Discussion boards are making a comeback. Discover why Google now prioritizes them and learn how to cultivate community and engagement on your niche website. If you own a niche site, you may have experienced a similar phenomenon between late 2023 and today. While there isn’t much to boast about on my site these days, 2022 was a different story. Google favored it, propelling me into the top 10 for niche keywords and related head terms, generating a steady stream of affiliate revenue.
How did I achieve this? I strictly adhered to white-hat SEO practices:
- I selected a niche topic that needed more comprehensive coverage.
- I targeted keywords that resonated with the audience’s interests.
- I ensured my content was original, current, and accurate, conducting thorough research that sometimes spanned weeks.
- Compared to my competitors in the top 10, my content consistently outperformed theirs.
- I maintained a high publishing frequency.
- Users engaged positively with my content, fostering active discussions in the comments and sharing it widely on social media. Many expressed gratitude for finally finding a site that met their needs.
But then, everything changed.
While my niche site still ranks for concrete long-tail terms, visibility for key head terms has plummeted, and affiliate revenue has dwindled to almost nothing.
What caused this sudden decline?
The shift from niche sites to user-generated content platforms is evident. Speculations abound, but a report from Sistrix sheds light on the key factors.
Following the November 2023 core update, Reddit’s organic visibility surged 23%, while Quora experienced a 15.9% increase. These figures merely scratch the surface. Semrush data reveals that from July 2023 to June 2024, Reddit’s organic traffic skyrocketed by 253.3%, with Quora not far behind at 133.4%. Both platforms significantly expanded their presence across organic search keywords. Similarly, other user-generated content (UGC) sites witnessed substantial growth. YouTube, for instance, saw organic keyword increases exceeding 450%.
Observably, YouTube videos dominate organic search results, particularly for “how to” queries.
Amazon’s Alexa Answers site also saw a remarkable 813% surge in SEO traffic before implementing a robots.txt exclusion, likely aimed at protecting their content from being scraped for training purposes by platforms such as Google Gemini (though that’s no easy feat).
Why is Google Favoring Sites like Reddit and Quora?
There’s much speculation surrounding Google’s sudden favoritism toward forum sites. In this opinion piece, here’s my take:
This shift could be Google conceding defeat.
For years, Google asserted its ability to distinguish between high-quality and low-quality content. With each core algorithm update, they’d reiterate, “Just focus on E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), and we’ll handle the rest.”
But here’s the problem.
Imagine I spend 10 hours daily researching, writing, and publishing content. Meanwhile, numerous unethical publishers scrape my original work, use AI to rewrite it, and publish it as their own — sometimes even improving on it using others’ content, without my knowledge or recourse through DMCA takedowns.
We’re entering an era where “expertise” and “experience,” especially for key terms, are becoming so commoditized that Google struggles to discern them independently.
Recently leaked Google ranking signals highlighted how easily much of this can be manipulated.
This situation is compelling Google to prioritize “authority” and “trust,” often at the expense of other factors.
While industry experts may not typically consider sites like Reddit or Quora as authoritative sources in their fields, Google’s preference for them boils down to a new imperative: authenticity.
Users encounter genuine conversations with real people when they visit Reddit despite their imperfections. While finding answers might require navigating through discussions, the collective wisdom of the crowd, facilitated by platforms that encourage open dialogue, generally leads to valuable insights.
Ultimately, the most effective Language Model won’t necessarily be the most technologically advanced but the one trained on the most relevant and trustworthy data.
This rationale likely motivated Google’s $60 million investment in accessing Reddit’s data. Assuming Reddit maintains its standards for high-quality content, Google’s investment is a strategic bargain.
How Reddit and Quora Have Succeeded Where Others Failed
One frequently asked question is why Google still needs to build its forum powered by crowdsourcing.
Well, they did try. Quite hard.
Remember Google Answers (2002), Google Questions and Answers (2007), and Google Question Hub (2019)? Only a few do.
These were Google’s desperate attempts to harness crowdsourcing to build a knowledge repository.
The lesson learned was that people visit Google.com to get answers, not to provide them.
Old-school SEOs might recall Yahoo Answers once being favored in Google organic search. However, as Yahoo faltered, so did Yahoo Answers.
By its dissolution in 2012, it had become overrun with spam and fake accounts.
Around this time, Reddit and Quora were rising. How did these platforms succeed where others faltered?
- Screening for Real Humans: Unlike Yahoo Answers and Google Question Hub, Reddit and Quora effectively filter out spam and fake accounts. This ongoing vigilance preserves trust and credibility, which is crucial for user engagement.
- Facilitating Real Conversations: Users on Reddit and Quora are encouraged to participate in transparent discussions. This fosters in-depth exploration and uncovering of nuances that static content sites often miss. This dynamic interaction also benefits search and AI by covering the extensive long tail of topics.
- Authentic Language Use: Conversations on these platforms use vocabulary that resonates with authentic audiences. This authenticity ensures that discussions reflect genuine user interests and queries.
- Community Self-Moderation: Instead of relying solely on a centralized moderation team, Reddit and Quora empower community members to enforce rules. Each subreddit or Quora space has its own guidelines, and violations are swiftly addressed by both moderators and users alike.
These factors collectively contribute to Reddit and Quora’s enduring success in fostering vibrant, authentic communities and valuable user-generated content.
If You Can’t Beat Them… Beat Them
Reddit and Quora have achieved considerable success, but they have flaws.
Their greatest strength, catering to a mass audience, also leads to inconsistent quality across topics and discussions.
Here’s the advice I give every brand, regardless of size, looking to stay competitive in the next five years: Launch your discussion board or forum explicitly tailored to your industry niche.
You might encounter skepticism from those who tried this a decade ago.
However, today’s landscape and cost-benefit dynamics are vastly different.
A decade ago, a well-designed forum might garner some organic traffic from the extremely long tail. However, the revenue generated often failed to justify the costs of user screening, moderation, and content maintenance.
Today, forum developers integrate AI into their software to reduce costs. Tasks like user screening and moderation, once labor-intensive, are now within AI’s capabilities.
The benefits of maintaining your forum today far exceed those of the past:
- Google’s Preference: Google’s current inclination towards forum sites means well-managed forums can rank prominently in long-tail searches and head terms.
- Crowdsourced Content: Through crowd contributions, you can generate exponentially more high-quality content than by employing a team of freelancers at a fraction of the cost.
- Industry Authority: By curating authoritative content from your most influential customers, AI language models will eagerly learn from the insights your community creates.
To realize these benefits, ensure your forum is meticulously designed and operated:
- Best Practices: Enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy against fake accounts, promotional content, and spam.
- Timely Moderation: Adhere to the “broken windows” theory; promptly address any signs of spam or misconduct.
- Audience Focus: Stand out by catering specifically to the needs and interests of your audience.
- Community Building: Offer clear incentives for participation, such as selective self-promotion, partnerships with industry influencers, or enhanced visibility for contributors.
- Engagement Strategies: Consider gamification to enhance user interaction and enjoyment, making your forum a vibrant hub of industry knowledge and networking.
By implementing these strategies effectively, you can establish a thriving forum that attracts and retains a dedicated community eager to contribute and engage.
Provide Definitive Answers to the Most Common Questions
Your customer service team can identify the most frequently asked branded and unbranded questions. Seed your forum with these inquiries and deduplicate repeated questions.
Encourage Open and Transparent Conversations
Promote candid discussions, even on sensitive topics. If these conversations aren’t happening on your site, they occur elsewhere.
Go In-Depth
Introduce compelling questions from other forums or search trends, especially on trending topics. Encourage your internal experts to participate as enthusiasts and helpers.
Create a Richer Community Environment
Foster deeper and more comprehensive discussions than those on Reddit and Quora. Strive for users on these platforms to reference your forum’s insights.
Attract Industry Leaders
Entice top names in your industry, potentially your existing clients, to engage on your forum. Their presence enhances credibility and attracts other influencers due to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
Manage Brand Conversations
If you’re a well-known brand, conduct a simple experiment: Google your brand name followed by “Reddit.” Review discussions about your brand and address any gaps on your forum. Ensure your forum provides answers that are as helpful, transparent, and insightful as those on Reddit.
Building a Community: HubSpot’s Example
HubSpot is a prime example of a brand cultivating a thriving community within its niche. While organic search traffic remains a fraction of their overall traffic, their strategy of integrating user-generated content (UGC) into their forum has mitigated the impact of declining blog traffic, aligning closely with the best practices discussed earlier.
Interestingly, HubSpot’s forum today resembles its inception seven years ago during the initial surge of forums.
During economic downturns, forums often became expendable as companies sought cost-cutting measures, deeming them too costly relative to perceived benefits.
Companies like American Express and Home Depot once maintained active discussion boards, now possibly lamenting the loss of potential long-tail benefits.
However, brands that persisted in nurturing and expanding their forums now stand poised in a favorable position, especially as AI increasingly values in-depth content.
Your Ultimate Goal: Make Google Look Silly
If your niche site has seen a drop in rankings in 2023, now is not the time to throw in the towel. Instead, focus on solidifying your position as the definitive authority in your field.
Engage actively on platforms like Reddit and Quora, offering concise expertise while directing users to the most valuable content on your site.
Initiate and nurture your discussion forum to attract a community of enthusiasts dedicated to exploring your niche.
Dive deeper into your topic with passion, insight, and accuracy, surpassing the superficial discussions elsewhere.
Realistically, relying solely on Google for organic traffic is no longer sustainable. Our primary objective should be to operate our sites in a manner that delights users and innovates within our niches—something we should have prioritized all along.
Strive for your site to become the authoritative source in your field, referenced on Reddit, Quora, social media, AI platforms, and beyond.
Your strong foundation will endure if Google adjusts its rankings in your favor. Google may need help if it overlooks your site’s authority and relevance.
If you need help, check out our monthly SEO packages and let the experts help you.
