Reddit backlinks are nofollow. Outbound links in Reddit posts and comments carry rel="nofollow ugc", which tells Google not to count them as an endorsement, so a link from Reddit does very little for your rankings directly. They're still worth earning for three other reasons. A thread that ranks in Google sends you real visitors. People who see your brand recommended there search for it later. And AI answer engines read and cite Reddit threads, so a recommendation there can end up in ChatGPT or Google's AI answers. Posting links for SEO doesn't work. Those links get removed, the account gets banned, or both.
Are Reddit links nofollow?
Yes. We checked an archived copy of r/programming on old.reddit.com, captured by the Wayback Machine on 23 Aug 2026. All 24 outbound post links on the page carried rel="nofollow ugc", and a few showed nofollow twice. Here is one, as it appears in that page's HTML:
<a class="title may-blank outbound" href="https://packagemain.tech/p/software-architecture-diagrams-c4" rel="nofollow ugc">
Google's documentation on qualifying outbound links (read 13 Nov 2026) defines both values. ugc is for "user-generated content (UGC) links, such as comments and forum posts". nofollow is for links where a site would rather Google not associate it with, or crawl, the linked page. The same page says links with these attributes "will generally not be followed."
One caveat. Since 2019, Google has said that "all the link attributes, sponsored, ugc, and nofollow, are treated as hints about which links to consider or exclude within Search" (Google Search Central blog, 10 Sep 2019). So a Reddit link isn't guaranteed to count for nothing. But Google hasn't said it counts Reddit links, and nobody outside Google can measure it. Don't build an SEO strategy on a hint.
Are backlinks from Reddit valuable for SEO?
Not as link equity. A well-placed mention can still help your SEO more broadly, through other routes:
| What you get | Why it matters | How sure we can be |
|---|---|---|
| Ranking credit (PageRank) | Little to none. The link is nofollow ugc, which Google treats as a hint | Documented by Google |
| Referral traffic | Reddit threads rank in Google for many buying-intent searches, so people click the link | You can measure it in your own analytics |
| Brand searches | People who see you recommended often search for your name later | Shows up as branded search growth in Search Console, though it's hard to attribute exactly |
| AI citations | AI answer engines cite Reddit threads, and a recommendation there can carry into the answer | See our study on how often ChatGPT cites Reddit |
| Discovery | Writers, bloggers and journalists read Reddit, and some later link to you from sites that pass equity | Indirect and slow |
So the useful question is whether the thread will rank, get read and get cited, rather than whether the link will raise your rankings. That's why Reddit SEO means choosing which threads to join instead of collecting links. Our guide to Reddit SEO covers the full method, and finding keywords where Reddit ranks shows how to pick the threads.
Why posting links for SEO backfires
Reddit's site-wide rules (read 13 Nov 2026) ask users to "participate authentically in communities where you have a personal interest, and do not spam". Most subreddits add their own limits on top: caps on self-promotion, link bans, or a minimum karma before you can post links. Link-dropping breaks all of them:
- Moderators and automod remove it. A new account posting the same domain across several subreddits is about as obvious a spam pattern as there is.
- Moderators can filter your domain. Once a community blocks it, later mentions get caught too, including genuine ones from happy customers.
- The link is nofollow anyway. You put your accounts and your brand's name on Reddit at risk for ranking credit Google mostly ignores.
If you want your product to come up on Reddit without getting removed, read how to promote on Reddit without getting banned.
How to earn Reddit mentions that stay up
The mentions that stay up look nothing like link building:
- Answer the question first. Lead with a specific, useful reply. Put the link at the end, if at all, and only when it's the best resource for that question.
- Say who you are. "I work on X" keeps the comment up in most communities. Hide it and the comment gets removed, and people remember you.
- Pick threads that rank. One helpful comment in a thread that ranks on page one for a buying query is worth more than fifty in threads nobody finds. Check a thread with our Reddit SEO checker.
- Let customers do the recommending. A real user saying your tool solved their problem is the mention that ranks, converts and gets cited. You can't fake it, and you shouldn't try.
- Follow each subreddit's rules. Some allow links only on certain days or in megathreads. Read the sidebar before you post.
Why buying Reddit backlinks is a bad idea
Some sellers offer "Reddit backlinks", which usually means comments from aged accounts or posts in subreddits they control. We don't sell them and we don't recommend them, for three reasons:
- Google's spam policies (read 13 Nov 2026) define link spam as "creating links to or from a site primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings." Paid links count.
- Reddit's rules ban the content manipulation and inauthentic accounts these services run on. Our post on buying Reddit accounts and upvotes explains how those get caught.
- You'd be paying for a nofollow link. If nobody catches it, the SEO payoff is close to nothing. If someone does, your brand is attached to it.
Frequently asked questions
Are Reddit backlinks dofollow?
No. Outbound links in Reddit posts and comments carry rel="nofollow ugc", as an archived Reddit page from August 2026 shows. Google treats those attributes as hints and generally doesn't follow the links.
Do Reddit backlinks help SEO at all?
Not much through ranking credit. The help is indirect: threads that rank send traffic, recommendations lead to brand searches, and AI answer engines cite Reddit threads that mention you.
Is it safe to post my own links on Reddit?
Only within each subreddit's rules, with disclosure, and when the link answers the question. Repeated self-promotion gets posts removed and accounts banned. In the worst case, a community's moderators filter your domain.
Can I buy Reddit backlinks?
You can find sellers, but buying breaks Reddit's rules and Google's link spam policy, and the links are nofollow anyway. You take on brand risk for almost no SEO upside.
Related reading
Want your brand mentioned in the Reddit threads that rank for your buyers' searches, without spamming links? Talk to our Reddit SEO agency.
If you'd rather find these threads yourself, our Reddit monitoring app ranks them by fit and drafts replies. You post them yourself, or on Done for you we post them through our warmed-up accounts.
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