Google recently provided Reddit with the biggest boost in search engine rankings that the site has ever seen. As an odd sort of thank you, Reddit threatened to block Google from crawling its pages. This drama between the two internet giants has caught bloggers and content creators like us right in the middle.
The Rise of Reddit in Google Rankings
This surprising saga began in June 2022 when journalist Charlie Warzel wrote an article in The Atlantic about the poor quality of Google’s search results. He told a story of a plumbing emergency where Google failed him, forcing him to make an “old-fashioned” phone call. Warzel discovered that many users were appending “Reddit” to their Google queries in order to find more helpful information.
The resulting publicity nightmare for Google was swift and severe. Social media lit up with agreement that Google’s core search function was broken. Facing this backlash, Google rolled out the major “Helpful Content Update” in September 2022, which appeared designed specifically to address complaints about unhelpful search results.
This update provided Reddit with an enormous boost in Google search rankings. Reddit’s organic search traffic has skyrocketed from around 120 million visits per month to over 220 million – a staggering 150% increase. When you search on Google now, you are much more likely to see Reddit results at the top, even without adding “Reddit” to your query.
The Downsides for Bloggers
However, Reddit’s gain has come at a cost for many bloggers and site owners. When one site gets a Google ranking boost, others lose traffic. Many bloggers have seen their organic search traffic cut by 50% or more overnight.
For example, my own site went from seeing significant growth to a 50% loss in traffic literally overnight when the Helpful Content Update was rolled out. Another site, Traveling.com, saw its 1.5 million monthly organic visits plunge to just 635,000. And BankOnUs.com dropped from 245,000 monthly visits down to a mere 37,000 – losing over 85% of its traffic.
So Reddit is reaping the rewards, while individual expert bloggers are taking the hit. But it gets even more complex, as you’ll see next…
Gaming the System
I recently learned of a shady tactic some affiliate marketers are using to take advantage of Reddit’s Google ranking boost. Savvy marketers are manipulating Reddit to promote their own sites and commercial interests.
For example, if you search Google for “best electric shavers for men,” a top Reddit thread recommends one particular brand from a site called CoolThings365. Turns out the user is likely an affiliate marketer promoting their own commercial site.
I found other examples for keywords like “best gaming laptops” and “best leaf blower,” where top Reddit threads were actually affiliate marketers posing as regular Reddit users. They’re gaming both Reddit and Google to drive traffic to their sites.
The Problem With Anonymous Reddit Users
But the problem with Reddit goes even deeper. Anonymous Reddit users often make comments simply to gain upvotes, without any expertise. Sometimes they provide nonsense or even dangerous advice.
For example, if you search Google for “best things to do in Seattle,” a top Reddit thread recommends doing drugs and other shady behaviors. When you rely on anonymous users’ opinions, you open yourself up to trolls and clout-chasers.
Yet Google now shows Reddit over individual expert bloggers for all sorts of informational queries. Many knowledgeable bloggers lost 50% or more of their hard-earned search traffic overnight. Does Google really want anonymous Reddit users to be the new “answers engine of the internet”?
Google Still Has a Reddit Problem
Google gave Reddit a huge boost in an attempt to fix bad publicity over poor search results. But in doing so, credible expert sites took a hit. And Reddit has responded by threatening to ban Google – not a very grateful gesture. No matter what Google does, it seems the company still has a Reddit problem on its hands.
