Google’s communications representative, Jennifer Kutz, told The Verge that Reddit gets no preference in Google Search or Google’s AI Search features. Kutz told The Verge that Reddit “gets no special preference” in Google’s ranking systems.
This statement was posted on The Verge’s article named Can Reddit fend off a new wave of AI SEO spam? was:
Kutz also said that Google’s AI search features don’t aim to display content from any specific site or platform, and that Reddit “gets no special preference” in Google’s ranking system.
Kutz also added that “there is high- and low-quality content on forums like Reddit, just as in other formats; Kutz says Google’s systems are designed to detect when user-generated content is helpful or low quality,” the article quoted.
“There will always be bad actors trying to game the system — in fact, spamming predates the internet — and fighting spam is a core expertise for us,” Kutz told The Verge in an email. “We have strong protections against manipulation across Search, including our AI features, and we’ve kept results 99% spam-free for years,” she added.
Generally we have seen Reddit show up a lot in Google over the years. But for over a year, Reddit has complained Google isn’t sending it enough traffic and in the last earnings call, Reddit’s stock dropped over Google issues.
That being said, Reddit has seen its traffic from Google drop recently:
I hate when companies blame AIOs when they tanked from a core update or spam update. Easy to say that versus, “We have a quality problem”. Reddit is doing that now… See Germany and Italy below for AI translations trending. This is a big reason Reddit is seeing less traffic from… pic.twitter.com/v17digitF3
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) July 31, 2026
Another big problem for Reddit (especially since they were impacted by the May core update and June spam update) -> Can Reddit fend off a new wave of AI GEO spam?
“Google’s Jennifer Kutz also said that Google’s AI search features don’t aim to display content from any specific…
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) August 4, 2026
Next up, Steve Huffman’s quote about their AI translations dropping, which tanked with the May core update and June spam update. I covered that in my post about the drop. BTW, what he explains below is a BIG difference from how he explained their AI translations when they started… pic.twitter.com/xHwDuSeLvA
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) August 4, 2026
Forum discussion at X.
