What Drives Visibility in AI Search [Study]

AI search tools increasingly rely on Reddit discussions to inform their answers. 

But what exactly makes certain threads surface again and again?

To understand Reddit’s role in AI visibility, we analyzed 248,000 Reddit posts cited in Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and ChatGPT Search (the experimental browsing mode that displays web-sourced answers.)

Our goal was to identify which content types, engagement patterns, and structures make Reddit threads more likely to appear in AI-generated results. 

It’ll help you understand how community-driven content shapes AI visibility—and what brands and creators can learn from it. 

Key Takeaways

• Despite recent AI visibility shake-ups, Reddit remains a leading source across all AI search tools. It’s the top-cited domain on Perplexity, and among the top three on both SearchGPT and Google AI Mode.

• SearchGPT references Reddit most often. 12.6% of its answers contain Reddit links, though these links appear later in responses (avg. position 7).

• Perplexity gives Reddit higher prominence. Only 3.5% of Perplexity answers include Reddit, but those links appear much earlier (avg. position 3).

• Google AI Mode uses Reddit moderately. Reddit appears in 9% of responses, usually mid-to-late in the generated text.

• AI paraphrases Reddit content rather than quoting it. Across all three tools, the similarity between AI responses and cited Reddit posts stays around 0.53-0.54, while similarity to the user’s prompt is just 0.04-0.05.

• Engagement doesn’t determine visibility. Most cited Reddit posts have fewer than 20 upvotes and 20 comments.

• Q&A threads dominate citations. Over half of all cited Reddit content comes from Q&A threads, followed by comparison and discussion posts.

Methodology 

We analyzed 217,000 unique prompts across three AI search tools: Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and ChatGPT Search.

We identified 248,000 unique Reddit URLs cited or mentioned in those AI-generated responses.

For each Reddit URL, we measured:

• Citation frequency: how often Reddit links appeared in AI responses
• Text mentions: how often Reddit content was referenced without a hyperlink
• Engagement signals: post type, average upvotes, number of comments, post age, and content length

We then calculated a semantic similarity ratio (0-1) to assess how closely AI responses aligned with the original Reddit posts.

The ratio was determined using cosine similarity between sentence-embedding vectors—where 0 indicates no shared context and 1 indicates near-identical phrasing.

Finally, we compared public AI outputs across the three models to identify how each surfaces and integrates Reddit content.

1. Reddit Is a Leading Source for AI Tools

Reddit continues to appear as one of the most frequently cited sources across AI search tools.

It’s the No. 1 cited domain on Perplexity (4% share), No. 2 on SearchGPT (13% share), and No. 3 on Google AI Mode (9% share).

Across all three platforms, Reddit URLs appear more frequently than almost any other source, outpacing Wikipedia, LinkedIn, and Forbes in some cases.

This dataset was refreshed in October 2025 to capture the latest shifts in AI visibility patterns. Reddit remained one of the top-cited sources across all platforms, even after a drop in its overall share.

2. SearchGPT References Reddit Most, While Perplexity Uses It Sparingly

Each AI search tool surfaces Reddit content differently, showing how they mix community-driven insights with information from other sources.

SearchGPT still leans on Reddit more often than others, while Google AI Mode maintains moderate use and Perplexity remains the most selective.

At the same time, SearchGPT tends to include Reddit links mid-answer, Google AI Mode places them later, and Perplexity surfaces them earlier in the text.

• SearchGPT includes Reddit links in 13% of its responses and typically places them mid-answer (avg. position 6.7)
• Perplexity cites Reddit far less (4%) but surfaces those links earlier (avg. position 3.4) within its responses
• Google AI Mode references Reddit in 9% of responses, usually later in the text (avg. position 8.8)

3. AI Doesn’t Use Reddit Content Word-for-Word 

AI search tools paraphrase Reddit discussions instead of quoting them directly, blending ideas from multiple comments into a single, structured answer.

Across all three models, the average similarity between AI responses and the original Reddit posts is around 0.53-0.54, high enough to indicate consistent overlap in topics and tone, but not close to direct copying.

In comparison, the similarity between user prompts and Reddit posts is only 0.04-0.05, showing that AI tools surface Reddit content based on topical relevance, not simple text matching.

For example, we searched for “how to find ebook deals” on Perplexity.

The cited Reddit thread, “best website for ebook deals,” used slightly different wording but still appeared as a key source. 

The AI response then blended that discussion with input from other sites, showing how it combines multiple sources rather than quoting Reddit directly.

5. Reddit Posts Don’t Need Extremely High Engagement to Be Cited

The Reddit threads most frequently cited by AI tools aren’t the viral ones. They’re often typically older, brief discussions with limited activity.

• Across all three AI tools, the median upvotes range from 5 to 8, and median comments from 11 to 19. 
• 80% of cited posts have fewer than 20 upvotes, and 70% have fewer than 20 comments.
• At the same time, most of the cited posts are relatively old (avg. age ~900 days) and short (median ~80 words). 

This also means that content published on Reddit can remain evergreen. 

For example, this thread was cited in SearchGPT results even though it was posted two years earlier.

This suggests that LLMs prioritize topical alignment and clarity over community signals like upvotes or comment volume when citing Reddit posts.

Beyond engagement metrics, the format of Reddit content also plays a critical role in whether AI search tools surface it. 

6. Discussion and Q&A Posts Dominate Reddit Citations in AI Search

Finally, AI search tools we analyzed overwhelmingly rely on Q&A-style, comparison, and discussion threads.

These formats give language models structured conversational insights that are easy to parse, remix, and integrate into generated answers. 

The pattern is consistent across SearchGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode.

Q&A threads alone account for more than half of all Reddit citations. 

Comparison posts, which typically frame product or tool evaluations, follow closely. 

Together, Q&A, comparison, and discussion formats make up nearly three-quarters of all cited content.

How to Create Reddit Content that Gets Cited by AI Tools

After analyzing the data and consulting industry experts, we’ve identified a few ways brands can participate authentically on Reddit while improving their chances of being surfaced in AI search. 

These practices reflect observed patterns in AI outputs—not optimization tactics—and focus on community participation, transparency, and long-term value. 

Don’t Treat Reddit as Another Marketing Channel

Instead of pushing marketing messages, focus on contributing meaningfully to discussions within your product or industry category.

Both Reddit users and AI tools prioritize genuine, experience-based conversations. Promotional content rarely passes that filter.

Ann Smarty, founder of Smarty Marketing, confirms this:

“Every client wants to be on Reddit these days: it’s AI training data, it’s ranking in Google, it’s everywhere. But the only way to actually show up is through real genuine conversations. That’s what makes Reddit different.”

Ann Smarty, Founder, Smarty Marketing

For example, Semrush’s research team has tested educational Reddit threads that answer real user questions—the kind of authentic participation that often gets surfaced naturally in AI search results. 

Like this post that breaks down how to improve AI search visibility using Semrush Enterprise AIO:

Create an Official Subreddit to Build Transparency

Create your own branded subreddit to give your team a space to share expertise, answer questions, and provide accurate context about your brand. 

Participating transparently helps users (and AI systems referencing public threads) encounter accurate, balanced information. 

Avoid trying to steer conversations; instead, focus on helpful, open discussion that builds trust. 

A branded subreddit can host FAQs, customer stories, product deep dives, or expert AMAs—all of which AI tools can reference when generating responses. 

“You create something valuable inside your subreddit and cross-promote it to relevant communities. When someone sees your post in another subreddit, they’ll also see where it was cross-promoted from. That acts like an internal link back to your own community—a built-in discovery loop that helps new people find and join your subreddit.”

Ann Smarty, Founder, Smarty Marketing

For example, here’s a branded subreddit created by HubSpot:

The tech company uses it to engage with its user community, answer product-related questions, and surface real discussions around its tools and workflows.

Prioritize Evergreen, Well-Structured Content

To stay visible in AI search, join or create evergreen Reddit threads that offer lasting value.

Organize your posts clearly with headings or bullets, explain why your insights matter, and maintain a neutral, informative tone. 

“We build threads that keep working long after they’re posted—branded FAQs, useful reviews, or AMAs with real experts. Those get cross-promoted into other subreddits, build internal links back to the community, and stay discoverable for months or years. That’s the kind of evergreen content that keeps ranking and shaping brand visibility over time.”

Ann Smarty, Founder, Smarty Marketing 

For instance, we regularly publish evergreen threads on AI visibility-related topics. 

Use Insights from Reddit to Fuel Your Business Strategy

Monitor Reddit discussions around your brand or niche to uncover customer pain points, new questions, and emerging trends. 

Reddit often surfaces these signals before other platforms, making it a valuable source for product and content insights. 

You can use Reddit data to:

• Spot recurring pain points or questions to inform product updates
• Track shifts in sentiment or reputation around your brand
• Identify new topics and discussion patterns that feed your content strategy

“Reddit is often where opinions form before they hit Google. It’s where people test ideas, rant about products, and compare experiences. If you’re paying attention, you’ll see new demand signals and topics emerge before anyone else.”

Ann Smarty, Founder, Smarty Marketing 

Track Brand Visibility Over Time

Focus less on traffic spikes and more on how Reddit shapes brand discovery and sentiment. 

Zero-click channels like Reddit, TikTok and AI search tools often introduce users to your brand before they ever visit your site. 

“Most brands today are seeing a lift in branded searches because zero-click discovery channels keep growing. People encounter your brand on Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, or inside AI answers, then search for it directly to convert. With Reddit, we almost always see that bump one to two weeks after a campaign, even when there’s no direct traffic spike.”

Ann Smarty, Founder, Smarty Marketing 

Tracking traffic spikes won’t capture this.

Instead, you can:

• Use a specialized AI visibility tool like Semrush AI Visibility Toolkit to analyze Reddit citations
• Leverage brand monitoring tools like Media Monitoring by Brand24 to track overall sentiment and mentions on Reddit
• Track branded search growth in Google Search Console and correlate it with your Reddit efforts

Track Reddit AI Citations with Semrush

Understanding which Reddit threads shape your brand’s AI visibility starts with monitoring citations over time. 

Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit helps you see where and how those citations appear in public LLM outputs. 

Head to the “Narrative Drivers” report and scroll to “Dive Deeper” and switch between branded and non-branded citations.

Next, click the “Cited Pages” tab. 

Enter reddit.com to surface specific Reddit threads that appear when your brand or category is mentioned. 

This lets you identify discussion formats and topics contributing to visibility, and use those insights to guide strategy.