Amsive

Insights / SEO

PUBLISHED: Jul 31, 2024 20 min read

Reddit’s SEO Growth: A Deep Dive into Reddit’s Recent Surge in SEO Visibility

Silvia Gituto

Silvia Gituto

SEO Data Analyst & Content Writer

Lily Ray

Vice President, SEO Strategy & Research

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.

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.

SubredditCount of Keywords Currently Ranking Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit Average PositionCount of Ranking URLs in Subreddit
GameTheorists13 537,376 4.3113
Helldivers211 448,161 1.82211
Roms144 426,383 1.62144
BaldursGate3259 381,439 1.99259
dndnext250 377,911 2.74250
DnD244 356,276 2.63244
wordle79 265,182 4.9979
Games55 247,007 4.0555
Overwatch24 223,902 2.7124
Minecraft148 210,236 2.84148
StardewValley126 207,794 1.59126
PS548 192,899 3.6748
pcgaming53 189,257 2.3653
GTA618 187,415 3.0618
Rainbow630 171,352 3.1730
TwoBestFriendsPlay49 151,251 3.1649
xbox41 147,180 3.6341
ShouldIbuythisgame60 145,146 2.8260
gamingsuggestions57 135,471 2.7457
GeForceNOW3 129,420 4.333
BLOOKET19 128,092 4.7419
Fallout107 124,715 1.89107
MonopolyGoDiceLinks17 124,628 4.4117
gaming66 118,137 2.6466
FortNiteBR76 116,216 3.1376
PixelCarRacer16 115,351 2.1316
PokemonInfiniteFusion15 109,611 1.7315
Eldenring100 107,683 2.75100
WouldYouRather10 103,441 2.5010
VALORANT40 100,253 4.1840
PokemonROMhacks33 98,042 1.2133
TheSims4Mods32 96,378 2.6932
2007scape76 95,331 2.0976
playstation74 94,309 2.8274
roblox51 93,989 2.6151
Genshin_Impact72 91,047 4.0772
fo439 90,481 1.6739
diablo436 85,223 3.3136
ZoroZone18 84,741 2.0618
robloxjailbreak13 80,632 4.3813
3d659 78,737 2.6159
LivestreamFail28 78,496 2.3228
ffxiv50 78,408 2.3050
boardgames41 68,842 3.1241
GamingLeaksAndRumours42 68,396 2.5742
pokemon55 68,058 2.7855
octordle3 65,759 5.673
Starfield17 65,146 2.0017
EscapefromTarkov27 64,068 1.8127
HonkaiStarRail38 58,947 4.7438
AndroidGaming23 58,744 4.6523
MurimLogin5 58,388 2.605
DragonsDogma47 58,023 2.1547
TESVI5 58,005 4.205
monkeytype3 57,742 4.003
Animedubs35 57,424 1.9435
Warframe36 54,336 1.6736
NFLFantasy23 52,972 3.6523
OnePunchMan17 52,627 3.0017
Sims440 52,186 2.6340
geometrydash10 51,032 4.2010
XboxGamePass20 50,761 3.4020
pokemongo41 49,724 2.5141
GamingLaptops18 48,906 2.8918
minecraftseeds16 48,850 1.3816
nintendo34 47,898 3.7434
DestinyTheGame38 47,147 2.0838
SteamDeck21 46,712 1.9521
NintendoSwitch44 45,486 3.2044
wow14 45,269 2.4314
PokemonScarletViolet20 44,810 3.2520
gdevelop2 44,334 2.502
UnearthedArcana17 44,304 2.3517
DevilMayCry13 43,728 2.1513
deadbydaylight14 42,842 4.1414
PoppyPlaytime26 42,647 3.8126
yugioh14 42,557 1.5714
FalloutMods17 42,515 1.7617
PiratedGames20 42,447 1.9520
tf219 42,286 2.6819
stellarblade24 42,154 2.7124
leagueoflegends31 41,864 2.8731
thesimscc9 41,674 3.449
PokeDoku1 41,636 2.001
patientgamers32 41,281 4.2532
fivenightsatfreddys28 40,719 3.1128
DungeonsAndDragons21 38,729 2.3321
TheSilphRoad30 38,661 2.3330
Competitiveoverwatch9 38,493 1.679
halo20 37,828 2.6520
SuicideSquadGaming4 37,279 4.754
DMAcademy28 36,437 2.4328
CozyGamers28 36,118 3.0428
steam_giveaway5 35,926 3.005
feedthebeast32 35,695 2.1332
FFVIIRemake20 35,431 3.5020
Stellaris5 35,261 1.805
WarriorCats7 34,779 1.437
IntoTheSpiderverse19 34,583 4.5819

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.

SubredditCount of Keywords Currently Ranking Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit Average PositionCount of Ranking URLs in Subreddit
OutOfTheLoop284 864,426 2.26284
ask26 86,330 2.3526
AskOldPeople16 78,257 3.4416
unpopularopinion40 76,474 3.4840
AskChicago13 72,893 3.8513
Damnthatsinteresting28 70,266 3.2528
AskAnAmerican50 62,878 3.3650
SwiftlyNeutral34 62,039 3.0934
AskUK30 53,443 2.8030
SquaredCircle36 53,144 3.5336
appletv17 52,999 5.4117
MandelaEffect36 51,768 2.7536
Advice33 51,684 3.0333
IAmA24 51,207 2.4224
AskWomenOver3029 49,128 3.8329
hypotheticalsituation4 9,895 4.504

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.

SubredditCount of Keywords Currently Ranking Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit Average PositionCount of Ranking URLs in Subreddit
movies457 892,263 4.47457
anime335 592,621 2.31335
MovieSuggestions214 423,146 2.35214
horror252 419,506 3.90252
netflix122 286,264 4.61122
LoveIsBlindOnNetflix119 263,261 2.80119
television123 206,537 4.60123
manga79 194,351 1.6679
OnePiece101 193,050 2.34101
JuJutsuKaisen97 176,465 3.0597
Letterboxd83 166,233 3.4783
Jujutsushi55 159,056 2.7655
NetflixBestOf58 97,781 3.6058
Morbidforbadpeople5 96,078 1.205
flicks39 93,975 4.0039
whowouldwin20 92,151 2.9020
ghostbusters8 84,765 4.388
boxoffice52 84,629 4.9852
TheLastAirbender46 83,879 2.4346
Shudder7 82,448 5.717
A2422 77,769 3.6822
Hulu27 74,727 4.8527
DisneyPlus39 72,669 4.5439
Fotv5 68,671 3.005
1001Movies4 66,225 2.254
StarWars46 65,668 3.1546
AmazonPrimeVideo25 59,960 5.0425
HBOMAX31 58,318 3.1031
YoungSheldon19 57,648 3.8419
OppenheimerMovie16 56,385 2.5016
moviecritic33 50,693 5.7333
BridgertonNetflix23 49,325 4.6523
ShogunTVShow27 47,613 3.0727
televisionsuggestions31 44,608 2.8431
LoveIsBlindNetflix25 44,361 2.5625
RegalUnlimited11 42,958 5.2711
oscarrace25 41,673 6.1625
imax16 35,098 2.0616
Disneyland17 33,483 3.2417
RebelMoon4 33,322 1.754
Hungergames18 30,304 5.0618
AmericanHorrorStory14 29,839 4.0014
betterCallSaul7 28,550 3.577
survivor16 28,211 2.3816
TedLasso16 27,426 3.4416
GODZILLA21 26,611 4.5721
MovieLeaksAndRumors2 25,828 1.002
AllAmericanTV4 25,612 5.254
DC_Cinematic14 24,305 4.5714
LoveSimon4 24,196 3.254
GossipGirl4 24,096 3.254
criterion17 23,428 3.5917
PrisonBreak2 23,202 3.002
lotr17 23,165 3.3517
TheChosenSeries10 23,115 7.1010
southpark11 23,089 1.6411
HorrorMovies8 22,700 4.638
1923Series2 22,532 3.502
Oscars14 22,204 3.7914
FearTheWalkingDead2 21,563 5.502
ImpracticalJokers10 21,416 1.3010
VirginRiverNetflix5 21,349 4.005
Neverhaveievertvshow2 21,240 6.002
RHOBH14 21,176 4.5714
NetflixSexEducation3 20,634 1.673
Pixar7 19,902 4.867
TheRookie10 19,777 4.6010
JackReacher5 19,731 6.005
gameofthrones11 19,462 3.5511
bmfstarz11 19,276 4.8211
Monsterverse17 19,141 4.2417
shameless15 18,184 2.8015
MarvelStudiosSpoilers9 17,610 2.009
Tangled8 17,580 3.008
SnyderCut5 17,230 5.805
comicbookmovies13 16,101 3.4613
WoTshow4 15,702 2.504
jackryan2 14,825 3.502
StarWarsLeaks4 14,231 2.504
IThinkYouShouldLeave7 13,708 2.577
UmbrellaAcademy6 13,257 4.006
TheHandmaidsTale4 12,922 3.504
PeriodDramas7 12,626 4.297
TheMaskedSinger11 12,625 4.1811
MovieBoxPro4 12,499 2.254
CriticalDrinker3 12,489 5.003
boldandbeautiful4 12,484 7.254
RetroNickelodeon7 12,408 2.297
GoodTrouble4 12,262 3.504
911FOX6 12,182 4.506
KDRAMA12 11,780 4.4212
IASIP8 11,566 1.258
sharktank8 11,506 2.258
TheBlackList8 11,269 3.008
BravoRealHousewives12 11,262 2.6712
Bluray7 11,181 1.867
ginnyandgeorgiashow2 11,156 4.002
FargoTV4 11,010 3.504

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.

SubredditCount of Keywords Currently Ranking Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit Average PositionCount of Ranking URLs in Subreddit
Boxing68 399,838 5.1268
timberwolves5 320,493 5.005
warriors7 157,568 5.867
soccer59 135,887 5.1559
CollegeBasketball50 123,537 5.1250
nba62 116,194 4.7362
nfl21 101,769 5.7621
golf68 88,206 3.0968
MostlySports7 80,686 6.577
NFL_Draft11 79,272 5.3611
OrlandoMagic5 78,630 4.405
Thunder4 72,497 9.004
wnba30 71,134 4.6030
Cricket25 60,290 5.5225
MkeBucks3 45,146 4.333
BBallShoes30 43,664 4.5730
Jujutsufolk37 43,439 2.0337
heat13 40,878 6.3813
sixers3 39,144 5.333
lebron4 36,261 4.504
bostonceltics8 35,741 6.258
baseball30 35,618 4.8330
NCAAW17 35,497 6.2417
Basketball18 35,450 2.7218
realmadrid11 33,822 6.8211
WNBABasketball1 33,755 1.001
LigaMX16 33,563 6.0016
MMA23 32,911 4.1323
denvernuggets12 32,187 4.6712
billsimmons19 30,230 3.9519
clevelandcavs2 29,398 9.002
ufc22 27,052 3.0022
MLS7 25,285 4.717
NBASpurs7 25,186 4.297
KansasCityChiefs5 24,818 6.405
InterMiami11 22,002 6.2711
ipl6 21,482 6.506
bet36516 20,319 4.7516
bicycling6 19,628 2.506
Chargers5 19,527 2.205
Barca6 19,306 7.006
fcbayern4 19,302 7.254
NBAtradeideas3 19,204 5.333
PatMcAfeeShowOfficial4 18,878 3.754
evolveskateboards6 18,341 2.506
thefinals4 17,143 4.004
NashvilleSC2 17,119 3.502
cycling17 16,656 2.4117
Dodgers5 16,612 1.605
Pickleball13 16,469 3.6913
NOLAPelicans7 15,629 6.007
WivesofNFL10 15,098 2.5010
Fighters10 14,781 2.5010
DynastyFF10 14,676 4.7010
NFLNoobs7 14,093 4.007
WWE14 13,885 3.2114
WWE14 13,885 3.2114
FCInterMilan5 13,308 4.805
fantasyfootball9 13,150 5.119
ClevelandGuardians5 11,999 6.605
sportsbook6 11,831 3.336
headscissors2 11,714 1.002
lakers5 11,636 5.205
nhl11 11,630 2.6411
suns7 10,945 5.007
mlb12 10,850 4.9212
RBI6 10,726 2.176
MTB10 10,074 3.9010
chicagobulls2 9,764 6.502
Nike9 9,746 5.449
nattyorjuice9 9,543 2.679
icecoast2 9,533 6.502
CFBStreams1 9,433 1.001
hockey7 9,377 3.007
scuba2 9,311 3.002
redbull5 8,976 2.805
Mavericks5 8,769 7.205
WrestlemaniaPlans4 8,607 4.254
NWSL2 8,293 5.502

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.

SubredditCount of Keywords Currently Ranking Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit Average PositionCount of Ranking URLs in Subreddit
whatcarshouldIbuy129 278,336 2.78129
cars85 137,327 4.5985
askcarguys44 84,354 2.3244
FordMaverickTruck14 70,085 3.2114
Toyota25 60,356 4.5225
electricvehicles39 56,387 3.6739
Hyundai28 53,102 4.6128
MechanicAdvice33 45,282 2.7333
AutoDetailing32 44,159 2.5032
mazda23 43,595 2.6123
kia25 37,320 3.6825
AskMechanics23 37,162 3.0923
crv14 36,327 4.2914
Nissan24 32,059 3.5424
LexusGX10 30,044 3.4010
TeslaModelY18 29,701 3.0618
subaruoutback4 27,016 2.004
Camry21 26,934 6.5221
Lexus19 25,658 4.2619
prius10 23,302 2.9010
4Runner11 23,238 4.5511
rav4club16 22,606 3.7516
RealTesla6 22,360 3.676
Justrolledintotheshop2 21,680 1.502
accord13 21,620 5.6913
ToyotaHighlander12 21,190 5.0812
TeslaLounge15 19,376 3.2015
SubaruAscent11 18,514 3.3611
SuggestAMotorcycle11 18,123 2.1811
Honda16 17,177 4.3116
motorcycles16 16,818 2.3816
Acura11 16,121 2.6411
Cartalk15 15,779 2.2715
SubaruForester11 14,933 4.3611
RockAuto7 14,596 2.437
CivicSi7 14,234 2.867
subaru8 14,076 2.888
TeslaModel310 14,051 3.4010
Cadillac11 13,681 3.2711
MazdaCX303 13,117 3.003
Volvo2 12,888 2.502
COROLLA8 11,677 4.138
teslamotors11 11,222 3.3611
KiaTelluride6 11,174 4.836
Rivian6 11,092 2.676
BMW10 10,874 3.3010
hondapilot4 10,614 4.004
carvana5 10,312 1.405
Fisker4 10,160 4.754
Audi10 9,770 1.7010
CarPlay5 9,711 3.405
BoltEV7 9,647 3.867
evcharging4 9,562 3.754
electriccars6 9,393 3.506
Subaru_Outback6 9,271 4.176
WRX8 9,010 3.508
KiaEV92 8,971 6.502
NissanRogue6 8,700 4.506
KiaSorento5 8,520 5.805
Chevrolet9 8,399 4.339

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.

SubredditCount of Keywords Currently Ranking Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit Average PositionCount of Ranking URLs in Subreddit
Cooking326 451,211 4.49326
EatCheapAndHealthy105 155,037 4.42105
cookingforbeginners98 137,544 4.9298
AskCulinary72 79,459 4.3872
DinnerIdeas1 59,469 4.001
HealthyFood34 39,361 3.1534
slowcooking21 36,671 5.1921
glutenfree23 31,361 4.3923
AskBaking18 26,018 5.6118
Old_Recipes17 19,951 5.2417
TopSecretRecipes14 18,980 3.5014
foodhacks15 17,465 4.5315
ketorecipes11 16,389 5.9111
pelletgrills6 16,367 3.506
tonightsdinner7 14,123 3.577
veganrecipes11 13,536 5.6411
PressureCooking4 13,177 4.754
Chefit11 12,652 5.9111
castiron10 10,654 4.4010
blackstonegriddle5 8,574 5.405

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.

SubredditCount of Keywords Currently Ranking Sum of Current Organic Traffic to Subreddit Average PositionCount of Ranking URLs in Subreddit
evermorepark1 8,307 1.001
travel74 121,065 2.7374
YellowstonePN24 107,731 5.2124
Dallas41 82,045 3.7641
houston54 80,534 3.5754
SanJose22 70,896 3.6422
TravelHacks45 69,261 3.1645
kansascity10 62,341 4.0010
LosAngeles26 60,456 2.8826
chicago36 56,793 3.3636
phoenix30 54,861 4.3730
Cruise30 40,394 3.5730
AllInclusiveResorts4 22,989 4.004
asklatinamerica12 21,105 2.0012
floridakeys1 20,891 1.001
royalcaribbean9 20,328 3.569
arizona6 18,523 4.506
TwinCities8 18,131 3.508
JapanTravelTips16 17,676 3.6916
delta10 17,665 4.3010
Columbus13 17,499 4.1513
onebag16 15,165 2.8816
SaltLakeCity12 14,330 4.3312
LasVegas14 14,187 3.4314
orangecounty13 13,869 3.0013
WaltDisneyWorld13 12,479 2.5413
cuba1 12,404 4.001
roadtrip5 12,173 5.005
Flights9 11,696 1.789
americanairlines8 11,490 3.758
AirBnB3 11,168 2.003
AskIreland10 10,804 4.5010
disneyparks6 10,247 2.176
vegas10 9,325 2.6010
GoRVing7 9,057 2.297
VisitingHawaii8 8,969 2.258
cancun6 8,451 1.336

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.

Conclusion

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.

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