Reddit Grants Exclusive Access to Google, Blocks Other Search Engines
Reddit has changed its policy on search engine access by blocking major search engines from indexing recent posts and comments, with the exception of Google. This move has sparked discussions in the SEO and digital marketing communities about the future of content accessibility and the impact on AI training data.
What’s Happening?
First reported by 404 Media, Reddit updated its robots.txt file, preventing most web crawlers from accessing its latest content. Google, however, remains an exception, likely due to a $60 million deal that allows the search giant to use Reddit’s content for AI training.
The Google Exception
Currently, Google is the only major search engine able to display recent Reddit results when users search with “reddit
.com.” Example: Vancouver Real Estate reddit.com. Reddit also appears on Google search results for various generic search queries such as “Vancouver Coffee Shop”.
This exclusive access sets Google apart from competitors like Bing and DuckDuckGo.
Why This Matters for SEO
Companies will continue to compete with Reddit for search queries on Google. This adds more pressure for businesses, as they not only need to compete with direct competitors in the competitive SEO market but also with Reddit for search rankings.
Why This Matters for Online Users
For users who rely on appending “Reddit” to their searches to find human-generated answers, this change means they’ll be limited to using Google or search engines that pull from Google’s index. It presents new challenges for SEO professionals and marketers in monitoring and analyzing discussions on one of the internet’s largest platforms.
What’s Next for SEO
Google will remain a powerhouse in the search engine space by being the only search engine that displays recent Reddit posts and comments. This exclusivity will increase online users’ dependence on Google. Overall, this is good news for companies that invest in Google SEO, as the more users rely on Google, the more likely these companies can generate qualified traffic to their websites.