Google’s "Discussions and Forums" Feature: Reddit Dominates, Facebook Surges, and the Rise of Niche Communities

A comprehensive analysis of 145 million U.S. Google search results has revealed the significant presence and characteristics of the "Discussions and forums" Search Engine Results Page (SERP) feature. This feature was found to be present in 16.93 million, or 11.7%, of the analyzed searches. The study, conducted by Ahrefs data scientist Xibeijia Guan and an unnamed collaborator, delves into the prominence of various domains, the emergence of newer forums, and the influence of backlinks on these results.

Reddit’s Unrivaled Dominance and Emerging Competitors

Reddit.com emerged as the undisputed leader, appearing in a staggering 83.9% of SERPs globally, with an average inclusion rate of 89.3% over the past two years. This dominance extends to the U.S., where Reddit is present in 87.8% of relevant SERPs. Early data for August suggests this trend is continuing to grow, with Reddit appearing in 86.1% of results. Reddit holds the top spot as the most prevalent domain in 34 countries and ranks highly in others, such as India and South Africa, where it holds the second position, surpassed only by Quora and Facebook, respectively.

The research also examined the age and size of subreddits appearing in the top 100 most prevalent forums. The average age of these subreddits was found to be 16 years and 1 month, with the youngest being r/ScienceBasedParenting, established eight years ago. Subreddits like r/backpain (81,027 members) and r/wichita (42,000 weekly visitors) represent smaller, niche communities, but no unexpected or entirely new inactive communities have significantly broken through to the top 100. Ahrefs Keywords Explorer can be utilized to identify prominent and relevant communities within specific industries.

Facebook’s Remarkable Growth and Quora’s Third Place Standing

Facebook has experienced a significant surge in prominence, securing the second position overall in the "Discussions and forums" SERP feature. This growth is largely attributed to the inclusion of public Facebook Groups, which officially launched in October 2010. In the U.S., Facebook appears in 38.3% of all instances of this SERP feature, a figure consistent across all countries. The study noted Google’s ability to extract AI-generated page headlines directly from Facebook. The top 10 Facebook posts appeared for a combined 4,936 queries, with the top 10 Groups accounting for 2.82% of Facebook’s link placements within this feature. Facebook surpassed Quora in search result inclusion in January of the current year. The platform was the most prominent domain in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Samoa, and the second most prominent in 23 countries, including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.

Quora holds the third most prominent position, appearing in 8.22 million search results. It addresses a wide range of queries, from cosmetic surgery costs to technical Gmail issues. Notably, three of Quora’s four most prominent threads discussed where to watch movies online. The platform also features an AI Assistant, launched around the beginning of 2023, which provides answers in numerous threads. The research highlighted a common challenge across similar platforms: a mix of genuine user interaction and self-promotional content aimed at personal gain.

Dominant Domains and the Concentration of Visibility

The "Discussions and forums" SERP feature is heavily concentrated among a few key players. Just three sites – Reddit, Facebook, and Quora – account for 76.75% of all link appearances globally. The top 10 domains collectively represent 84.87% of all links, while the top 100 domains account for 91.51%. Domains ranked from 501 to 1,000 contribute a mere 1.49% of overall visibility. The top 1,000 domains secure 96.81% of mentions, leaving only 2.19 million additional links across all other domains worldwide.

Key Domains in the "Discussions and Forums" SERP Feature:

Domain Age, URL Reliance, and Backlink Influence

The average age of domains appearing in the top 1,000 for this feature is 21 years and 8 months. The youngest domain with a verifiable registration date under four years old is The Gear Forum, a guitar community. However, XDAforums.com technically registers as the most recently registered domain at under three years old, though it is a redirect from a previously established forum. The study emphasizes that these ages do not account for forums built on domains at later dates or redirected from elsewhere. The research also indicates that launching a new forum should be driven by genuine interest rather than solely for SERP feature appearance. Companies like Apple and Microsoft leverage forums for customer support.

A significant reliance on single URLs for visibility was also observed. 27 of the top 1,000 domains have one URL that contributes at least 10% of their overall presence in the "Discussions and forums" SERP feature. For instance, a single health question on Gleneagles Hospital’s website accounted for 67% of its appearances, and a solitary, unreplied post on skill.jobs accounted for 30% of its presence.

The average Domain Rating (DR) of the top 1,000 domains was 58.3, with a moderate correlation between prominence and DR, primarily driven by the top-ranking sites. The top 100 domains averaged a DR of 78, while the bottom 100 averaged 48. Interestingly, no correlation was found between rankings and backlinks for individual discussion URLs.

Geographic Prevalence and Query Intent

The "Discussions and forums" SERP feature is most prevalent in the United States (11.7% of SERPs) and Canada (10.7%). The feature was not observed in all countries studied. The vast majority (98.7%) of these appearances are for queries with informational intent. Commercial intent accounts for 40.9%, while navigational intent is minimal at 0.6%. Queries with five or more words are significantly more likely to trigger this feature, with 43.2% of appearances occurring for such longer queries. Single-word queries rarely trigger the feature, accounting for only 0.3% of appearances.

The analysis suggests that while Reddit remains dominant, Facebook’s growing presence and the continued relevance of established forums like Quora highlight the dynamic nature of online discussions. The research recommends utilizing tools like Ahrefs Keywords Explorer to identify relevant communities within specific industries and advises users to engage authentically and avoid spamming to maximize their chances of visibility. Ahrefs Brand Radar can also be used to track mentions of businesses and competitors within these forums.