Reddit Blames Google Algorithm Changes For Not Hitting User Growth
www.seroundtable.com
So after Google literally paid Reddit for its content and then ranked them incredibly well in Google Search and its search features, Reddit during its earnings call blamed Google's search algorithm for not hitting its expected user growth.
  • ATDA@lemmy.worldEnglish
    60·
    9 months ago

    Just Google. Not killing mobile apps, not packing more ads than posts, packing more bots than users…

  • Obelix@feddit.orgEnglish
    41·
    9 months ago

    If you think about it:

    1. Reddit gives Google access to everything so that Google can train their AI
    2. Google is now showing AI generated snippets on every search page and is pushing its own AI chatbot everywhere
    3. Users are getting the answer they want from those AI generated answers Google generated from Reddit comments
    4. Traffic to Reddit is collapsing

    In the meantime, spez totally trashed his site, destroyed valuable communities and pushed away the mods that keep the place clean. Really, really great business strategy there.

    • spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      17·
      9 months ago

      The really amazing thing is that spez’s planet-sized ego created the whole user exodus. People were willing to pay a monthly fee to continue to use the site ad-free via our mobile apps. Hundreds of other companies remove ads when people pay fees, but all of that revenue is just gone along with a big chunk of contributors because spez had a tantrum.

    • JacksonLamb@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      9 months ago

      the answer they want from those AI generated answers Google generated from Reddit comments

      Basically Reddit has now exported being confidently incorrect.

      At least on actual reddit you could scroll down and find the actual answer. Some of those AI summaries are hot garbage.

    • CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      2·
      9 months ago

      Reddit gives Google access to everything so that Google can train their AI

      Reddit sold access. For short term gains. Because the quarter needed more money to beat the previous quarter.

      If this isn’t a leopard eating their face moment, I don’t know what is.

      • ctkatz@lemmy.mlEnglish
        1·
        9 months ago

        anyone with a tenth of a percentage of business sense could tell you a business that produces nothing but eyeballs to advertisers will be a massive failure if said business does anything to piss the owners of said eyeballs off.

        and experts are confused why traded-on-the-markets social media companies are in freefall.

  • ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.worldEnglish
    34·
    9 months ago

    Huffman: “Is it our shitty policies towards users, AI developers, and moderators that caused our growth to show down? No it must be Google! Even though they are ranking us higher than we deserve in their search results!”

    First off all, what an idiot. Second, you made the deal with them, ya fucking idiot!

    Third, I’ve noticed when I go to reduce from a search engine result, the UI is horrible (because I’m not logged in). Like, significantly worse than it used to be several years ago when I’ve wasn’t logged in.

    • NOT_RICK@lemmy.worldEnglish
      13·
      9 months ago

      My browser extension that forces old Reddit is essential for this reason. The new UI is a cluttered mess

      • thisbenzingring@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        8·
        9 months ago

        I refuse to use the new site, its crap. And on old. from mobile, it always opens images and videos in a new tab with the new interface, its worthless!

        if I have to use a reddit page from work, I always change it to old.

        when that old. stops working, I will never visit that site again

  • jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    15·
    9 months ago

    Huffman and Co. are apparently oblivious to the fact that Reddit is and has always been a niche “social media” platform. They’re more closely related to forums than mainstream social media.

    I’m just making wild assertions here but somehow I think that the thing I liked about Reddit is also the thing the average TikTok/Insta/Snapchat/Facebook user does not like. That being that Reddit is mostly text based and requires lots of reading and writing (if you want to interact on any meaningful way). The only other thing they offer is meme scrolling and that can be done pretty much anywhere.

    Adding any substantial user growth would require basically abandoning their entire format and would have a minimal chance of success at best.

    • firadin@lemmy.worldEnglish
      9·
      9 months ago

      I mean that is why the new reddit page is so less information dense and image-heavy. The app also implemented swiping to get you to mindlessly scroll through memes, often into algorithm-recommended subs you’re not even subscribed to. It’s all an attempt to move the average content toward low-barrier slop thats easy to consume and pad their engagement numbers.

      • jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        3·
        9 months ago

        Ah. So they do recognize the problem and are going with the worst possible strategy.

        Trying to compete in the field of “digital landfills”, which is already completely saturated, seems like an incredibly stupid idea but what do I know.

    • Ulrich@feddit.orgEnglish
      6·
      9 months ago

      Lemmy devs specifically spent very little time developing the UI because they wanted other devs to step in, and indeed they have with frontends like Photon and Voyager, which both basically couldn’t be any better. They’re awesome.

  • kubica@fedia.io
    4·
    9 months ago

    Lol, what, reddit is everywhere on google. It is me who clicks anywhere else though.