Google AI reads Reddit first
🗺️ Google's AI features and standalone assistants lean on different sources, so your off-site effort needs two separate plans, and more!
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🗺️ Google's AI and ChatGPT trust different places. Plan for both
A single off-site strategy assumes every AI system reads the same sources. In practice, they lean on different ones.
Ross Simmonds' research, covered in a recent AirOps Growth Leader webinar, found that Google's AI surfaces lean heavily on Reddit and YouTube, while standalone assistants favor off-site product and comparison pages.
That splits your off-site work into two tracks.
Track 1: Google's AI features
YouTube. For your five most important buying questions, make sure a useful video exists that answers each one directly, ideally from your brand and from independent reviewers. Demonstrations, comparisons, and "is it worth it" reviews tend to match buying questions closely. Use the buyer's own wording in titles and descriptions, and keep captions accurate, so the video's subject is easy to identify.
Reddit. Find the threads where your category gets discussed and answer questions as a clearly identified brand representative. Disclose who you are every time. Undisclosed posting gets spotted, removed, and remembered.
In my judgment, one genuinely helpful answer in an active thread is worth more than many promotional comments.
Track 2: Standalone assistants
Comparison and "best of" pages. List the third-party articles that rank for "best [your category]" and "[your brand] vs [competitor]." Check whether you're included and whether your details are accurate.
Fix what's wrong. Send publishers a short fact sheet with current prices, specs, and what sets you apart. Offer review samples where you're missing.
Give them something to cite. Original data, test results, or clear specifications make a product easier to include.
Knowing where to show up is half the job. AirOps' Growth Leader series also covers why a citation still isn't a choice, and how to give buyers who arrive from AI a clear next step. You can read the full takeaways here.
How to split the effort
Look at where your AI-referred traffic comes from. If most arrives from Google's AI features, weight Track 1. If more comes from assistants, weight Track 2. Check referrers monthly, since the mix shifts.
What to track
- Mentions in the top Reddit threads for your category, monthly
- YouTube videos answering your five buying questions, yours and independent
- Inclusion and accuracy on your top 20 comparison pages
- AI-referred sessions by source
Close: Audit one surface this week
Search your top buying question on YouTube and Reddit, then check the top three comparison pages. Note where you're missing. That list is your next quarter's off-site plan.
Partnership with AirOps
Your Next Content Priority Starts With This Research
Your next article costs time and budget. If AI answers the question before buyers reach your site, it's harder to justify the investment.
AirOps brings together Kevin Indig, Ross Simmonds, and Eli Schwartz’s webinar takeaways to help you choose content worth funding next.
- Kevin Indig reports informational clicks fell 35–60% over the past year. Give buyers a reason to visit with original research.
- Ross Simmonds’ research covered 380,000 B2B answers. Comparison pages dominated citations, making separate “alternatives” and “versus” pages worth prioritizing.
- Eli Schwartz recommends purchase-focused content with clear conversion paths.
Together, their findings give you a practical basis for deciding which pages deserve your team’s time as AI changes how buyers research.
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