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How should publishers respond to user-generated forums outranking them?
We're seeing this a lot.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's a great question.
I think it's a really big challenge a lot of companies have faced
over the last couple of years, especially with Reddit and Quora,
as Google really prioritizes the visibility of those sites.
You know, in many cases, you might type a brand name
and you can see a Reddit thread about your brand,
in some cases outranking your brand or ranking in really top positions,
very, very visible for consumers.
So that's a big challenge, especially if the Reddit thread,
which they tend to be, is kind of negative in nature.
But I think that there's some steps that brands can take.
You know, number one, understand that Google and LLMs
AI-generated overview
SEO expert from Moz addresses how publishers should respond when user-generated forums like Reddit and Quora outrank their own websites in search results. The expert acknowledges that Google and other search engines increasingly prioritize these forum results, sometimes placing Reddit threads about brands in top positions, even above the brands' own sites. The recommended strategy emphasizes authentic engagement rather than fighting the trend. Brands should participate directly in forum conversations by transparently identifying their affiliation, creating branded subreddits, and engaging in genuine customer service dialogues without promotional content. The expert warns against violating platform terms of service through spam or excessive promotion, which can result in bans. Critically, brands should use these forum discussions as market research to understand consumer concerns and questions, then address these topics comprehensively on their own websites, turning competitive disadvantage into actionable intelligence for content strategy and damage control.
Google and large language models increasingly elevate forum results like Reddit and Quora in search rankings, often placing them above brand-owned websites, even for branded search queries.
Reddit threads about brands tend to be negative in nature, creating reputation management challenges when they rank prominently in search results.
Brands should participate authentically in forum discussions by transparently disclosing their affiliation and focusing on customer service rather than promotional content to avoid platform bans.
Creating branded subreddits allows companies to establish controlled spaces for community engagement while respecting platform norms around authentic conversation.
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