Reddit Backlinks: Do Reddit Links Help SEO?

9 min read

Short answer – probably not, at least not directly. Can they help you with referral traffic and overall brand image? Definitely!

Table of contents:

Reddit and SEO

Reddit is a massive online community with hundreds of millions of users. And, like any other online community, it has its own rules and culture. 

One of the things that makes Reddit unique is its upvoting and downvoting system. It allows users to signal to others whether they found a particular link or resource helpful or not. 

In the world of SEO (search engine optimization), link building is a key strategy for improving your ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

So, it stands to reason that some people would think that Reddit links could help with SEO.

However, creating backlinks on Reddit is not as simple as it may seem. For a link to be useful for link building, it needs to meet certain criteria set by the search engines. 

Unfortunately, most links on Reddit do not meet these criteria. They are burdened with the no-follow attribute, which makes them of little to no value in the eyes of Google.

They’re also qualified as what we call user-generated content. Such links, from forums and the like, have been repeatedly nuked on by Google. They’re simply not as valuable as they used to be.

Reddit and SEO

That being said, there are still some good reasons to try and get your links onto Reddit. 

For one, even though the links may not help your SEO directly, they can still generate referral traffic to your website. Additionally, having your links on Reddit can help improve your brand’s image and visibility.

So, while Reddit links probably won’t help with SEO directly, they can still be a valuable part of your link-building and overall marketing strategy. Even nofollow links can bring tremendous benefits.

Brand24 is a tool that monitors online mentions on Reddit.

Reddit’s algorithm

Reddit users can upvote or downvote a post or comment to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement. The Reddit algorithm then uses these votes to determine how high or low to rank the post in a subreddit.

The Reddit algorithm looks at three main factors when determining how to rank a post: 

  • The number of upvotes vs. downvotes, 
  • The age of the post, 
  • The number of comments on the post. 

In general, a post with more upvotes than downvotes will be ranked higher than a post with more downvotes than upvotes.

A newer post will be ranked higher than an older post. And a post with more comments will be ranked higher than a post with fewer comments.

However, these are just general guidelines – the Reddit algorithm is constantly being tweaked and updated, and no one knows for sure how it works.

But one thing is certain: Reddit users have a lot of power over what content appears on the front page!

To get quality backlinks on Reddit, you need to create a quality post.

This means writing compelling content that engages users and encourages them to upvote your post. 

If your posts get enough upvotes, the links will be converted to dofollow links, which is a valuable backlink for SEO purposes. In order to ensure that your post gets enough upvotes, you need to promote it effectively.

Share it with relevant communities, and make sure that your title is catchy and informative. If you can get users to engage with your content, you stand a good chance of getting a quality backlink.

Making the most out of Reddit

You have two filters to go through when posting on Reddit. 

First of all, you have their anti-spam algorithms, which separate the wheat from the chaff. If your account is new or has a low karma balance, you shouldn’t add any links.

Then, you have the second filter – the users themselves. See, Redditors are incredibly sensitive to bullshit. 

Once you’re spotted, they will downvote your post to hell and back, and you’ll get nothing. But, once you gain their trust by posting regularly and delivering true value, you have a much better chance of success.

This process takes weeks, if not months. Here are seven general tips to achieve that.

01 Find the right subreddit(s)

Reddit is a vast and ever-changing online community made up of millions of users who post and comment on various topics. 

With so many different subreddits and or topic-specific forums to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to post your content. But if you want to make the most of Reddit and its vast audience, it’s important to take the time to find the right subreddit (or subreddits) for your content.

Why? 

Because posting in the wrong subreddit can result in your content being downvoted – or even removed. 

In contrast, posting in the right subreddit can help you build an engaged audience, drive traffic to your website, and even build up your business. So if you’re serious about making the most of Reddit, take time to find the right subreddit for your content before you hit “submit.” It’ll make all the difference.

The first step is to find relevant subreddits. There are two main ways to do this:

  • Using the search bar,
  • Browsing through the list of popular subreddits,
  • Monitor where users mention your brand on Reddit. They will show you the subreddits you should be active on. You can use a media monitoring tool for this purpose. 
Monitor where users mention your brand on Reddit

Brand24 is a tool that monitors online mentions on Reddit.

Once you’ve found a few potential places to post, take a look at the rules for each subreddit. 

Some subreddits have very specific guidelines, and if you don’t follow them, your post will be removed. Others are more relaxed, but it’s always good to familiarize yourself with the rules before posting.

Finally, make sure the subreddit has active users – you don’t want your post to go unnoticed.

02 Engage with the community

To build a successful business, you need to engage with the Reddit community. This is because interesting content gets upvoted, which means it gets seen by more people.

The more interesting your content is, the more likely people are to trust you and eventually buy from you. 

So don’t just post links to your products – post interesting articles, images, and videos that will get people interested in what you have to say.

Then, once you’ve built up some trust, you can start posting comments about your products. 

But remember – if you’re going to sell on Reddit, you need to first build up a good reputation. Otherwise, people will just see you as a spammer, and they’ll never buy from you. Engage with the community, be interesting, and gain people’s trust. That’s how you’ll succeed on Reddit.

03 Be authentic

If you’re looking to get the most out of Reddit, it’s important to be authentic. 

Quality content is the key to success on any social media platform, but it’s especially important on Reddit. 

That’s because Reddit users are notoriously strict when it comes to what they want to see on the site. If your content isn’t up to their standards, you’ll quickly be downvoted into oblivion.

Of course, creating quality content is only half the battle. You also need to make sure that your Reddit account is in good standing. 

That means having a good username, profile picture, and bio. It also means being active in the community and following the site’s rules. If you can do all of that, you’ll be well on your way to making a name for yourself on Reddit. And who knows? You might even see your search engine rankings improve as a result.

04 Use keywords strategically

If you’re looking to participate in a particular community, or start a discussion of your own, it’s important to use keywords strategically. 

Reddit’s search function relies on keywords to surface relevant results. For example, if you’re looking for posts about the TV show “Game of Thrones,” you would use the keyword “Game of Thrones” in your search. However, if you’re looking for posts about the video game “Assassin’s Creed,” you would use the keyword “AC Odyssey” instead.

Keywords are important for any type of content, but they are especially important on Reddit. 

This is because Reddit posts often rank high on Google’s search engine results pages (SERP). This is contrary to other social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook.

When someone searches for a query with the word “Reddit” in it, your post has a good chance of appearing near the top of the results. This is because Google recognizes that Reddit is a popular website and gives posts from Reddit a higher ranking. 

Therefore, it is essential to use keywords strategically in your Reddit posts.

05 Plan your content calendar

It’s important to plan your content calendar carefully in order to make the most of this platform.

First, because Reddit is such a popular site, posting links too frequently can result in users becoming annoyed and posting negative comments.

Second, make sure you guest posts or other valuable content instead of just links to your business. This will show Reddit users that you’re interested in providing value and not just self-promotion.

Finally, keep an eye on the competition and post accordingly. By posting links at strategic times and offering valuable content, you can make Reddit an important part of your marketing strategy.

06 Repurpose your old content for Reddit

If you’ve been blogging for a while, you probably have a lot of old content that isn’t getting as much attention as it used to. 

However, there’s no need to let all that hard work go to waste – you can repurpose your old content for Reddit and build up some valuable backlinks in the process.

One of the best things about Reddit is that it’s always fresh – new users are constantly discovering new content, so your old blog post could easily get lost in the shuffle. 

However, if you repost it on Reddit, you’ll have a chance to reach a whole new audience. And since it is such a popular site, a backlink from Reddit can do wonders for your domain authority. Especially if they get converted to the coveted do-follow backlinks.

07 Keep the relevance high

Reddit is a notoriously difficult platform to market on – but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. 

In fact, when done correctly, Reddit can be an extremely effective way to reach your target audience and create backlinks for your business. 

The key is to keep the relevance high. 

Other users on Reddit are quick to downvote anything they perceive as spam, so it’s important that every post you make is relevant to your target audience. If you can do that, you’ll find that Reddit can be a powerful tool for marketing your business.

Brand24 is a tool that monitors online mentions on Reddit.

Final Words

So, do Reddit links help SEO? Yes, but indirectly. 

By generating traffic to your website, link posts on Reddit can help increase your website’s visibility and organic reach. 

Additionally, by building relationships with other users and participating in relevant subreddit communities, you can develop a reputation as a credible source of information – which can help to boost your website’s authority and ranking in search engine results pages. 

Ultimately, though, it’s important to remember that Reddit is just one part of a holistic SEO strategy; while Reddit backlinks can be helpful, they shouldn’t be your only focus. 

Instead, focus on creating high-quality content and developing a strong link profile from a variety of sources – and you’ll be sure to see positive results for your business.

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