Reddit Won in 2024, But Losing in 2025

Surfer Wave 224; Reddit Slips in Google; Google Slips in Market Share; Free AI Prompt Gallery; ChatGPT Auto Tasks;

Author

Yoyao
January 18, 2025 • Est. Learning Time: 12 minutes

In partnership with

SURF REPORT …

❝

A laid-back day on the water, but there’s always a wave to catch. Don’t be afraid to paddle out and try some new things.

It’s a light week on actionable resources out there. Usually the case in the beginning of the year.

But I hear there’s a big swell coming in next week, so don’t miss next week’s session! 🌊 

PS I’ve been using Ideogram for many of my images now. Midjourney’s understanding of text appears to have gone down in quality, while Ideogram has gotten much better.

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SEO

Lily Ray shares the biggest SEO visibility gainers of 2024, with Reddit emerging as the undisputed champion - surging from #92 to #3 in U.S. search rankings. The analysis shows a clear trend: user-generated content is king, with forums and discussion sites seeing remarkable growth. E-commerce sites also scored big wins through strategic content improvements. The most interesting twist? Recipe sites like Allrecipes and TheKitchn saw massive October surges, while Spotify climbed the charts by dominating celebrity-related searches.

Google's iron grip on global search is showing signs of loosening. For three consecutive months, Oct. to Dec. 2024, their market share dipped below 90%, fluctuating between 86-88%. Bing, Yandex, and Yahoo each nibbled away at Google's piece of the pie, and AI players like ChatGPT aren't even counted in these numbers yet.

Lily Ray shares on X how Reddit is reversing course in Google SERPs, dropping by 350 Sistrix visibility points and falling from #3 to #4 in U.S. search rankings. The timing coincides with the launch of Reddit Answers and Google's AI Overviews, leading some experts to speculate that Google may have finished using Reddit's data for AI training. This only affects "blue links" (not the discussions widget).

She also shares a list of some of the Subreddits with the biggest organic traffic drops.

My Take: Aww, poor Reddit 😢 When I first saw Reddit Answers, I wondered what Google’s response was going to be because once users go from Google to Reddit, they’re going to see Reddit Answers. That could lead people to go to Reddit directly in the future and use their AI responses instead of Google’s AI responses.

Bing is testing a more publisher-friendly version of its AI Copilot answer box. The new design prominently features source links with full domain names and favicons, making it easier for readers to identify and trust content origins.

SEO Ripples

  • Glenn Gabe discovers Google Discover’s Daily Listen, an AI-generated audio show from Search Lab. It gives you curated updates based on your search history. Based on Google’s NotebookLM, it might not be too bad.

  • Barry Schwartz shares important changes to Google News and Discover manual action policies that every content publisher needs to know. While Google removed policies on adult content and artificial freshening, they've added five new sections targeting deceptive practices. These new rules crack down on sites that misrepresent ownership, location, or affiliations. For content creators, this means being extra transparent about who you are, where you're based, and your editorial relationships.

  • John Mueller delivers Google's first Search News update of 2025, including Search Console now offers hourly performance data for the past 24 hours and smarter recommendations, including domain-level homepage indexing checks. Google retires the sitelinks search box feature. Search Console emails are getting a modern makeover, dropping outdated terms like "webmaster" in favor of more contemporary language.

AI

OpenAI releases Tasks in beta that allows ChatGPT to handle scheduled tasks - from daily language practice to custom AI news briefings - with results delivered through push notifications or email. It’s currently limited to 10 active tasks per user and requires a paid subscription. Seems they’re already dealing with server issues due to scaling.

Simon Willison was able to get ChatGPT to reveal the system prompt for Tasks. Always cool to see prompts to see how the engineers themselves prompt, so we can learn how to improve our own prompts.

I just came across this gem while checking something else out in Vertex AI. If you’re looking for some starter prompts for your AI chats, this is a very nice free library in Google Vertex AI. You’ll need to log into Google Cloud and possibly set up a project before access, still free. Before logging in, you can also get a taste from the help documentation that won’t require logging in.

AI Ripples

  • OpenAI’s latest update lets you mold ChatGPT's personality, communication style, and behavioral rules to match your specific requirements—whether you're a scientist needing a precise lab assistant or someone seeking creative writing inspiration.

  • OpenAI partners with Axios to launch AI-enabled local newsrooms in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Boulder, and Huntsville. It's part of OpenAI's effort to strengthen digital journalism, which includes partnerships with media giants like The Associated Press, Le Monde, and Hearst).

  • Google is partnering with The Associated Press to make Gemini's responses more current and accurate. The collaboration will feed real-time AP news directly into the Gemini app to give users the most up-to-date information possible.

  • Google announces all Workspace Business and Enterprise users now get access to Gemini and NotebookLM Plus without paying for add-ons. Starting at just $14 per user monthly (only $2 more than current rates), you'll get AI features like email summaries, document creation, and meeting assistance built right into Gmail, Docs, and Meet. The rollout begins immediately for Business users and later this month for Enterprise customers.

MARKETING

Justina Thompson delivers the breaking news that TikTok will go dark on January 19th following Supreme Court approval of the ban. She also covers a brief history of how we got here. For marketers scrambling to adjust, here's what matters:

  • Download your account data ASAP

  • Save your content without watermarks by posting privately first

  • Inform your followers where to find you next.

While B2B brands may not feel much impact (only 8% planned TikTok investment in 2025), experts suggest migrating to YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, or even LinkedIn.

Amy Hebdon shares a tongue-in-cheek guide to ruining your Google Ads account. Want to waste money at record speed? Just follow her tips: create vague offers nobody wants, say yes to every Google recommendation, mash all campaigns into one messy structure, and chase maximum impressions over qualified traffic. Beyond the humor, she highlights critical mistakes that plague many accounts, making this reverse psychology guide a lesson in what not to do with your PPC campaigns.

Marketing Ripples

  • Anu Adegbola reports that Meta faces a class-action lawsuit alleging they inflated Facebook and Instagram's "potential reach" metrics by up to 400%. The Supreme Court's decision to let the case proceed means if you've bought Meta ads since August 2014, you might be eligible for compensation from a potential $7 billion payout.

EDUCATION

Jamie I.F. gives us a clever way to decode competitors' winning tests without spending a dime – the Wayback Machine. By comparing website snapshots over time, you can spot the headlines, CTAs, and design elements that stuck around, signaling successful A/B test winners. Don't just mirror one competitor; instead, analyze multiple sites and blend their proven wins into your own unique landing page strategy.

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