Reddit’s surge in visibility is shaking up traditional SEO strategies, especially around bottom-of-the-funnel (BoFu) traffic. Marketers are asking: Is Reddit quietly stealing our most valuable traffic and revenue?
On this episode of #SEOTalk Spaces, we tried to decode why Reddit is outranking brand pages and shaping buyer behavior thereby serving the informational intent behind this SEO shift.
Why Reddit Dominates BoFu Search Results
We started with how major search signals indicate that community threads outrank buyer intent pages, especially in the U.S.
As Parth mentioned, “Almost four percent of transactional keyword traffic is owned by Reddit now and it’s a wake-up call for all of us!”
The reason? Google has started honoring first-hand opinions and real user discussion, prioritizing content that’s authentic and not easily spammed.
Malhar asked the question: “Did Google outsource trust to Reddit?”
This isn’t just speculation – a 2024 deal between Google and Reddit means user-generated discussions frequently appear at the top of search results.
Key Points Of Discussion
- The US vs India Reddit Usage Behaviour
Isha observed, “If I remember correctly, in 2023 Reddit was not even in the top hundred sites, and now it’s in the top five most viewed sites on the web. In the US, the dominance is way higher than in India.”
Deepak added, “Reddit is not as strict now as it used to be, now brands are trying harder to build communities and subtly mention their products, but scalable results are still rare.”
- Trust And Authenticity
Parth said, “Reddit is clearly using Google’s EEAT psychology and there’s real user voice as well as trust.” He explains how “product reviews posted on Reddit, with a bit of engagement, now appear in search results, showing authentic discussion, even with critical comments.”
And then Malhar summarizes, “Authenticity is converting more than optimism with conversations being core to winning.”
- How To Manage Outranking With Reddit
Quoting Parth on the brand strategy: “It’s more about building your own community and have those early traction UGC discussions, promote them, and try to keep the user journey within your ecosystem instead of fully relying on Reddit.”
Isha shared, “The problem is a lot of times we are not acknowledging the change that SEO experts might know how to outrank on Google, but may not know how to use Reddit as a strategy.”
Key Takeaways
Build Your Own Community: Integrate user-generated content and foster authentic discussions directly on your site, leveraging tools like WordPress and Disqus
Focus On Unique Content: Offer unique calculators, tools, or up-to-date research that Reddit threads cannot replicate
Track Visibility Loss: Monitor drops in CTR and surges in brand mentions on Reddit—clear signals that audience is shifting
Experiment Across Platforms: Explore Discord servers, WhatsApp communities and actively participate in relevant conversations
Reddit isn’t just stealing BoFu traffic but it is also reshaping the conversion journey. Brands must rethink their approach, invest in community building and innovate beyond simple keyword or page-level optimizations.
Finally, in the words of Parth, “Reddit didn’t beat brands with keywords but it won with conversation.”
Your Thoughts?
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