Google recently rolled out a major March 2024 algorithm update with significant implications. As a result, community discussion platforms like Reddit and Quora are now appearing more than ever in search results.
In a push to clean up search results, Google announced significant updates aimed at low-value pages that were only generated to rank for specific keyword searches. These types of thin, formulaic pages clutter results and offer little helpful information.
By targeting these manipulative SEO tactics and similar schemes, Google boosted space for platforms dominated by user-generated content - communities like Reddit and Quora.
Some data
In an analysis of 10,000 key phrases, Reddit and Quora dominated visibility, with Reddit appearing in 7,509 results and being featured 14,263 times, and Quora appearing in 3,513 results and being featured 3,832 times.
In comparison, all other forums combined appeared 4,989 times, and most didn't achieve the systematic visibility that Reddit and Quora enjoyed.
Source: SearchEngineLand
Why should you care?
For small businesses, visibility on sites like Reddit and Quora has become extremely valuable real estate. Leveraging these platforms is both cost-effective and valuable long term because ranking for a search term via a Reddit post is often easier than getting your own content ranked for the same search term.
In short, ignoring these community hubs means you're missing out on organic growth opportunities that are being handed on a silver platter by Google itself.
Searches for all kinds of everyday queries are now surfacing on Reddit, and Quora results are at the top. In some cases, these sites completely dominate the first several spots, even though it's a local search where Google Maps is supposed to occupy the top positions.
The verdict is in: user-generated content reigns supreme in 2024. Google has decided that community engagement provides searchers with real value, which is why failure to get into the communities' spotlight means missing out on valuable online visibility for your brand.
Three reasons why Reddit and Quora are marketing goldmines
Even before the latest update, community platforms were an excellent source of traffic, leads, and exposure. But now... no brand can afford to ignore the new reality handed down by the Google gods: social platforms like Reddit and Quora are here to stay at the top of search results.
Here's why you should invest in Reddit and Quora as part of your digital growth efforts:
1) Increased brand visibility and awareness
Community platforms are populated with thousands of engaged users, so every brand mentioned goes a long way and has the potential to become viral.
Catchy content on Reddit can take on a life of its own, spreading exponentially through upvotes, comments, and shares.
2) Capturing referral traffic and leads
Subreddit posts and Quora answers are seen by thousands of people daily. So every single link to your website has the potential to bring clicks to your website and ultimately generate more leads or sales.
3) SEO gains
Search engines appreciate links (or even linkless mentions) from social platforms since social buzz around your brand signals credibility.
How do I leverage community platforms in my marketing efforts?
There's a lot to go through here, but here are a few tips for getting started:
How to make Reddit work for your brand
With over 100,000 vibrant "Subreddits" Reddit operates like interconnected topic-based forums. To make a splash:
- Observe first: Subscribe to relevant Subreddits from your business niche and learn posting etiquette before contributing. Successful participation balances self-submitted content vs. engaging with others.
- Earn "Karma": This reputation tracker shows how the community responds to your posts and comments. Positive karma unlocks abilities to post faster and makes your contributions look more trustworthy.
- Provide true value: Start sharing genuine advice - no obvious ads or self-promos. Cite high-authority sources and reliable data in your posts. Eventually, you'll want to make posts that link to your website but refrain from making a sales pitch and aim for organic-looking content.
- Follow guidelines: Try to respect all the rules of a particular subreddit to avoid penalties. Adjust your approach if your content ends up "shadowbanned" .
How to find your Quora voice
Quora attracts over 300 million monthly visitors interested in asking and answering questions on every topic imaginable. To make your mark here:
- Find content gaps: Identify popular questions in your industry that lack quality responses.
- Showcase expertise: Provide thoroughly researched, well-written responses. Quora values transparency and depth when evaluating subject matter experts.
- Develop an expert-looking profile: Things like a complete bio, real avatar image, as well as links to your portfolio/social media make you look trustworthy, both in the eyes of Quora's algorithm and users.
- Tread carefully when it comes to linking your website: After establishing yourself as a thought leader in your niche, start linking to your site organically in your answers, including at most 1 link per answer where it suits the context.
- Track performance: Monitor views, upvotes, and shares achieved by your content. See what resonates with the audience.
Overall, patience and high-quality participation focused on delivering real value for communities wins over Redditors and Quorans, while blatant pitching inevitably fails.
And yet… there's a catch
While this is indeed an awesome opportunity for business owners, it's actually much harder to execute than you think.
At the very least, you need an experienced content writer, a bunch of established user accounts, and time to adjust your approach and mitigate through content removal.
It's often not feasible to do in-house, and that's why business owners like you often turn to professional services like Crowdo.
Our team of experts executed over 2,000 marketing campaigns on community platforms and have everything that it takes to make your project a success.
Discover Quora and Reddit promotion services from Crowdo , and let's start growing your digital presence.
Copyright 2024. Sponsored post made possible by Nataly Shevchenko, Editor-in-Chief at Crowdo.net.