Enhancing Discovery with Reddit’s Search Tools

Explain everything about Reddit’s Search tools

Reddit is looking to improve discovery within the app via some new updates to its search tools. It will help more users find what they want faster in the stream.

What is Reddit’s New Media Tab?

First, Reddit adds a new “Media” tab to its search results display. It will make it easier to find visual content related to your query.

You can switch to the dedicated “Media” tab in your search results if you are looking for images or videos. It will give you an overview of those results specifically.

What does Reddit say about it?

Previously, Redditors would need to scroll through results on the posts tab to find specific media. With this latest update, Redditors now have the option to browse media results through videos, GIFs, and images all at once.

Reddit also adds the same for specific subreddits so that you can search for visual elements within a selected community.

It is a handy update, and it could make it easier to find what you are seeking in the app.

What more is Reddit updating on a related front?

On a related front, Reddit is also updating its search results page’s design to simplify the browsing experience of the users or Redditors.

Reddit says the new and improved Search layout reduces clutter and utilizes a sleeker format. It makes it easier and more intuitive to find the content users seek.

It’s not a radical change, but it could help guide more users to specific elements with a simplified presentation of related communities and posts.

What more is Reddit looking to improve?

Reddit is also looking to improve accessibility by making posts and comments in its search results pages and screen reader compatible, while it is also adding labels, roles or traits, values, and states to all elements, further enhancing discoverability.

What more improvements is Reddit rolling out?

Finally, Reddit is also rolling out improvements for its mobile web browsing experience for logged-out users. It will improve discovery for non-Redditors, too.

The updated web display will include additional filters and tools, while Reddit also says that search is now 85% faster within its mobile web experience.

It could help more non-users to glean more insight from the app and drive them towards key elements of interest. It will also entice them to become regular users of Reddit.

It is what Reddit needs.

In 2019, Reddit reported having 430 million monthly active users, a significant growth milestone for the app.

But over the next couple of years, due to various updates to its content rules, it led to the removal of several of the most controversial subreddits.

Reddit changed its reporting on this front and has switched to daily active users instead.

Reddit now reports having 57 million daily activities. It does not necessarily mean that it doesn’t have 430 million monthly activities.

But, given that the expected difference here for social apps is around 2x daily-to-monthly users.

It looks like Reddit has lost a lot of that audience, and its most recent moderator protests and rule changes, as a result, have not helped much in this regard.

Reddit is keen on building on its business potential, but a vital element is facilitating reach. Of course, Reddit’s thousands of highly engaged subreddit communities offer specific audience focus in this regard.

But more users would be more beneficial, and improving its search tools could be one way to enhance its capacity to draw more people in and expand its engagement.

It might not drive a heap of new sign-ups, but it is a good point of focus. It will help in Reddit’s broader growth plans.

What does Reddit say about its new search updates?

Reddit says its new search updates are rolled out on iOS and Android this week.

Do you want to know more?

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