Soon, Reddit is going mostly logged-in only; blame Google AI Overviews for falling search referrals
From growth to decline
Reddit’s traffic rose 39% from May 2023 to May 2024, according to web analytics firm Similarweb. The article attributed much of that increase to traffic from Google search.
By 2026, more people were using AI services such as ChatGPT instead of Google. Google AI Overviews had also improved, making it less necessary for users to click through to websites for answers.
Search referrals fall
Huffman told shareholders that search traffic was “down meaningfully in Q3.” He also said referrals fell by more than 1 million per week on average in October. If the trend continued, Reddit could lose a low-double-digit percentage from its current base of 130 million daily active unique visits, Huffman said.
A more closed Reddit
Reddit announced it would soon become a mostly logged-in-only experience, citing declining search traffic as one reason. Users reacted negatively, according to the article. The change raises concerns about Reddit becoming more closed off from the open web. The article connects that shift to the open-web ideals championed by co-founder Aaron Swartz.
Key points
- Reddit plans to make its experience mostly limited to logged-in users.
- Similarweb reported a 39% traffic increase from May 2023 to May 2024.
- Huffman said search referrals fell by more than 1 million per week on average in October.
- Reddit’s current base is 130 million daily active unique visits.