Reddit is now blocking big search engines and their AI web crawlers from bringing up relevant posts – unless they pay up, and Google already has
If you don’t use Google as your search engine, then you won’t see Reddit posts in your search results – or at least not recent content from Reddit, anyway.
This is the state of play in the search world now, following a fresh move by Reddit, as explained by spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt in a statement provided to The Verge.
Ratchschmidt said: “We have been in discussions with multiple search engines. We have been unable to reach agreements with all of them, since some are unable or unwilling to make enforceable promises regarding their use of Reddit content, including their use for AI.”
So, only Google will be able to surface recent Reddit posts, according to the report - though rival search engines like Bing will still show results for older content on the site.
Like many people, I often use ‘site:reddit.com’ in searches when I want more personal, human answers, for example when I'm looking for help navigating a tough spot in a videogame or skincare recommendations – or I even just add the word ‘Reddit’ at the end of my search query to bring up the best results. Right now, however, if you try this on any other search engine than Google you’re probably going to wind up pretty disappointed and staring at outdated Reddit posts.
