A recent study has revealed that Reddit is dominating Google’s product review search results, appearing 97.5% of the time in such queries. This finding raises questions about the extent of Reddit’s influence and the spam problem that plagues the platform.
The analysis, conducted by author Glen Allsopp, focused on 10,000 keyphrases related to product reviews. It found that discussions and forums appeared in search results 77% of the time, with Reddit and Quora accounting for three times the visibility of all other forums combined. Reddit appeared in 7,509 results and was featured 14,263 times, while Quora appeared in 3,513 results and was featured 3,832 times. In contrast, the remaining 766 domains appeared a total of 4,989 times, with most sites never receiving a second listing.
The study also highlighted the issue of spam on Reddit. More than half of Reddit’s top-ranked threads have spam as the top comment, leading Allsopp to criticize Google’s promotion of the platform as excessive. He described the current search results as the worst he has seen.
The over-promotion of Reddit in Google’s search results could be a response to users adding “Reddit” to the end of their queries. However, based on the analysis, it seems that Google may have over-corrected for this issue.
The findings of this study raise concerns about the credibility and usefulness of search results for product reviews. While Reddit can be a valuable resource for searchers, the prevalence of spam undermines its reliability. Users looking for genuine product reviews may be frustrated by the overwhelming presence of Reddit in search results.
Google should consider addressing the spam problem on Reddit and diversifying its sources for product review search results. By relying heavily on one platform, Google is limiting the variety and accuracy of information available to users.
In conclusion, the study reveals the high presence of Reddit in Google’s product review search results. While Reddit can be a valuable resource, its spam problem and excessive promotion in search results raise concerns about the reliability of the information provided. Google should take steps to address these issues and provide users with a more diverse and trustworthy range of product review sources.
