The rise of forums: Why Google prefers them and how to adapt

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the recent decline in organic search traffic and rankings for niche websites, and how this is due to the increasing dominance of user-generated content (UGC) platforms like Reddit, Quora, and YouTube in search engine results. It provides insights into why Google is favoring these UGC platforms over independent bloggers and niche sites, and offers strategies for niche site owners to adapt and thrive in this new environment.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Decline of Niche Sites

1. What happened to the author's niche site between late 2023 and today?

• The author's niche site saw a significant decline in rankings and affiliate revenue, despite performing well in 2022.

2. What data does the report from Sistrix show about the increase in organic visibility for Reddit, Quora, and other UGC platforms?

• After the November 2023 core update, Reddit's organic visibility increased by 23% and Quora's increased by 15.9%.
• Reddit's organic traffic increased by 253.3% and Quora's increased by 133.4% between July 2023 and June 2024.
• Other sites with user-generated content, such as YouTube, also saw huge increases in organic keywords and traffic.

3. What does the author observe about the current search engine results pages (SERPs) for "how to" searches?

• YouTube videos now occupy an increasing amount of positions in the organic search results, often taking up the effective above-the-fold space that independent bloggers used to occupy.
• The rest of the first page of search results consists mainly of user-generated content on well-established forum sites or well-known media sites, rather than independent bloggers.

[02] Why is Google Favoring UGC Platforms?

1. What is the author's opinion on why Google is favoring forum sites like Reddit and Quora?

• The author believes this is Google "crying uncle" and placing greater emphasis on "authority" and "trust," even at the expense of expertise and experience.
• The author argues that it is becoming increasingly difficult for Google to discern true expertise and quality content, as unscrupulous publishers can easily scrape and rewrite original content.
• Google is favoring UGC platforms because they provide a sense of "authenticity" - the content comes from real people, even if the quality is inconsistent.

2. Why did Google's own attempts to build crowdsourced Q&A platforms fail?

• Google tried to build its own crowdsourced Q&A platforms like Google Answers, Google Questions and Answers, and Google Question Hub, but they failed because people don't come to Google.com to provide answers, they come to get them.
• The author notes that Yahoo Answers, which was once a darling of Google's organic search, eventually became a "cesspool of spam and fake accounts" before being dissolved in 2012.

[03] Strategies for Niche Site Owners

1. What advice does the author give to brands and niche site owners?

• The author recommends that brands and niche site owners start their own discussion board or forum focused specifically on their industry niche.
• The author argues that the cost-benefit equation for maintaining a forum is much more favorable today, with the help of AI-powered tools for user screening and content moderation.

2. What are the key benefits of maintaining a niche-specific forum?

• Increased organic search visibility and rankings for long-tail keywords
• Building a loyal community of engaged users
• Generating user-generated content that can be leveraged for SEO and content marketing
• Attracting industry experts and influencers to participate in the forum

3. What are the key principles for running a successful niche forum?

• Have zero tolerance for fake accounts, overt promotional content, and spam
• Follow the "broken windows" theory and quickly moderate any low-quality content
• Be laser-focused on your target audience and provide clear benefits for their participation
• Seed the forum with interesting questions and encourage open, transparent conversations
• Attract top industry experts and influencers to participate in the forum