Reddit Search Referrals Fell by Over 1 Million a Week in October, Huffman Blames AI Mode
TLDR
Reddit's CEO Steve Huffman says search referrals to Reddit fell by more than 1 million a week in October and blames Google's AI Mode, which he says sends no traffic to Reddit.
Optimixed Overview
Optimixed's original report on this story.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman says AI Mode drives no traffic to Reddit or anyone he knows, while search referrals fell by over 1 million a week in October. The report, as covered by PPC Land, asks whether logins and app installs can make up the lost traffic.
How we got here
- Oct 30Reddit Reports Falling Search Referrals and Blames Google AI Overviews and AI Mode
Reddit says its search referrals are falling, with its CEO pointing to Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, and is testing a login-only mode.
- Oct 29Reddit's ad revenue climbs 54% to $847M while daily users stall at 130.3M
Reddit's ad revenue rose 54% to $847 million while its daily audience stalled at 130.3 million, and search referrals to the platform fell by over 1 million a week in October.
- Aug 2Reddit Reaches 130.3M Daily Active Users While Revenue Grows 61% Year-Over-Year
Reddit topped 130M daily active users in Q2 2026 with 61% YoY revenue growth, though the platform increasingly relies on search engine and AI chatbot traffic rather than direct visits.
- Jul 16Why Reddit Now Belongs in Your AI Search Visibility Strategy
SE Ranking tracked 482 Reddit posts and found Reddit's presence in AI search answers is expanding, warranting inclusion in AI search visibility tactics.