Nobody saw it coming, which is why many businesses were slow to react. However, if you’re still sleeping on Reddit, you are missing out on a gold mine.
Over the past year, Reddit has stepped out of obscurity and has become the number one social media platform for SEO. And the website is still picking up steam, which is good news because it means you aren’t too far behind. Yet.
There is no better time to improve your Reddit reputation than now, and this guide will show you how. First, let’s look at why Reddit has become so dominant.
Why is Reddit so Important?
In the last few months of 2023, something odd happened: subreddits started ranking high on Google.
Between August and December, organic traffic doubled to 325 million monthly visitors. Less than a year later, that figure has ballooned to over 3.5 billion!
There are several reasons for Reddit’s rapid rise. While many speculate that it is due to the partnership it announced in February with Google, the reality is that the forum-based platform had been growing before then.
The more likely explanation is that Google’s algorithm is paying more attention to user-generated content. People want real results vetted by real users instead of manufactured posts by SEO geniuses.
The high, organic, and authentic engagement on Reddit posts and its upvoting system makes the platform credible. At least, that’s how Google sees it, which is why it struck the partnership to use Reddit posts to train its AI.
Not to be left behind, OpenAI also announced a partnership with Reddit in May 2024 to help train the much beloved ChatGPT.
The world’s leading search engine and the only company with the chance to usurp its dominance are looking to Reddit for help. In all likelihood, other generative AI makers will likely follow suit.
So, why aren’t you?
Why Improve Your Reddit Reputation?
Unless your brand is already dominating SERPs with no sign of slowing down, there is a lot you can gain from being more popular on Reddit, such as:
1. Higher ranking on Google
Subreddits (the name for the niche communities on Reddit) consistently rank in the top three for many keywords on Google. By being active on the platform, your brand or products could be the top three results people find.
While this doesn’t increase your website’s traffic, it does improve your brand image. Now, if you also have a high-ranking page and you earn more real estate in the top results, you will stand out even more to visitors.
2. Benefit from Reddit’s AI partnerships
AI is taking over search and with it, brand recommendations. Everyone from solopreneurs to Chanel’s CEO wants to be featured favorably on ChatGPT.
With Reddit’s partnership with OpenAI, your brand should be in a position to benefit from this shift, too.
As mentioned earlier, other companies might also get in on the act soon when they realize that Reddit is making their apps better.
3. Community building
With over 90 million daily active users, Reddit boasts a loyal and engaged fan base. This makes it an easy place to build a community.
Some of the benefits you’d enjoy include increased brand loyalty, increased brand awareness, free product feedback, and increased sales, of course.
4. Cost-effective customer service
When you build a community on Reddit, it makes it easier to address any concerns customers might have. This makes customer service a lot easier and cheaper.
However, in order for users to trust your posts, you need to have built the right reputation.
How Can You Improve Your Reddit Reputation?
Evaluate your current Reddit performance
Before you can go about improving your reputation, you should first discover what it is. How many mentions do you have? How are people talking about your brand? Has Reddit helped you get on any SERPs?
Answering these questions is critical to building the right strategy, which we will discuss later.
To begin your self-evaluation, you can start with Google Analytics and Google searches. Social listening tools like Buzzsumo will also be useful.
Next, you should look for communities on Reddit that target your keywords. Try different searches on Google using the prompt site:reddit.com “keywords” and make a list of whatever you find. Also, search directly on Reddit for your keywords.
Take note of what those communities focus on and if you can or should be a part of them. Considering that there are over 100,000 active subreddits, limit your list to only the most relevant.
Set up or optimise your branded profile
Once you’ve completed your research, you will have a clear idea of how to position your brand and your employees on Reddit.
And yes, it is useful to have members of your team join so that you can participate in more communities without being burnt out.
A branded profile will make it easier for people who like your posts to visit your website or check out your other social media platforms.
It is also beneficial to ChatGPT and whichever other AI will be using Reddit for brand recommendations.
You need to make it as easy as possible for generative AI tools to see the link between your Reddit profile and your website so that they can register you as a legitimate business.
Have a strategy and be consistent
If you’re new to Reddit, then you’ll likely find its methods maddening.
First is the subreddits. On Instagram, TikTok, or any other social platform, you tend to have just one major page where all of your interactions happen.
Not so with Reddit.
Unless your brand is a household name, you’ll need to be active on several subreddits and find similar subreddits to expand your reach. This can be time-consuming and challenging if you have to do it yourself.
However, once you crack the code, it can be very rewarding. To improve your Reddit reputation, focus on mastering the art of earning consistent upvotes on posts and comments.
Having a strategy in place will prepare you for the steep learning curve and will give you the highest chance of success.
One advantage here is that you don’t have to worry about algorithm changes affecting your strategy like they do on Instagram.
Just keep wowing your community, and you’ll do great. Speaking of which,
Get active with communities
Now that you’re all set up, it’s time to dive into customer engagement. This is where the magic happens on Reddit. Being active in your own subreddit and/or the others you join will make or mar your reputation.
In your strategy, you will have your own posts. However, you should also spend a lot of time answering other people’s questions and offering solutions without trying to sell your brand.
What you want to do is to establish yourself as a thought leader first, a valued community member second then a business third.
As you get active in the different communities, pay attention to their respective guidelines. Some communities have very strict rules, and lawbreakers will be kicked out.
For example, a group might limit the number of links you’re allowed to share.
Over time, your brand could grow popular enough to have your own community. But for now, play by their rules.
Be careful not to overpromote or share the exact same content everywhere. This will either be picked up by spam filters or group moderators. Every interaction should be done for the profit of all members of the group, and it should be genuine.
After all, this genuine connection is why Google is paying Reddit the big bucks.
Track your impact and re-strategise as needed
Once you’ve completed your first month or perhaps even two weeks of sharing content on Reddit, it is time to evaluate your performance. Don’t expect miracles to happen overnight.
What you want to watch for are the trends. For example, how many people visited your website? Google Analytics can help you there. How many upvotes or downvotes did you get? In which subreddits are you seeing the most and least traction?
Gather the data, then restrategise. For example, you might choose to join subreddits with more or less members.
Remember that the goal is to boost your reputation, so keep tracking mentions and work to ensure that they are all positive.
Outsource reputation management
If all else fails, you can always outsource your Reddit reputation management. SEO on its own requires a lot of time and patience.
Trying to use Reddit to boost SEO will require even more effort. So, if you find that your time is better spent focusing on your business or other channels, then seek advanced LLM SEO services.
Reddit is here to stay
There is a lot to love and hate about Reddit. While it is a great place to connect with users, grow your brand, and generate leads, it is difficult to decipher!
However, the SEO and AI benefits should be more than enough to encourage you to improve your Reddit reputation.
Only time will tell how long Reddit will keep dominating SERPs. For now, just aim to be one of the brands that rode the Reddit wave of success.
Need help navigating Reddit and Quora for maximum visibility? Let the experts at Soar fix your reputation, boost your SEO, and drive sales. Get a proposal today.