{"id":9866,"date":"2026-06-12T21:07:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T13:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/?p=9866"},"modified":"2026-06-12T21:07:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T13:07:26","slug":"reddit-climbs-clicks-drop-gbp-comes-to-ga4-seo-pulse-via-sejournal-mattgsouthern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/?p=9866","title":{"rendered":"Reddit Climbs, Clicks Drop, GBP Comes To GA4 \u2013 SEO Pulse via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p> <div id=\"narrow-cont\"> <p>Welcome to the week\u2019s Pulse: updates affect how you read post-update rankings, what new click data says about Google traffic, and where your local reporting lives.<\/p> <p>Here\u2019s what matters for you and your work.<\/p> <h2>Reddit Gained Top Positions In Every Niche After The May Core Update<\/h2> <p>SE Ranking analyzed 100,000 keywords and found Reddit grew its top 3 presence in all 20 niches it tracks.<\/p> <p><strong>Key facts:<\/strong> Reddit ranked first for 13,872 keywords after May, up 54% from 8,993 in March. Gains were strongest in experience-led niches, with Reddit holding 18% of top 3 in pets. YMYL categories saw less change, healthcare rising from 0.93% to 1.33%. Two-thirds of domains dropped in March didn\u2019t recover in May.<\/p> <h3>Why This Matters<\/h3> <p>The niche-level split changes how you interpret \u201cReddit is growing\u201d headlines. An 18% top 3 share in pets is a different competitive picture than 1.33% in healthcare.<\/p> <p><iframe class=\"sej-iframe-auto-height\" id=\"in-content-iframe\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/wp-json\/sscats\/v2\/tk\/Middle_Post_Text\"><\/iframe><\/p> <p>The direction also reversed from March, when Amsive\u2019s analysis found Reddit and similar platforms losing visibility. Core updates have moved the same platforms in different directions, which makes it risky to draw conclusions from a single update.<\/p> <p>Most domains that lost visibility after the March update didn\u2019t gain it back after the May update. For websites waiting on a rebound, the data shows another core update doesn\u2019t guarantee one.<\/p> <p>Read our full coverage: Reddit Gained Top Positions In Every Niche After May Core Update<\/p> <h2>SparkToro Data Shows 68% Of Google Searches End Without A Click<\/h2> <p>SparkToro co-founder Rand Fishkin published new U.S. zero-click data drawn from Similarweb\u2019s clickstream panel, covering January through April.<\/p> <p><strong>Key facts:<\/strong> In the panel, 68% of Google searches ended without a click. For every 1,000 searches, 232 clicks reached the open web. Of all clicks, 66% went to the open web, 27% to Alphabet properties, and 6% to ads.<\/p> <h3>Why This Matters<\/h3> <p>When stakeholders expect click rates from a few years ago, this gives you something concrete to point to.<\/p> <p>The measurement angle matters as much as the traffic angle. Google\u2019s new AI performance reports in Search Console show impressions, and independent data keeps showing fewer clicks. Visibility tracking now means watching where you appear, not just what arrives in your analytics.<\/p> <h3>What SEO Professionals Are Saying<\/h3> <p>In a comment on Fishkin\u2019s LinkedIn post, Darren Shaw, founder of Whitespark, connected the data to Google\u2019s new Search Console reports:<\/p> <blockquote> <p>\u201cI shared a post recently talking about how Google will be showing impression data from Ai overviews and AI mode in search console. Lots of people complaining in the comments that there was no click data. I thought, \u201cyou don\u2019t get it\u201d.\u201d<\/p> <\/blockquote> <p>Andre Alpar, board member and advisor at Alpar Ventures, questioned whether searches that lead to follow-up searches should count in another comment:<\/p> <blockquote> <p>\u201cA portion of the 29% that do \u201canother search\u201d do a click afterwards on thair next search. So they are not 100% \u201czero click\u201d imho.\u201d<\/p> <\/blockquote> <p>The reactions split between accepting the click decline and debating how to count it.<\/p> <p>Read our full coverage: Google Search Sends 23% Of Queries To The Open Web<\/p> <h2>Google Updates Its SEO Documentation<\/h2> <p>Google published a new Search Central page covering third-party SEO tools, services, and advice. It also updated its \u201cDo you need an SEO?\u201d page with about seven changes.<\/p> <p><strong>Key facts:<\/strong> The new page advises businesses to check SEO advice, including AEO and GEO, against Google\u2019s documentation. The updated hiring guidance warns about third-party tools, mentions AEO and GEO services, and now encourages business owners to contact the FTC about fraudulent SEO services, a first for this page.<\/p> <h3>Why This Matters<\/h3> <p>The guidance splits SEO information into two categories. One is third-party opinion based on data or experience. The other is Google\u2019s documentation, which the page recommends for weighing everything else.<\/p> <p>Roger Montti\u2019s analysis reads the wording as aimed at agencies and people selling SEO services, which puts you on the receiving end.<\/p> <p>The \u201cDo you need an SEO?\u201d page is what business owners find when they look into getting help. It tells them to weigh your recommendations, and your tools, against Google\u2019s documentation.<\/p> <p>The AEO and GEO mentions give the terminology debate an official anchor. When a client asks whether they need a separate AEO strategy, Google\u2019s answer is now on the record.<\/p> <p>Read our full coverage: Google\u2019s New Guidance Claims Authority Over SEO, Tools, And AEO\/GEO and Google\u2019s Updated Guidance Urges FTC Complaints Against Shady SEOs<\/p> <h2>Google Business Profile Data Connects To Analytics &amp; Gemini<\/h2> <p>Two updates put Google Business Profile data in new places. Google documented a native Business Profile link in Google Analytics and announced a Business Profile connection for the Gemini app.<\/p> <p><strong>Key facts:<\/strong> The Analytics link brings seven Business Profile metrics into reports, including calls, directions, and bookings. Once connected, Gemini can draft review replies, edit profiles, and answer performance questions. The Gemini features begin rolling out this month, the Business Profile connection follows in the coming weeks.<\/p> <h3>Why This Matters<\/h3> <p>Local reporting has lived in separate places for years. Website data sits in Analytics, while calls and direction requests sit in the Business Profile dashboard. The Analytics link closes part of that gap.<\/p> <p>Whether it helps you depends on your setup. Analytics combines metrics across linked profiles, so multi-location reporting still needs the Business Profile dashboard or the API.<\/p> <h3>What Local SEO Professionals Are Saying<\/h3> <p>Darren Shaw welcomed the Analytics link in a LinkedIn post:<\/p> <blockquote> <p>\u201cGoogle Business Profile data is coming to Google Analytics.<\/p> <p>You\u2019ll soon be able to connect your Google Business Profile directly to GA4 and see local performance data inside Google Analytics. This means you\u2019ll be able to report on things like:<\/p> <ul> <li>Calls<\/li> <li>Bookings<\/li> <li>Direction requests<\/li> <li>Website clicks<\/li> <li>Total interactions<\/li> <\/ul> <p>And this is great because local SEO reporting has always been messy.<\/p> <p>Your website data is in one place, your GBP data is somewhere else, and you have to piece it all together manually.<\/p> <p>Now you\u2019ll be able to see more of that data in one place and get a clearer picture of how your Business Profile is helping people find you, contact you, and visit your website.\u201d<\/p> <\/blockquote> <p>In a comment on Shaw\u2019s post, Kaycie Mandour-Smith, managing director at Infinity Dental Web, a digital marketing firm for dentists, described a restriction she ran into:<\/p> <blockquote> <p>\u201cWas so excited for this and then\u2026. if you have your listings in a manager acct group, you can\u2019t connect them. Have to ungroup them in order to be able to link. Hoping newer iterations will allow you to select a group and then a profile.\u201d<\/p> <\/blockquote> <p>Read our full coverage: Google Analytics Is Adding Google Business Profile Data and Google Is Adding Business Profile Tools To The Gemini App<\/p> <h2>Theme Of The Week: Search Work Keeps Moving Onto The Big Platforms<\/h2> <p>Each story this week shows more of the search workflow moving onto large platforms.<\/p> <p>SparkToro\u2019s data measures fewer clicks reaching independent websites. SE Ranking\u2019s numbers show top positions collecting on Reddit across every niche it tracks. The Business Profile connections move local reporting and management into Google Analytics and Gemini.<\/p> <p>This week is less about any single feature and more about where the work gets done. The data, reporting, tools, and advice all sit closer to the big platforms than they did a month ago.<\/p> <p><strong>Top Stories Of The Week:<\/strong><\/p> <p><strong>More Resources:<\/strong><\/p> <hr\/> <p><em>Featured Image: Shutterstock<\/em><\/p> <\/div> <p>News,SEO Pulse#Reddit #Climbs #Clicks #Drop #GBP #GA4 #SEO #Pulse #sejournal #MattGSouthern1781269646<\/p> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the week\u2019s Pulse: updates affect how you read post-update rankings, what new click data says about Google traffic, and where your local reporting lives. Here\u2019s what matters for you and your work. Reddit Gained Top Positions In Every Niche After The May Core Update SE Ranking analyzed 100,000 keywords and found Reddit grew [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9867,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[4784,39076,467,17405,20295,90,841,699,80,97],"class_list":["post-9866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-accessibility","tag-clicks","tag-climbs","tag-drop","tag-ga4","tag-gbp","tag-mattgsouthern","tag-pulse","tag-reddit","tag-sejournal","tag-seo"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9866\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}