Google Is Dead for Product Research. Reddit Won. Here's How to Show Up.

TL;DR

Reddit isn’t just a community platform anymore. It’s a search engine. Users search within Reddit for recommendations, and Google surfaces Reddit results prominently. Ranking in Reddit search requires understanding how Reddit’s algorithm works and building genuine presence in the right communities.

People don’t trust Google results anymore. They trust Reddit.

When someone searches for “best CRM for small business,” they’re not clicking the first Google result. They’re clicking the Reddit thread that Google surfaces. Or they’re going directly to Reddit and searching there.

This shift changes everything about how you think about visibility. Traditional SEO gets you ranked on Google. Reddit SEO gets you ranked where people actually make decisions.

Why Reddit Became a Search Engine

Reddit Search

Both Reddit’s internal search function and the practice of adding “reddit” to Google queries to find community discussions rather than marketing content.

Reddit’s rise as a search destination happened because:

Marketing ruined Google. Years of SEO manipulation filled search results with optimized content that answers keywords but not questions. Users learned to skip to Reddit for real opinions.

Reddit content is authentic. Upvotes and downvotes filter quality. Promotional content gets buried. Genuine recommendations rise.

Google noticed. Google’s algorithm now surfaces Reddit threads prominently for many queries, especially product comparisons and “best X” searches.

45% increase in Reddit traffic (Semrush 2025)

from Google search results year-over-year, as Google prioritizes Reddit content for commercial queries.

How Reddit Search Works

Reddit’s internal search is notoriously mediocre, but understanding it helps:

Relevance Factors

Title match: Threads with query terms in the title rank higher
Body content: Content in posts and comments matters
Subreddit relevance: Results prioritize relevant subreddits
Upvotes: Higher upvoted content ranks better
Recency: Recent content gets boosted

The Google-Reddit Connection

Google treats Reddit as a trusted source for certain queries. When someone searches “best project management software reddit,” Google often shows Reddit results before official product pages.

This means ranking in Reddit isn’t just about Reddit traffic. It’s about Google traffic that lands on Reddit. It’s also about how AI assistants discover and recommend software.

Building Reddit Search Presence

Reddit SEO Strategy

How to build visibility in Reddit search results

Identify Target Queries

What questions would your ideal customer search on Reddit? “Best [your category],” “[Your category] recommendations,” “[Competitor] alternatives.” List 10-20 key queries.

Find Existing Threads

Search Reddit for your target queries. Which threads rank? What subreddits are they in? Which products get mentioned? This is your competitive landscape.

Participate in Existing Discussions

Add valuable comments to existing threads. Even old threads get traffic from search. A helpful comment on a year-old thread can generate leads for years.

Build Subreddit Authority

Regular participation in relevant subreddits builds karma and reputation. This credibility makes your comments more trusted and less likely to be flagged as spam.

Create Discussion Opportunities

Occasionally start threads that invite discussion. “What’s everyone using for X?” threads often rank well and let you participate naturally.

Content That Ranks on Reddit

Not all content performs equally in Reddit search.

What Ranks Well

Comparison threads: “Tool A vs Tool B” discussions rank for both brand searches and category searches.

Recommendation requests: “What do you use for X?” threads rank for intent-driven searches.

Experience posts: “We switched from X to Y, here’s what happened” provides valuable search content.

Problem-solution discussions: Threads about specific problems that mention solutions rank for problem-aware searches.

What Doesn’t Rank

Promotional posts: Even if not removed, promotional content doesn’t get upvoted enough to rank.

Link dumps: Posting links without context gets downvoted into oblivion.

Generic advice: Vague content doesn’t match specific search queries.

The Long Game of Reddit SEO

Reddit SEO isn’t a one-time optimization. It’s ongoing presence.

Old threads keep ranking. A comment you leave today might generate traffic for three years. Reddit’s evergreen content model rewards patience.

New threads need seeding. When new discussions start about your category, being there early matters. Active community members see these first.

Reputation compounds. Accounts with high karma and positive history get more visibility for their contributions.

This means your Reddit SEO strategy isn’t a project. It’s a commitment to ongoing community participation.

Measuring Reddit SEO Success

Track these metrics:

Brand mention volume: How often is your product mentioned in Reddit search results?

Sentiment: Are mentions positive, negative, or neutral?

Search visibility: For your target queries, where do threads mentioning you appear?

Referral traffic: How much traffic comes to your site from reddit.com?

Lead attribution: Ask leads how they heard about you. “Reddit” as an answer indicates working Reddit SEO.

How do I rank for competitor brand terms?

Participate in threads comparing your product to competitors. Provide balanced, honest comparisons that acknowledge competitor strengths while highlighting your differentiators. Never trash competitors. Let the honest comparison speak for itself.

Should I create my own subreddit?

Only if you have resources to moderate and nurture it. Empty branded subreddits look worse than no subreddit. Most B2B SaaS companies are better off participating in existing communities than starting their own.

How do I handle negative threads ranking for my brand?

Respond thoughtfully to criticism in those threads. A good response to a negative thread often becomes the most upvoted comment, changing the narrative. You can’t remove the thread, but you can change what people see in it.

Is Reddit SEO separate from Reddit GEO?

They overlap heavily. Reddit SEO focuses on visibility in Reddit and Google search results. Reddit GEO focuses on visibility in LLM recommendations. Both require the same foundation: genuine, helpful presence in relevant communities.

Common Reddit SEO Mistakes

Treating it like traditional SEO. You can’t optimize a Reddit thread like you optimize a web page. You build presence through participation, not technical tweaks.

Ignoring existing threads. Most Reddit SEO value comes from participating in existing popular threads, not creating new ones.

Being too promotional. Any hint of marketing gets downvoted. Provide value first, product mention last.

Expecting fast results. Reddit SEO compounds over months and years. A thread you comment on today might rank for your target query in six months.

Key Takeaways

Reddit has become a search engine that people trust more than Google for product recommendations
Google surfaces Reddit prominently for commercial and comparison queries
Ranking in Reddit requires ongoing community participation, not one-time optimization
Focus on existing high-ranking threads as much as creating new ones
Old Reddit content keeps generating traffic for years
Measure brand mentions, sentiment, and referral traffic
Reddit SEO and Reddit GEO are complementary strategies with shared tactics