Relevant and sensible comment from the thread:
People aren’t tacking Reddit to queries because they particularly like Reddit or because they want to see user generated content, it’s because it is literally the only way to get a result from Google that is not spam listicles or affiliates grifts. They’re applying a bandaid to their rapidly deteriorating search, but championing it as giving the people what they want.
Maybe it’s just me but I also feel like the reddit results that show up also seem to be getting worse. Used to be the case that I could input a query, add “Reddit” to the end, and immediately get one or two concise, helpful answers, but I’m very frequently getting fluff and having to check 5 or 6 down these days for similar questions.
Look for threads that are at least a year old to get better answers. Among the people who left in the most recent exodus was a good portion of reddit’s tech and science people who were giving good answers and mods who were keeping those answers from being drowned out by shit posters and the confidently incorrect.
There was a time when a google search would give you relevant results from Reddit, blogs and half a dozen niche forums. In many cases Reddit is the last man standing now
The good sources obviously still exist, they’re just drowned in SEO AI spam 😓
This is the best summary I could come up with:
“Our research has shown that people often want to learn from others’ experiences with a topic, so we’ve continued to make it easier to find helpful perspectives on Search when it’s relevant to a query,” a Google spokesperson told BI.
“Our systems surface content from hundreds of forums and other communities across the web, and we conduct rigorous testing to ensure results are helpful and high quality.”
In July 2022, Google’s search head Prabhakar Raghavan said younger users were turning to alternative sources such as TikTok and Instagram for information and recommendations.
Named FreshPrompt, the method would incorporate “relevant and up-to-date information retrieved from a search engine” to improve a chatbot such as Google’s Gemini or OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
In a February study, SEO blogger Glen Allsopp found that 51% of Reddit’s top-ranking threads in Google Search’s forums sections contained spam as a top comment.
Lily Ray, vice president of SEO strategy and research for marketing agency Amsive, told BI she is concerned that Google is “shifting the burden” of monitoring abuse onto Reddit moderators.
The original article contains 1,514 words, the summary contains 174 words. Saved 89%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
