Reddit doesn’t decide every AI answer
In one test of 40 consumer brands, Google’s AI Overview cited Reddit in 67.1% of searches and ChatGPT in 1 answer of 40. Each engine trusts different evidence, so “fix our Reddit presence” is half a plan.
A common claim says Reddit decides what every AI says about your brand. One test, run on Oct 16, 2026, found that it depends which AI you ask.
Before the numbers, a disclosure. The test is by TheToolsVerse, and the page says the article is promotional content produced as part of the Semrush Creator Accelerator programme, with affiliate links to Semrush. It also says all measurements are the author’s own and that Semrush did not supply, review or approve the data. Treat it as one small test by a party with a stake.
What the test did
The author picked 40 consumer brands, ten each in skincare, mattresses, meal kits and running shoes. On Oct 16, 2026, they searched Google for “[brand] reviews” and “is [brand] worth it”, which is 80 searches. They also asked Google AI Mode and ChatGPT “is [brand] worth it?”, which is 40 answers each.
The searches were US English, collected through DataForSEO. A search or answer counted as citing Reddit if at least one cited link was on reddit.com.
Reddit ranks on Google
On the Google results, Reddit was in the top 10 for 71 of 80 searches (88.8%). It ranked first on 19 (23.8%). In running shoes, a Reddit thread made the top 10 for all 20 searches.
Three engines, three pictures
Google’s AI Overview appeared on 79 of the 80 searches and cited Reddit on 53, which is 67.1%. Google AI Mode cited Reddit in 19 of 40 answers, which is 47.5%. ChatGPT cited Reddit in 1 of 40, which is 2.5%.
The author notes that ChatGPT’s own search turned up Reddit pages for six of the brands. It still built its answers from other places.
What ChatGPT leaned on instead
Per the test, ChatGPT’s most cited sites were retailers, specialist testers and publishers. In skincare, Sephora (12 links), Dermapedia (10) and Ulta (9). In mattresses, Sleep Foundation (12), then Good Housekeeping, Macy’s, Tom’s Guide and RTINGS. In meal kits, AARP (8) and Wired (8). In running shoes, RTINGS (9) and RunRepeat (7).
The categories differ too. In mattresses, Google’s AI Overview cited Reddit on 10 of 20 searches and leaned on dedicated testers such as NapLab, Mattress Clarity and Mattress Nerd.
What Google says about getting into AI answers
Google’s Search Central guide says the best practices for SEO remain relevant for AI Overviews and AI Mode, and that there are no additional requirements to appear in them. It says: “There’s also no special schema.org structured data that you need to add.”
It does list the basics. Make sure crawling is allowed in robots.txt, important content is in textual form, structured data matches the visible text, and your Merchant Center and Business Profile information is up to date.
What the test cannot tell you
It is one day, 40 well-known brands in four categories, in the US. The author did not choose the brands at random. The author also says that Google and OpenAI both have deals with Reddit, that they cannot see from outside whether either affects citations, and so they do not offer the deals as the explanation. What they measured is the result.
What to do this week
Four steps.
How Shopthru.ai helps
Shopthru.ai is an AI agents team for consumer brands. It asks ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI, Perplexity and Copilot what your shoppers ask, finds where AI gets your products, prices or policies wrong, and drafts each fix into an approval inbox. It ships only on your yes, then checks again. Instagram and Amazon are next.