How do you push a negative Reddit thread down in branded search?

[PushKing]

A brand I work with has over 100 positive reviews on the website and social media; the total score is 4*. After purchase, customers receive a Loox link and have their review posted on the website review page.

An unhappy customer who had an issue with their order (and was refunded) opened a Reddit thread and included the brand URL. The thread drew in a few more unhappy customers, and the thread has 14 comments overall. It's not big, and some of the comments are actually positive.

The thread ranks #3 in Google when you search for the brand name.
The people who look for the review see this Reddit thread, and I am trying to think of a strategy for getting it down.

What is the best approach in this case?

- Open more threads praising the brand/services on other subreddits,
- Get more positive comments to that one, or get the brand registered on Reddit and have them reply to comments(somehow this feels like a bad idea, as it will keep ranking the current negative thread),
- Something completely different?

In terms of SEO, the website has its own review pages that are ranked as well, but the Reddit thread stays #3.

 

[Venusaur]

Both mentioned approaches are valid and productive, implement both instead of picking between them

 

[Nut-Nights]

You need multiple reddit threads from high value subreddits to outrank negative reddit thread, its pain in a** to push down reddit results especially for brand names. You can also try to pay to get it removed, sometimes it works.

 

[PushKing]

This is a brand SERP issue, not just an SEO issue.

I'd avoid creating fake Reddit threads or trying to manipulate the existing one. A better approach is to strengthen the branded search results with authoritative assets while improving your brand's online presence to gradually push the Reddit thread down.

I can review the SERP and help you build a realistic long-term strategy if you're looking for someone experienced with reputation management.

Thank you for your response. Not necessarily fake: the brand can open its own subreddit (it doesn't have one) and drive customers there instead of Loox, or some specific customers can be asked to leave a review on X and Y subreddits.

Branded search is currently being worked on, and many branded review pages are also ranked. The problem is that Reddit is very visible at #3.

 

[rohit755755]

yeah, i’d avoid fake praise threads. better to answer the Reddit thread calmly once, then build stronger branded results around real reviews, faq/support pages, and social profiles so the SERP has better options to rank.

 

[PushKing]

You need multiple reddit threads from high value subreddits to outrank negative reddit thread, its pain in a** to push down reddit results especially for brand names. You can also try to pay to get it removed, sometimes it works.

That is what I was thinking.
If that thread has 14 comments, maybe a new thread or multiple with 20 comments would replace it.
Yet, I am still very unsure about how to implement this strategy.

 

[PushKing]

yeah, i’d avoid fake praise threads. better to answer the Reddit thread calmly once, then build stronger branded results around real reviews, faq/support pages, and social profiles so the SERP has better options to rank.

That was the first thought, but responding on that thread will rank it higher.

 

[Rikachu]

This is a tough spot to be in, and it's more common than you might think, because of its huge authority, a single reddit thread can often outrank your own website for your brand name, the problem is made worse by the fact that google and reddit have a data sharing agreement that makes threads appear in search results faster and stay there longer than ever before, these old threads are incredibly persistent.

Directly trying to remove the thread or argue in the comments is often a losing battle, the most reliable strategy is to focus on suppression, which means creating a portfolio of positive, high quality content that can outrank the negative thread, this involves publishing helpful articles, creating strong profiles on high authority sites like linkedin or medium, and even using reddit itself to your advantage by posting positive, value driven discussions, over time, the goal is to push the negative result off the first page of google.

A key piece of advice is to be proactive and build your own positive presence on reddit before a crisis hits, starting your own official subreddit can be a long term asset where you can moderate the conversation, if you can't beat the platform's influence, it's best to lead it by establishing your own credible voice.

 

[quynhuyen]

The core principle is that you cannot delete it, but you can create a significant amount of positive or neutral content with greater SEO strength to push it down to page 2 or 3.

 

[PushKing]

This is a tough spot to be in, and it's more common than you might think, because of its huge authority, a single reddit thread can often outrank your own website for your brand name, the problem is made worse by the fact that google and reddit have a data sharing agreement that makes threads appear in search results faster and stay there longer than ever before, these old threads are incredibly persistent.

Directly trying to remove the thread or argue in the comments is often a losing battle, the most reliable strategy is to focus on suppression, which means creating a portfolio of positive, high quality content that can outrank the negative thread, this involves publishing helpful articles, creating strong profiles on high authority sites like linkedin or medium, and even using reddit itself to your advantage by posting positive, value driven discussions, over time, the goal is to push the negative result off the first page of google.

A key piece of advice is to be proactive and build your own positive presence on reddit before a crisis hits, starting your own official subreddit can be a long term asset where you can moderate the conversation, if you can't beat the platform's influence, it's best to lead it by establishing your own credible voice.

Yup, the company wanted to respond directly on the thread. I suggested against it - in my opinion, more responses will strengthen the link, and not everyone searching will bother to read in full or understand. But I do think careful, positive discussions and mentions on other subreddits could work.

 

[Ghost Shadow]

Trying to directly push down a single reddit thread usually does not work reliably. A more stable approach is building strong positive branded content across multiple platforms so the overall search results pages becomes more balanced over time. Consistent reviews, updated brand pages and authoritative mentions tend to have more long term impact than focusing on one thread.

 

[Demon Slayer.]

what i believe through my experiences Google ranks Reddit threads because they have strong authority and engagement.