New SEO Tactic: Targeting Reddit Searches

Making sure your site is amongst the results in a fast-evolving search landscape

SEO tactics evolve with the times, and understanding the newest trends is crucial for digital success. The latest development involves creating pages that feature specific keywords embedded in the URL, title, and headers. These keywords? They are always searches containing the term "Reddit." This strategy is explicitly targeting the long search queries that large language models like ChatGPT generate. Large language models do not directly search the Reddit site. Instead, they look for Google searches containing the word "Reddit." If these models use Google to find information on Reddit, this means SEO strategists can create pages that include the term Reddit in the URL, title, and headers, thus increasing their chances of appearing in the content that the model pulls from Google's search results. Why Reddit? Because ChatGPT and similar tools will pull information from sources that include 'Reddit,' and for a new Slug tactic, it's fair game.

Tangling the Search the Web in 2023

A year ago, the SEO tactic involved optimizing pages for top keywords like ‘best phones under $300’ or ‘how to paint a room.’ Today, long-form content targeting specific searches, especially those that mention forums and trendy sites, can get a page in front of a lot more eyeballs. This is because of how search engines operate now, following the rise of large language models, which search using these terms. Moreover, this tactic is a testament to the evolving nature of SEO, which is no longer just about keywords but also about understanding how AI and machine learning algorithms work. This new strategy might feel like a bit of a snipe, but it can help increase your online visibility by leveraging how LLMs crawl and collect data.

The Reddit URL Hack Exposed

The unique SEO technique is to create a webpage containing "Reddit" in multiple parts of the page. This means inserting the word in the URL, the page title, and the H1 header. This strategy aims to rank for long-range customer position questions (CPQs) that major LLMs do, which contain "Reddit." This SEO campaign takes advantage of the fact that the LLMs don't have VPNs or direct access to search through Reddit. The search engine calculates queries by including the word "Reddit" and then pulling results from Google.

How Search Engines Use Reddit Content

Major LLMs like ChatGPT rely on Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo, among others, to fetch data. The LLMs will create a search query with the word "Reddit" to fetch information from Google. Because the LLMs don't have direct access to Reddit, within the scope of a single search query, they end up relying on search engine results. By inserting "Reddit" in the URL, title, and headers of a page, SEOs can ensure that their pages get included in the search results alongside Reddit pages. This technique means that when LLMs pull data from Google, they're more likely to include the newly created page in their response.

The new SEO playbook focuses on indirect strategies

The rise of LLMs has completely changed the game for SEO tactics. But, SEO practitioners are finding a way around it. Yes, it's indirect, but it's effective. Not all people will know about this hack and the large language models are still figuring out how to escape the trap they are setting for themselves.

How will SEO strategies keep up with large language models

The new tactic is a testament to the evolving nature of SEO, which is no longer just about keywords but also about understanding how AI and machine learning algorithms work. Large language models, such as ChatGPT and others, will keep evolving. SEOs will have to evolve with them. Sometimes it will be more direct; sometimes, it will be more indirect. This new SEO hack is a great example of that. The tactic isn't a complete workaround, like hacking or brute-forcing a system. However, it is a clever way of leveraging the LLM's dependence on Google. LLMs will not change their way of sourcing data anytime soon, so this tactic is likely here to stay for now.

Reddit down! Now what?

If someone targeted you, well, you can do the same. Create pages containing "Reddit" in the URL, title, and headers. This will help your pages get included in the search results alongside Reddit pages. Target the searches that large language models are likely to perform. This will help your pages rank higher in those searches and increase your online visibility. This SEO tactic isn't new; it's just a new way of looking at it.

The specter of SEO

In the end, the “magic sauce” of SEO is not really magic: it’s a consistent recipe that works. As LLMs evolve, so too will the strategies that SEOs use to get their content seen. As use cases become more sophisticated and we see more ways to extract information, the ways to rank high for a subject will evolve. The Reddit keyword hack is just the beginning, so buckle up.