I’m not going to lie.
I don’t really love Reddit.
But you know who has a major crush on Reddit right now? Google.
If you’re a photographer who has put any effort into SEO in the past year, you’ve probably noticed the evidence.
At this point, I’m almost more surprised if I do NOT see a Reddit thread ranking in the top 20 results for a photography related keyword.
I’m also seeing the “Discussions and forums” SERP feature showing up on a large number of queries related to hiring photographers.
The discussion around this topic has been a lively one in the SEO world.
Some people think it has to do with the $60m deal Google + Reddit announced Feb, 2024.
Some people say Google is responding to people adding “reddit” to the end of their queries.
My take is a little less spicy…
Google searchers often want to read real human discussion about human experience.
Corey
People are actively trying to avoid reading things that were specifically “written for SEO.”
In those cases, Reddit is often a great search result.
Sometimes… Reddit is the right result
I encountered this a few months ago.
My wife and I were planning a day trip to Charlotte, and wanted to stop by a few card shops. We were interested in getting Disney Lorcana starter decks, and wanted to look for anything we needed for our Pokémon collections.
I searched Google for a few queries related to card shops/Pokemon/Lorcana, and the Map results were somewhat useful (a bit disappointing and outdated though). The websites of the card shops were prettttty terrible.
But the most helpful thing I found was this Reddit thread.
Basically, a bunch of TCG nerds giving their *actual* unfiltered opinions, in an environment where self promotion is heavily discouraged.
I looked through a few threads, made a shortlist, and we visited a few shops while we were in Charlotte.
Every one of the recommendations was spot on. Exactly what I was looking for.
OK, BACK ON TOPIC COREY.
How to use Reddit + Google to gain visibility
Look, I’m not really into teaching SEO “tricks” to game the system.
I think it is important to know that if you want to get the most out of Reddit, it is just like any other platform. You’ll likely get more benefit if you spend more time engaging, building up your karma, and being generally helpful in communities you care about.
However. 😉
I do think there are some specific things you can do to be more intentional about making the most of this fling with Google and Reddit.
1. Note the keywords with Reddit results
You should make a list of keywords that you are targeting or would like to target that have Reddit results in the top 20-30 results.
Ask yourself a few questions about these results.
- Is this recent and useful?
- Am I mentioned on any of these threads?
- Do I need to follow any of these subreddits?
2. When appropriate, respond on ranking threads
Sometimes ranking threads will have the comments closed. Other times it feels weird to revive a topic that is outdated (like a couple asking for recommendations for their wedding 3 years ago).
Other times, the best thing you can do is just respond to the existing threads that already rank. If it feels natural to respond, go for it!
3. Create your own threads/subs
If there are not already discussions ranking for the terms you are targeting, or if they are very outdated, you could always start your own thread.
This can work well if you can create a post that gives value without being directly self promotional.
You could also start your own sub if you are interested in running a community on Reddit. Just keep in mind that getting it off the ground will likely take a commitment to regular engagement and posting (even when nobody is responding).
4. Monitor for places to engage + add value
I recently started using the Reddit Post Notifier extension.
You can use this to set up filters on specific subreddits (get a notification any time a word is used in a specific subreddit), or the results for a specific search on Reddit.
Now, when someone uses those specific words on Reddit, I’ll get a notification in my browser!
It’s like a mini inbox for Reddit.
Bonus Tip: Add some alerts for places you can recommend your friends too. For example, if you’re a wedding photographer, you might also monitor keywords for newborn photographers so you can recommend a friend who specializes in newborns.
Remember, Reddit is all about karma. Give value to the community, and value will come back to you.
5. Add Reddit to your review workflow
This one really depends on how well you know your clients, and what your review process looks like.
If you are asking your clients to leave you a review (you should be), you could ask them to leave a review on Reddit. You could give them a specific thread to comment on, or ask them to make a new post in an appropriate subreddit.
Just know that I’ve seen this backfire on people. When you send people specifically to review something for you and it is obviously promotional, people will see through that.
Bonus Tip: Flairs
In some subs (Reddit communities), you can set custom text in a little bubble under your display name.
These are called “flairs.”
If there are subs where you are particularly active, be sure to set a flair that lets people know who you are or how to find more.
Websites are often allowed here. But be sure to pay attention to the culture/rules of the sub so you don’t get banned!
Remember, the overall culture of Reddit is to avoid self promotion unless specifically allowed.
Subreddits for Photographers
I’m not an extremely active user on Reddit, but I do use it from time-to-time. If you have any great suggestions for this section, please leave them in the comments!
There are likely many active subs in the city/area where you live. Look for these first.
I’m starting this list with a few subs I’m following.
Again, feel free to share more suggestions in the comments!
Speaking of comments…
I want to hear from you!
Do you use Reddit? Are you a regular user, or is it simply part of your SEO strategy?
What has worked for you?
I don't use Reddit per se BUT! I do link to relevant Reddit conversations on my opinion pieces to back up or prove my point. I only wish Google wouldn't show the photographer recommendation posts that are well over a year, sometimes even three years old.
Ugh, reddit.
I really wish it wasn't consistently ranking so well. It seems to almost always be an out of date post with 2 comments that has been locked from further discussion, the best result!
We've been using Reddit more and more for non-photography related content, but this post has definitely given us a kick up the behind to start thinking how we can use it more related to our business. Over here in the UK we aren't seeing the 'Forums' section on Google yet, so it will be interesting to see if that comes over from the US.
Reddit? What's that? Kidding, of course. I have noticed it's been ranking on searches. Right up there with promoted and Ai. I will have to take a look at the keyword notifier and Flairs. I'm not even sure I have an account.
So I kinda love reddit - but never considered it in SEO strategy! I don't even have a legit account linked to my business - I have an anon account for things like random car problems/troubleshooting, love it for baking info, and just random threads that are useful or interesting haha. That all said, I've noticed lately when I google things, reddit does show up in the top a lot of the time with a relevant thread. I can't say I'd ever go to reddit when looking for any kind of service, but I do love it for other things (like I mentioned above). I don't really consider reddit a local resource, should I?? hmmm
Love the post notifier extension, I definitely need to start using that! I try to stay on top of r/eloping/ but there are so many irrelevant posts, and I get sucked in every time I go to "just check." Setting an alert for posts that include Colorado would save me so much time!
Exactly! I wasn't able to keep up with Reddit at all, but now I have a handful of specific threads with keywords and have been replying much more regularly. Makes it almost effortless. I wish I had the same thing for Facebook groups!
This was a really helpful post, especially considering until recently, I had no idea what Reddit even was! That is until I started seeing it come up often in search results. Thanks for the tips and suggestions! Just one more thing to think about!
This is fantastic info! I have been recommended in reddit threads that are in first page and those are great backlinks too! :) I havent started my own thread but I will give it a shot!