If you heard there was a social media platform with over 342.3 million weekly active users and an estimated 91.2 million daily active users (Q2 2024) that you aren’t targeting at all, would you be interested?
You can leverage Reddit for SEO, traffic, brand awareness, lead generation, and much more. In August 2024, the platform became the third largest visibility website in Google’s U.S. search results, only trailing behind Wikipedia and Amazon, according to SISTRIX’s SEO monitoring tool.
Additionally, since Google’s AI data training partnership with Reddit in February 2024 and Google’s pivot to favoring first-person experiences and user-generated content, Reddit has started appearing on the SERPs very often. All of this shows that Reddit is a platform with a lot of potential value to help your business grow.
What Is Reddit SEO?
Reddit SEO is the process of optimizing and improving your Reddit profile and post visibility in organic search results on search engines. Here are some ways that businesses can benefit from Reddit SEO tactics:
- Brand visibility: This is a great way for your brand to be seen by your target audience as well as reach new customers.
- Potential conversions: Good visibility increases the chance that somebody will click on your Reddit posts, which can result in users going from your Reddit posts to your actual website.
- Greater SERP real estate: Additionally, by getting your Reddit posts to rank along with your website for a specific keyword or topic, you are gaining more real estate on the SERPs, which is invaluable.
However, before investing time and money into Reddit SEO, assess if the platform aligns with your brand’s goals and resources.
Main Advantages of Using Reddit as Part of Your SEO & Marketing Strategy
Below are some of the main advantages of using Reddit as part of your SEO strategy:
- Easy to Get Started: Reddit is free and easy to use — plus creating a Reddit account is quick and simple.
- Own More SERP Real Estate: Google and other search engines display Reddit results on the SERPs, so it adds another way for your company to show up on Google’s SERPs besides your company website.
- User-Generated Content: Google has started to prioritize showing user-generated content, so this is a great opportunity to get people to talk about your brand.
- Reach Your Target Audience: Reddit allows you to target a specific audience or niche, which can help ensure your content and ads reach the right people and perform well.
- Analytics to Track Performance: Reddit has built-in analytics with the Reddit Ads API that can help you understand how your ads are performing.
- Improve Engagement With Customers: Reddit can be a great way to improve your brand’s relationship with customers if they are asking questions or you are interacting with them through “ask me anything” posts (AMAs).
Disadvantages and Considerations
Although there are many benefits to Reddit SEO, there are also some disadvantages that are worth considering. Some of these drawbacks include:
- Strict Community Guidelines: Reddit enforces a zero-tolerance policy for spam and self-promotion, which can easily lead to your posts being removed or — in severe cases — even getting your account banned.
- Redditors are Known for their Blunt Honesty: Any inconsistencies or marketing missteps can severely damage your brand’s reputation if not dealt with appropriately.
- Time and Labor Intensive: Building a strong Reddit presence demands consistent engagement, which is time-consuming and offers no guaranteed returns.
- Unpredictable Ranking Algorithm: Reddit’s algorithm is volatile and unpredictable because it’s based on voting. This often results in even popular content being buried by new posts.
- Backlinks are No Follow: Regarding link building efforts, it’s worth noting that Reddit links are nofollow, so they will not pass on any link equity to your website. This doesn’t mean that links from Reddit pointing to your website won’t be beneficial since they can still drive traffic, but they won’t help build your domain authority.
Is Reddit Right for Your Business?
Reddit is right for your business if you can answer “yes” to all of the questions below.
Ask yourself:
- Can you assign a dedicated person and resources to engage with multiple subreddits consistently?
- Are you comfortable investing without immediate ROI and unclear initial performance metrics?
- Are you prepared to be transparent and honest in your subreddit interactions?
- Are you able to handle criticism and negativity directed at your brand?
- Are you okay with a long-term marketing strategy instead of something you can quickly target for significant SEO results?
However, if you answered “no” to any of these questions, Reddit might not be the best fit for your current marketing strategy.
Don’t worry — Reddit SEO isn’t for every business, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have phenomenal SEO on your business’ website. You can learn more about optimizing your website for SEO and on-page SEO to help bring in more traffic and conversions.
Reddit SEO Strategy
Now that you have determined that a Reddit SEO strategy is right for your business, we can discuss the steps you need to take to optimize your business’s Reddit profile and posts.
Know the Key Principles for Success for Reddit SEO
These principles are important to remember for a successful Reddit SEO strategy:
- Start as a Member: Engage as a normal user before promoting your brand. Comment, share relevant content, and participate in conversations to build credibility.
- Look Into the Subreddit & Its Rules: Each subreddit has unique rules, etiquette, and culture. Spend time observing to understand the community’s values and communication style.
- Abide by the Rules: Adhere to subreddit rules to avoid bans or post removals.
- Contribute Value: Provide valuable contributions like expert advice, insights, or helpful resources. Avoid overt self-promotion.
- Follow the 90/10 Rule: Make 90% of your contributions non-promotional content and 10% promotional so you seem like an invested and genuine community member.
- Be Upfront and Honest: Be upfront and honest about representing a brand. Authenticity is key on Reddit.
- Personalize Your Approach: Ensure your message resonates with the specific audience and adheres to each subreddit’s established tone and etiquette.
- Invite Input and Feedback: Show openness to input and feedback from other users and engage in discussions.
- Avoid Old Threads: Don’t comment on threads published more than three months ago since it’s pretty obvious to Redditors that when you comment on old threads. It’s not organic or authentic.
Create a Reddit Account for Your Business
The first step to creating a successful Reddit SEO strategy is creating a Reddit profile for your business to drive traffic to your website.
Here are some tips to optimize your business’ Reddit profile when creating it:
- Use your business logo as your profile picture: Maintain brand consistency and clearly show who you represent.
- Keep your bio brief: Describe your business and what product/service you offer, but make it short and clear so people can learn at a glance.
- Include contact info and a link to your business website: Make it easier for users to discover more about your business.
Once you create your account, find and join some Reddit communities related to your business.
Research Subreddits, Keywords, and Topics
When using Reddit for SEO purposes, begin by identifying subreddits that rank for your target keywords. This will help you begin pinpointing potential communities where your content could resonate.
To narrow down your focus, select three to five subreddits that meet specific criteria. These subreddits should:
- Rank for the keywords you’re targeting.
- Align with your niche.
- Be the right size for your goals.
Larger subreddits may offer more reach while smaller subreddits can have highly engaged audiences.
The subreddits you choose should feel like a natural fit for your brand and the type of content or marketing material you want to create.
- Look for subreddits with receptive users who enjoy similar content to what you plan to share.
- Select your target subreddits based on keyword relevance, audience size, and niche alignment.
- Map out relevant threads, documenting keywords, rankings, URLs, and thread ages to deeply understand your chosen subreddits.
- Flag threads older than three months for potential elimination, as newer content often holds more relevance and engagement potential.
This detailed analysis will provide valuable insights into the content landscape and identify opportunities for your own posts.
After selecting your top subreddits, broaden your list of keywords by analyzing the search queries they rank for on Page One of Google (Positions one through 10). Tools like Semrush or Ahrefs can be invaluable for keyword research, revealing additional terms and phrases that resonate with your target audience.
Get Immersed in the Subreddits
After you’ve expanded your keyword list, it’s time to immerse yourself in the community. Begin posting in your chosen subreddits, and add genuine value by:
- Responding thoughtfully to threads where you have expertise
- Incorporating keywords naturally into responses
- Linking to helpful resources from your brand without being overly promotional
This approach allows you to establish your presence while providing genuine value to the community.
Develop a Content Calendar
The foundation of a successful Reddit content calendar and strategy lies in understanding your target audience and setting clear objectives. This involves diving into subreddits where your ideal users hang out and researching peak engagement times to maximize visibility for your posts.
To make an impact consistently
- Share diverse content types consistently, ensuring they align with your brand’s values and goals.
- Post regularly, anywhere from weekly to monthly, depending on how active the subreddit is.
- Set aside time for meaningful community engagement and the occasional product promotion is equally important.
As you build a positive reputation within subreddits and establish yourself as a valuable contributor, you’ll organically boost your reach and influence on the platform.
Following the 90/10 rule — 90% valuable content, 10% promotion — ensures you consistently provide well-written, unique, in-depth, and helpful posts that can include links to relevant content or products on your website when it feels natural and serves as an additional resource.
Monitor Performance and Brand Mentions
Leverage analytics tools to track your performance and fine-tune your approach over time to create an optimized content calendar based on actual performance data. Look at metrics like:
- Post views
- Comments
- Shares
- Upvotes
- Follower growth
Monitor Reddit for any mentions of your brand, services, or products you provide so you can ensure you are part of the conversation. Some apps or tools that allow you to do this include:
- Reddit Pro
- Buzzsumo
- Awario
- Devi AI
- Mention
- Social Searcher
You should also monitor trending topics so you can create content around the subjects people are most interested in. These will likely have higher engagement rates.
Engage in mentions: This is a great way to be helpful and answer questions, find reasons people are talking about your brand as potential pain points you can create content around, or even catch negative chatter associated with your brand and address them before they become something bigger.
Create a Branded Subreddit
Creating a branded subreddit can be a powerful way to streamline community engagement. It lets you post content directly, boost brand visibility, and foster ongoing conversations with your target audience. Here is a full guide on how to create a branded subreddit.
Engage your Community, Avoid Overpromotion
After establishing your branded subreddit, focus on growing your community through natural promotion. Engage in conversations within similar subreddits to connect with users who might be interested, or cross-post content from your subreddit as a solution to relevant discussions.
Be cautious not to engage in blatant promotion, as this could result in your being banned from those communities.
Build Trust and Relationships
With your branded subreddit gaining traction, focus on building solid relationships. Participate in discussions, address questions thoughtfully, gather feedback, and cultivate trust with your growing community. This fosters loyalty and encourages users to become brand advocates.
To drive even more traffic to your subreddit, consider:
- Hosting an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session, which can often go viral and spark exceptional engagement
- Using your subreddit to share company updates, such as product launches or withdrawals, ongoing offers, improvements, or rebranding initiatives
Moderate, Moderate, Moderate
However, building a branded subreddit isn’t without its challenges. Thorough moderation is crucial to protect your brand’s reputation, as criticism and PR issues can quickly escalate on social media platforms.
Additionally, be mindful of the potential for unofficial subreddits to dilute or distort your brand messaging. If you do find someone violating Reddit’s Content Policy, report the specific posts, comments, or messages.
Consider Amplifying with Reddit Ads
Reddit ads are another great way to reach your target market. They are relatively cost-effective and can lead to high engagement if you find subreddits directly related to your product/service.
It’s worth noting that even with Reddit ads, there are some guidelines you should try to follow, which include:
- Get Permission: Before advertising your website, request permission from subreddit moderators. This demonstrates that your content aligns with the community’s interests.
- Choose the Right Format: Utilize link post ads to drive traffic to your website and text post ads to spark conversations.
- Prioritize Authenticity: Redditors value genuine content. Craft ads that offer value and avoid overt self-promotion.
- Use Creativity: Design eye-catching ads that stand out in users’ feeds.
- Use Longer Ad Copy: Users are more likely to engage with detailed ad copy.
- Give Back to the Community: Actively participate in subreddits by commenting, upvoting, and sharing valuable content to build trust.
You can couple a Reddit ad strategy with your Reddit SEO strategy to maximize your reach and help drive more traffic and leads to your website plus build your branded subreddit.
Utilize Comprehensive SEO Services With Siege Media
Reddit’s vast and engaged user base presents a golden opportunity for SEO professionals to expand their reach, build brand authority, and drive valuable traffic.
While it requires a thoughtful, long-term approach, a well-crafted Reddit SEO strategy can yield significant rewards. By understanding your audience, creating valuable content, fostering genuine engagement, and leveraging the platform’s unique features, you can tap into this unique social media platform and achieve your marketing goals.
Looking for some help to jump-start your SEO or content strategies? Get in touch with us to learn how our team of experts can provide you with content marketing and SEO services tailored to your unique business goals.
