The World's Largest Focus Group
Reddit has communities for literally everything.
r/smallbusiness. r/SEO. r/fitness. r/homebrewing. r/accounting.
Whatever your niche, there's a subreddit where your target audience is asking questions, sharing frustrations, and describing problems.
In their own words.
That's keyword research in its rawest, most useful form.
How to Mine Reddit for Keywords
Step 1: Find relevant subreddits. Search Reddit for your industry terms.
Step 2: Sort by "Top" (all time) and "Hot." These threads have the most engagement.
Step 3: Read thread titles and top comments. Note recurring questions and phrases.
Step 4: Use Reddit's search within subreddits to find specific topic discussions.
Step 5: Check Google with "site:reddit.com [your topic]" to see which Reddit threads Google already ranks.
Why Reddit Keywords Are Special
Reddit users are brutally honest. They don't use marketing speak. They describe problems the way real humans do.
That real-human language is exactly how people search Google too. It's the same principle behind effective content strategy from scratch — start with real problems, not made-up topics.
Also: Google is increasingly ranking Reddit threads in search results. If a topic has a popular Reddit thread ranking, there's an opportunity to create a better resource that outranks it.
The Reddit-to-Content Play
Find a Reddit thread with hundreds of upvotes asking a question in your industry.
Create a comprehensive article that answers that question better than the Reddit thread does.
Include the nuance from the comments. Address the follow-up questions. Add structure, visuals, and depth. Writing for SEO without being robotic is especially important here — your content needs to feel as authentic as the Reddit thread it's replacing.
You just created content validated by hundreds of real people. No keyword tool required.
Pro Tip
Use Google's "site:reddit.com" search to find which Reddit threads rank for keywords in your space. These are opportunities where your content could replace a Reddit thread in the SERP. Moz's keyword research fundamentals cover how Google evaluates these content-quality signals.
Systematise Your Research
SEO Checkup gives you a structured keyword research process. 113 tasks. Free. No credit card. 30 seconds.