What happens when the internet’s most authentic conversations become the world’s most trusted search results?
The internet has started to sound human again
For years, search engines have rewarded polish, including tried-and-true SEO practices like optimized metadata, strategic backlinks, and brand-safe tone. But in 2025, Reddit, the self-proclaimed “front page of the internet,” emerged as an unlikely powerhouse in both organic and AI-driven search.
The numbers are staggering. Reddit’s visibility in Google search grew 191% year-over-year, according to Sistrix.
It’s also now the most-cited domain across AI platforms, accounting for 3.5% of all AI citations, nearly triple Wikipedia’s share.
And users trust the AI that’s referring them to Reddit. People referred from ChatGPT, for example, view 42% more pages per session than those who arrive from Google.
But what it really means, above all else, is that when users want an unbiased view, they’re looking to their peers, not brand copy.
Conversation > keywords
As AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity transform the SERP, answers are replacing links. The algorithms no longer just look for the basic keywords, inbound links, and trusted site data. They’re synthesizing the messy, human corners of the web to glean insight.
These places—such as Reddit threads, Quora replies, and YouTube transcripts—have so much authenticity. The discussions are nuanced and emotional, deep-diving into specific ideas without a thought in the world for producing perfect copy.
A random Reddit comment that starts with “I’ve tried both, here’s what worked for me…” is often more persuasive than a thousand-word blog post written for SEO. That’s the kind of context humans crave, and what LLMs are tapping in to. That means Reddit isn’t—it’s influencing machines.
When AI systems decide which sources to trust, Reddit’s collective expertise is baked into the result.
For marketers, it marks a radical shift. The conversation itself has become the content.
When the forum becomes the feed
Data from Cloudflare shows that a decade ago, Google crawled two pages for every user click. Today, that ratio is 18 pages per click. For OpenAI, it’s 1,500 pages per click. In other words, LLMs are consuming vastly more content than they’re sending traffic to, and Reddit is sitting at the center.
What does this mean for you?
- Your customers’ research journey likely now starts (or at least heavily relies on in early stages) in Reddit threads, not just on Google.
- Your brand reputation is shaped by conversations that you don’t control.
- AI engines amplify those conversations, embedding them into synthesized answers that users may never trace back to the source.
It means that authenticity is now the number one key to discoverability.
How to show up on Reddit without getting torn apart
Don’t get so excited about Reddit that you immediately rush in with your usual marketing tactics. Redditors are famously allergic to marketing. But there’s still a place for your brand to show up. You just might have to break most of the marketing rules you know.
What you can’t do:
- Try to sell under every post that feels relevant
- Pretend you’re a regular Reddit user, and not a brand
- Post in a subreddit without reading that subreddit’s particular rules
What you should do:
- Be transparent. For example, by making sure your username looks something like this: “u/BrandName” or “u/BrandName_YourName”
- Listen and learn the language of your audience
- Be helpful instead of trying to sell
- Create threads based on FAQs
- Create your own branded subreddit (if it makes sense)
Reddit’s new role: Brand + SEO
Reddit is where brand perception and search performance intersect.
Brand teams need to:
- Correct misinformation before it spreads
- Share updates or statements in real time during crises
- Monitor sentiment and competitor mentions to inform strategy
While SEO teams need to:
- Engage in threads ranking for non-brand priority keywords
- Earn authority through visibility on trending topics
- Mine language directly from user posts—the best keyword research you’ll ever do
When these two disciplines collaborate, you stop chasing traffic and start influencing narrative.
Where to go from here
Reddit isn’t just a social platform; it’s a search ecosystem. And it’s increasingly shaping how brands are seen, discussed, and recommended by AI systems.
Here’s how you can get started:
- Audit where and how your brand shows up on Reddit
- Train your content and customer teams on community engagement etiquette
- Treat Reddit as a voice-of-customer laboratory, not a distribution channel
- In 2025 and beyond, the question isn’t whether Reddit belongs in your marketing mix.
- It’s whether your brand belongs—and is welcome—on Reddit.
