Google is testing a special treatment for Reddit snippets within the Google search results. Google is adding upvote and comment counts in various styles, in an effort to provide more information to the searcher about the Reddit thread.
What it looks like. I was sent screenshots from both Shubham Khatwani and Brodie Clark of this in action – here are some of those screenshots:
Why special treatment. It is unclear why these search results from Reddit are getting special treatment. We know Google signed a content deal with Reddit a few months back to have deeper access to its content. Maybe Google is using this additional data to enhance the search results for Reddit.
Of course, we also know Reddit is currently ranking incredibly well for everything and anything in Google Search – so it is not like Reddit needs the special treatment.
Why we care. This is just one more change that may help Reddit see an increase in even more traffic from Google Search. Of course, this may also be a useful and relevant feature for searchers to see within the Google Search results. But any special user interface changes in Google’s search results do give that site that gets those treatments an advantage and likely results in a higher click through rate.
