Business1 min read

Reddit tests ads in search results as traffic declines and growth concerns mount

By · Via TechCrunch · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Contextually relevant commercial placements are currently being trialed with select advertisers against search queries for products and recommendations. This strategic shift addresses zero-growth domestic engagement, as Reddit's United States daily active users dropped to 50.7 million while global counts stalled at 130.3 million. User reactions will be closely monitored throughout the pilot to optimize future formats. In tandem, mandatory account logins outside the country are designed to feed valuable behavioral signals directly into this new advertising engine.

Key points

  • The company is deploying search result advertisements to increase revenue generation acro…: The company is deploying search result advertisements to increase revenue generation across its existing user base.
  • A mandatory login model being phased in overseas aims to protect platform data from unaut…: A mandatory login model being phased in overseas aims to protect platform data from unauthorized artificial intelligence scraping.
  • Enforcing user logins will provide advertisers with critical behavioral and interest sign…: Enforcing user logins will provide advertisers with critical behavioral and interest signals to improve targeted search campaigns.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Just days after warning investors about declining search traffic and a weaker-than-expected revenue forecast, Reddit is looking for more ways to make money from its existing users. On Tuesday, the company announced that it’s beginning to test ad placements in its search results pages, allowing advertisers to reach users as they search for products, recommendations, and other information on its platform.

“Ads in search may appear based on a range of factors, including contextual relevance to a user’s search query,” Reddit shared in its announcement about the new ad placements. “This is an initial test with a select group of eligible advertisers. During this test, we will evaluate and understand how users respond to these ads so we can refine the experience for users and advertisers over time.”

The company offered examples of what sort of ads might appear, suggesting that a search for “espresso station” might display ads for espresso machines, coffee, or mugs, while a search for “home office setup” could surface ads for things like monitors, desks and office chairs.

The ad test comes at a time…

Business