3.67 | 6 |
| Justrolledintotheshop | 2 | 21,680 | 1.50 | 2 |
| accord | 13 | 21,620 | 5.69 | 13 |
| ToyotaHighlander | 12 | 21,190 | 5.08 | 12 |
| TeslaLounge | 15 | 19,376 | 3.20 | 15 |
| SubaruAscent | 11 | 18,514 | 3.36 | 11 |
| SuggestAMotorcycle | 11 | 18,123 | 2.18 | 11 |
| Honda | 16 | 17,177 | 4.31 | 16 |
| motorcycles | 16 | 16,818 | 2.38 | 16 |
| Acura | 11 | 16,121 | 2.64 | 11 |
| Cartalk | 15 | 15,779 | 2.27 | 15 |
| SubaruForester | 11 | 14,933 | 4.36 | 11 |
| RockAuto | 7 | 14,596 | 2.43 | 7 |
| CivicSi | 7 | 14,234 | 2.86 | 7 |
| subaru | 8 | 14,076 | 2.88 | 8 |
| TeslaModel3 | 10 | 14,051 | 3.40 | 10 |
| Cadillac | 11 | 13,681 | 3.27 | 11 |
| MazdaCX30 | 3 | 13,117 | 3.00 | 3 |
| Volvo | 2 | 12,888 | 2.50 | 2 |
| COROLLA | 8 | 11,677 | 4.13 | 8 |
| teslamotors | 11 | 11,222 | 3.36 | 11 |
| KiaTelluride | 6 | 11,174 | 4.83 | 6 |
| Rivian | 6 | 11,092 | 2.67 | 6 |
| BMW | 10 | 10,874 | 3.30 | 10 |
| hondapilot | 4 | 10,614 | 4.00 | 4 |
| carvana | 5 | 10,312 | 1.40 | 5 |
| Fisker | 4 | 10,160 | 4.75 | 4 |
| Audi | 10 | 9,770 | 1.70 | 10 |
| CarPlay | 5 | 9,711 | 3.40 | 5 |
| BoltEV | 7 | 9,647 | 3.86 | 7 |
| evcharging | 4 | 9,562 | 3.75 | 4 |
| electriccars | 6 | 9,393 | 3.50 | 6 |
| Subaru_Outback | 6 | 9,271 | 4.17 | 6 |
| WRX | 8 | 9,010 | 3.50 | 8 |
| KiaEV9 | 2 | 8,971 | 6.50 | 2 |
| NissanRogue | 6 | 8,700 | 4.50 | 6 |
| KiaSorento | 5 | 8,520 | 5.80 | 5 |
| Chevrolet | 9 | 8,399 | 4.33 | 9 |
During our research, we found that niche sites focused on cars and automotives that previously ranked for various keywords in July 2023 experienced ranking declines, with most no longer appearing in the top 10 results. Below are some examples of the keywords that lost rankings:
Keyword: ‘best brake pads’
Reddit became the top Google search result in July 2024 for the keyword “best brake pads,” which has a U.S. monthly search volume of 4,800. Most informational, niche review websites previously holding top positions in July 2023 experienced ranking declines, with some losing several positions and others disappearing entirely from the top 100, as shown in the image below.
Keyword: ‘fast cars under 20k’
Our research showed that in July 2024, Reddit has also secured the number one position in search results for the keyword ‘fast cars under 20k’, which has a U.S. search volume of 1,400. Last July, numerous niche websites that appeared as top ten search results have experienced significant ranking declines, with some even vanishing from the top 100 results for this query.
Reddit has also gained visibility through its appearance in ‘Discussion and Forums’ section, as shown in the image below. This carousel also features forum posts from Anandtech and Quora.
Keyword: ‘best tire brands’
Compared to July 2023, our year-over-year research showed that Reddit has newly gained visibility for the keyword ‘best tire brands’ and is now the number 1 search result in Google search for this keyword in July 2024. Quora and the Car Talk community also earned top 10 positions.
Many websites featuring comparisons of tire brands lost significant visibility, with most losing rankings by over 100 positions, as shown in the image below.
Cooking & Recipes category
In July 2023, Reddit was not ranking prominently for the keywords we analyzed in the Cooking & Recipes category. But after analyzing Subreddits like ‘HealthyFood’, ‘Cookingforbeginners’ and ‘Cooking’, we found keywords for which Reddit is now ranking in top positions in Google search results.
| Subreddit | Count of Keywords Currently Ranking | Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit | Average Position | Count of Ranking URLs in Subreddit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking | 326 | 451,211 | 4.49 | 326 |
| EatCheapAndHealthy | 105 | 155,037 | 4.42 | 105 |
| cookingforbeginners | 98 | 137,544 | 4.92 | 98 |
| AskCulinary | 72 | 79,459 | 4.38 | 72 |
| DinnerIdeas | 1 | 59,469 | 4.00 | 1 |
| HealthyFood | 34 | 39,361 | 3.15 | 34 |
| slowcooking | 21 | 36,671 | 5.19 | 21 |
| glutenfree | 23 | 31,361 | 4.39 | 23 |
| AskBaking | 18 | 26,018 | 5.61 | 18 |
| Old_Recipes | 17 | 19,951 | 5.24 | 17 |
| TopSecretRecipes | 14 | 18,980 | 3.50 | 14 |
| foodhacks | 15 | 17,465 | 4.53 | 15 |
| ketorecipes | 11 | 16,389 | 5.91 | 11 |
| pelletgrills | 6 | 16,367 | 3.50 | 6 |
| tonightsdinner | 7 | 14,123 | 3.57 | 7 |
| veganrecipes | 11 | 13,536 | 5.64 | 11 |
| PressureCooking | 4 | 13,177 | 4.75 | 4 |
| Chefit | 11 | 12,652 | 5.91 | 11 |
| castiron | 10 | 10,654 | 4.40 | 10 |
| blackstonegriddle | 5 | 8,574 | 5.40 | 5 |
Some examples of keywords for which we found Reddit earning top positions are shown below:
Keyword: ‘are Triscuits healthy’
An analysis of this keyword with a monthly U.S. search volume of 2,600 showed an increase in visibility for forums, which held no place in the top 10 positions in search results in July 2023. These positions were previously held by niche cooking and health blogs, review sites and health & wellness sites.
In July 2024, Reddit, TikTok and Quora now rank in positions 1, 5 and 7 respectively, once again demonstrating the shift from informational and review-oriented content to forums, discussions and social media posts in 2024.
We also observed that, like many other keywords we’ve covered in this article, the post for which Reddit is ranking in position 1 in Google search is from 2 years ago, which may or may not be relevant for users in 2024.
Keyword: ‘what to do with tomatoes’
A look at this keyword revealed that all the top 10 positions in Google search results were dominated by various cooking and recipe sites in July 2023. Now, however, Reddit is in position 3, and Quora is in 7 and 9. Aside from these new additions, the rest of the ranking sites are still cooking and recipe sites.
The #7 ranking Quora post is 1 year old and can be seen below:
Travel category
Reddit has become an increasingly powerful platform for travel enthusiasts, boasting vibrant communities that cater to a diverse range of interests related to travel. The travel Subreddits have gained traction and become hubs for sharing travel experiences, seeking recommendations, and discussing travel-related topics.
These online travel communities have seen remarkable growth, with many Subreddits ranking for high-volume search terms that were previously primarily held by niche and review websites.
| Subreddit | Count of Keywords Currently Ranking | Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit | Average Position | Count of Ranking URLs in Subreddit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| evermorepark | 1 | 8,307 | 1.00 | 1 |
| travel | 74 | 121,065 | 2.73 | 74 |
| YellowstonePN | 24 | 107,731 | 5.21 | 24 |
| Dallas | 41 | 82,045 | 3.76 | 41 |
| houston | 54 | 80,534 | 3.57 | 54 |
| SanJose | 22 | 70,896 | 3.64 | 22 |
| TravelHacks | 45 | 69,261 | 3.16 | 45 |
| kansascity | 10 | 62,341 | 4.00 | 10 |
| LosAngeles | 26 | 60,456 | 2.88 | 26 |
| chicago | 36 | 56,793 | 3.36 | 36 |
| phoenix | 30 | 54,861 | 4.37 | 30 |
| Cruise | 30 | 40,394 | 3.57 | 30 |
| AllInclusiveResorts | 4 | 22,989 | 4.00 | 4 |
| asklatinamerica | 12 | 21,105 | 2.00 | 12 |
| floridakeys | 1 | 20,891 | 1.00 | 1 |
| royalcaribbean | 9 | 20,328 | 3.56 | 9 |
| arizona | 6 | 18,523 | 4.50 | 6 |
| TwinCities | 8 | 18,131 | 3.50 | 8 |
| JapanTravelTips | 16 | 17,676 | 3.69 | 16 |
| delta | 10 | 17,665 | 4.30 | 10 |
| Columbus | 13 | 17,499 | 4.15 | 13 |
| onebag | 16 | 15,165 | 2.88 | 16 |
| SaltLakeCity | 12 | 14,330 | 4.33 | 12 |
| LasVegas | 14 | 14,187 | 3.43 | 14 |
| orangecounty | 13 | 13,869 | 3.00 | 13 |
| WaltDisneyWorld | 13 | 12,479 | 2.54 | 13 |
| cuba | 1 | 12,404 | 4.00 | 1 |
| roadtrip | 5 | 12,173 | 5.00 | 5 |
| Flights | 9 | 11,696 | 1.78 | 9 |
| americanairlines | 8 | 11,490 | 3.75 | 8 |
| AirBnB | 3 | 11,168 | 2.00 | 3 |
| AskIreland | 10 | 10,804 | 4.50 | 10 |
| disneyparks | 6 | 10,247 | 2.17 | 6 |
| vegas | 10 | 9,325 | 2.60 | 10 |
| GoRVing | 7 | 9,057 | 2.29 | 7 |
| VisitingHawaii | 8 | 8,969 | 2.25 | 8 |
| cancun | 6 | 8,451 | 1.33 | 6 |
To illustrate this shift, here is a list of keywords where Reddit significantly improved its search rankings from 2023 to 2024.
Keyword: ‘Best places to visit in USA for first time’
As seen in the image below, in July 2024, Reddit is ranking in the first position for the longtail keyword ‘best places to visit in the USA for first time’ that has a U.S. search volume of 1,300, while Quora ranks in the fourth position. Travel-focused niche and ‘review’ websites that dominated the top ten rankings in July 2023 have experienced a significant decline in visibility, with some losing rankings with over 100 positions. The Travellers Point forum and Fodors forum entered into top positions in 2024 as well.
Keyword: ‘eDreams reviews’
In July 2024, we see that Reddit is ranking in the first position in Google search results in the USA for the keyword ‘eDreams reviews’. In 2023, that position was held by a niche travel blog, traveloffpath.com.
Niche travel websites that previously dominated the top ten rankings have experienced significant declines, with some losing ranking by as many as 100 positions.
There once again seems to be a surge in visibility for forums. For this keyword, for example, there are three forums newly ranking – Reddit, TripAdvisor and Quora in positions 1, 5 and 6 respectively.
Our research also revealed that the query that Reddit ranks in position 1 for was actually posted 2 years ago as seen in the image below, which might be considered dated for some users:
Keyword: ‘is Mexico City safe’
In July 2023, niche travel blogs dominated the top ten search results for the query “is Mexico City safe.” However, in July 2024, we found that 6 of those niche sites lost their rankings and fell off the top 100 Google search results.
Although there were no forums ranking in the top 10 in 2023, July 2024 shows Reddit in the 1st position, Quora in the 6th, position and TripAdvisor’s forum in the 7th position.
What has Google said about Reddit’s growth?
To start, Google has denied that its new partnership with Reddit had any impact on how Reddit appears in organic results. In a recent Business Insider article on this topic, a spokesperson from Google stated, “Our agreement with Reddit absolutely did not include ranking its content higher on Search.”
Google has made several other claims related to the increase in visibility seen by Reddit and other forums:
- Google shows the “Discussions and Forums” SERP feature when it is relevant to the search query
- Searchers find forum content useful, even if some SEO professionals don’t always agree
- Google understands the complaints that some have raised around showing Reddit and other forum answers to highly sensitive queries, such as YMYL queries like “weight loss”
Google’s various responses related to Reddit’s growth have implied that this growth is indicative of the demand for relevant and satisfying results for searchers, according to a recent article by Business Insider. “Our systems surface content from hundreds of forums and other communities across the web, and we conduct rigorous testing to ensure results are helpful and high quality.”
Responding to a recent Tweet and a post on LinkedIn by Lily Ray about why Reddit keeps showing up in the ‘Discussion and Forums’ panel even for E-E-A-T medical-driven results previously provided by the likes of the Mayo Clinic and Harvard, Google responded, “That unit appears automatically if the systems think it might be relevant and useful. Our ranking systems are not perfect, and we’ll keep improving them — including this type of feedback, which is appreciated.”
Google also indicated that these updates were intended to increase the visibility of content from various forums, not just Reddit.
In the same LinkedIn response, Danny Sullivan continued, “That is not that we somehow add Reddit to a query, much less every query. That’s not how the forums unit — that shows content from many forums works.” He also added, “Actual searchers seem to like it. They proactively seek it out. It makes sense for us to be showing it to keep the search results relevant and satisfying for everyone.”
Is Quora any different from Reddit?
Quora is a UGC forum that has also seen significant growth since August 2023, as seen in the image below.
We also researched YMYL keywords that ranked on Quora and discovered some interesting findings.
As was the case with Reddit, we found many examples of queries ranking in the top positions of search results that followed Google’s guidelines of creating helpful content that satisfies E-E-A-T.
Interestingly, we also found sponsored posts that had unrelated content right after the top answer and had zero answers as shown in the image below. This ad format is frequently displayed across Quora.
One concerning example was content that ranked for the keyword “accredited debt relief reviews,” which ranked sixth on search results and answered Reddit’s user query, “What additional support does Accredited Debt Relief offer beyond debt relief?”
While the answer provided was accurate, it may have been generated with AI, as is a common experience found throughout Quora answers, and even further supported by answers generated by Quora’s own AI assistant.
Example answer generated by Quora’s AI assistant:
We also came across the keyword “best dental insurance,” which ranked in the 4th position on the search results, answering a Reddit user’s question, “Is dental insurance better than a dental plan” displaying answers showing highly opinionated real-life experience that might not be found on other publisher sites. “In a word, dental insurance “sucks!” Most dental plans also suck.”
There was also an answer to the same question that stated, “I’m so sorry to say I’ve no clue or knowledge about the dental insurance policies,” which was actually not helpful at all (the respondent even says the answer is not helpful).
We also sampled a few YMYL keywords in the medical niche and found helpful and unhelpful content. The keyword “signs of kidney problems” ranked eighth on Google. The user’s answer displayed at the top explained how they “reversed” their chronic kidney disease, as shown in the image below.
We then went ahead and looked up the topic on Google about reversing chronic kidney disease. We found an opposite answer that chronic kidney disease cannot be reversed but managed, as shown in the image below.
This is an example of how first-hand experience can actually contradict scientific and medical consensus, which Google has attempted to elevate for YMYL queries for years. The Quora answer could even be interpreted as dangerous for the user’s health or safety.
This shows how forums can be spammed by users whose answers are motivated by a financial incentive, which can be can be quite dangerous to other users.
What’s the state of other user-generated platforms?
Reddit and Quora aren’t the only user-generated content (UGC) or forums that have seen a significant increase in visibility over recent months. Platforms like Superuser, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Medium have all seen similar growth, although not quite as explosive as Reddit’s.
Nearly all the user-generated websites started increasing in visibility around August and have been consistently seeing an increase to date.
Medium and Substack experienced a significant loss of visibility in April 2024 after consistently increasing visibility from August 2023. This may be connected to the March Core Update or even the “site reputation abuse” component of the update that began rolling out in May 2024 (but may have been tested in the weeks prior).
Medium.com has even taken new steps to reduce AI content on its platform. According to Cyberdaily, a new Medium policy regarding AI-generated content is coming into effect on May 1st, 2024. The platform will be cracking down on AI-written content, potentially revoking Partner Program enrollment for anyone who publishes it. This might serve as a clue about what is to come on other platforms that accept user-generated content.
Conclusion
The surge in visibility for user-generated content websites and forums in the search results marks a significant shift in SEO and digital marketing. While this may reflect the growing demand for diverse perspectives and authentic experiences, it also raises questions regarding the reliability and trustworthiness of the information being displayed. Or in some cases, these results can even present safety risks to the users who read them.
Interestingly, Google claimed to have not found any indication that the content published on forums was unhelpful, of low quality or harmful, as published in the Business Insider article.
According to Sistrix marketing manager, Steve Pain, 48.9% of all Reddit.com rankings appear in the Top 10 of search results. It’s a high-performance figure, but it also means that over 50% of rankings have potential for improvement.
Based on this data, users need to exercise caution when relying solely on answers based on user-generated content, especially for Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) topics. Verifying information from multiple credible sources and official channels is important to ensure accuracy and reliability.
Website owners, on the other hand, may consider prioritizing authentic user experience when it makes sense to do so as one method of publishing high-quality and helpful content. While this digital shift might have intensified with the increased visibility of UGC, sites should always focus on delivering trustworthy content to be rewarded in the long term.
The various keyword examples shown above demonstrate how Reddit has earned top positions for all types of keywords, where those positions were previously held by different types of sites in 2023, predominantly informational, review, and niche websites. Beyond Reddit, Quora and other forums, in addition to social media sites and user-generated content, have infiltrated Google’s top results for keywords in many different categories.
While the keywords shown above used to result in much more informational content in top results, they now show much more community-oriented discussions from real humans, which might show how Google is prioritizing “hidden gems” in its organic algorithms. These changes are aimed at making the search results feel more authentic and elevating helpful information, even if it is buried in older forum or social media posts.
This reduction in visibility can present challenges for sites reliant on organic search traffic to drive revenue, many of which have seen significant visibility declines as a result of these changes. However, the changes also represent an opportunity for many businesses, as important discussions are taking place in these highly visible communities, which represents a goldmine of audience research and an opportunity to connect with existing and potential customers.
Curious about the change in SEO visibility from review and affiliate sites to eCommerce sites in 2024? Check out what this could mean for product review sites, or, let’s talk about how to achieve more for your marketing—and your business.
