There are around 430 million active monthly Redditors around the world, making this social media platform a great place for businesses to grow. Businesses are already using the platform to grow. According to Statista, in 2021, Reddit generated 439.17 million U.S. dollars via advertisements. Reddit offers topic-based communities called subreddits, where users with similar interests interact with each other.
Redditors can upvote a post if they like it and downvote it if they don’t. Unlike most social platforms, all the users can see the number of downvotes on a post or comment. Reddit assigns a “Karma” score to every user based on their participation on the platform. The more active and helpful you are, the higher Karma you get.
But, if you have a website that could use an SEO boost, you might be wondering if Reddit can offer some SEO value. In this post, we’ll tell you how you can use Reddit to boost your organic rankings and build a sustainable marketing channel. Let’s dive in.
Is Reddit Good for SEO?
Reddit is an online community-based platform with subreddits (groups) ranging from pets to digital marketing. The platform is mostly text-based, with images and videos getting more popularity recently. Note that you have to participate in topical discussions to be able to get the most value out of the platform.
But, can it help your site’s SEO rankings? The answer is yes, it can if you know how to leverage it in the right way. While it may not have a direct impact on your site’s SEO ratings, it may affect it indirectly. For instance, more traffic from the platform sends a signal to Google that your website is valuable, which can help your overall rankings.
Plus, you can use Reddit to rank your content on Google. Creating long-form content on the platform can help you attract traffic from Google. Here’s an example:
Notice that Reddit ranks for “Value of social backlinks”, which by the way is a pretty competitive keyword.
How to Use Reddit for SEO?
Here’s how you can leverage this highly interactive platform to drive more traffic to your offers and boost your site’s rankings.
Understand Reddit’s Culture and Rules
Reddit is a little different from other social media platforms. For instance, Redditors can dislike a post or comment by downvoting it, whereas there’s no way to do that on other platforms. Plus, each account is assigned a Karma score, which increases as you spend more time on the platform, interact with other Redditors, and add consistent value.
Every subreddit has its own rules. And, Redditors generally know these rules and can report you if you’re found violating them. The platform is generally pretty strict with policy violations and can block your account.
Optimize Your Profile
Your Reddit profile should reflect whatever you’re offering on your website. Write a short description of who you are, who you help, and how you help them. Plus, add your website’s link to your profile.
Create a Subreddit
You can also create your own subreddit and build an audience around your brand. Create a subreddit relevant to your website and add a good-looking banner image. And, every time you publish a post on your website, share its link in your subreddit. This can help you get social signals and drive organic traffic to your website. As you engage with other Redditors, start inviting them to follow your subreddit to build a following over time.
Find Relevant Subreddits
Once you understand the platform, it’s time to join relevant subreddits in your industry. For instance, if you’re trying to rank for dental services, join all the groups related to dental problems. Maybe you’re growing a digital marketing agency website and want more traffic. You can join different marketing channels, add value with helpful content, and build your Karma.
Create and Share Helpful Content
The most important thing you can do to grow your account on Reddit is to share insightful content on relevant topics. Answer questions within your industry and position yourself as an expert. This builds trust, which can help you get more visitors to your website.
In addition, share long-form content in relevant subreddits and your profile. Google has recently started ranking a lot of forum posts on its first page, so there’s a good opportunity to get visibility for your content.
Build Your Reputation
The more you engage with posts and comments, the higher your Karma gets. However, remember that Redditors can have negative Karma as well. So, if you violate any rules or just don’t add much value, you may not grow at all.
Videos on Reddit
Reddit recently introduced native video and it’s changing the way people consume content on the platform. Before that, Redditors could only interact via text-based posts and comments. The use of video can help you engage more of your target audience and get them to visit your website.
How to Use Reddit for SEO: FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about how to use Reddit for SEO.
Can Reddit Help Your SEO?
Reddit can help your site’s social signals. Any traffic from the platform to your site indicates to Google that your site has valuable content, which can help you organic rankings.
What’s Reddit SEO?
Reddit SEO refers to using Reddit to get more traffic and social backlinks to your website, which can eventually help its Google rankings. It can also mean ranking your Reddit posts on Google for social traffic.
How to Improve Website SEO With Reddit?
To improve your site’s SEO with Reddit, you can essentially do two things. One, get more relevant traffic to your website. Two, build social backlinks for authority. Both can generate authority signals and help your SEO.
Conclusion
Reddit is an online discussion platform with subreddits on all kinds of topics. Having an optimized profile and a relevant subreddit should be your first step. Next, publish valuable content on relevant subreddits and interact with the community. You can help your site’s SEO with Reddit in two ways:
- Generate more social traffic, which signals Google that you have quality content
- Build social backlinks to get some authority
Make sure you’re not using it just to promote your site. Offer helpful content and add a link to your website in your profile. Having an active subreddit on the topic of your website can help a lot too. Every time you publish a blog post, don’t forget to share it on your subreddit.
