r/SEO: rules, audience and how brands can post there
520,384 members. Self-promotion allowed? No. Links are removed automatically.
r/SEO is a search engine optimization community with about 520,000 members. Any post or comment with a link gets removed automatically, and self-promotion, guides and DM requests are banned.
Paste your draft on the next page. We flag likely self-promotion and rule problems before you post.
- Members
- 520,384
- Self-promotion
- No. Links are removed automatically
- Created
- 2008
- Checked
- November 7, 2026
What r/SEO is
The leading authority on all things SEO: AI SEO, GEO, LLM SEO, Technical SEO, Content SEO and SEO Architecture. Bring your ideas, problems, thoughts, questions, issues and we'll work it out together. A helpful and thoughtful.
SEO tools and agencies that can share expertise in text, without links or a pitch.
Can a brand post in r/SEO?
Under the No Links Allowed rule, any post or comment with a link is removed automatically. No Spamming covers spam, self-promotion, advertising and brand awareness, which includes branded content, news roundups, how-to guides and community promotion. No Soliciting means asking people to DM you gets the post or comment removed, and doing it a few times gets you banned. No Work Offers bars hiring and freelance job offers. No Blogs, No Guides, No News, No Apps says the sub is a Q&A forum and not a blog platform. Case studies and repetitive questions get removed. A brand can only answer questions, in plain text.
What works
- Answering questions in plain text, since links get removed automatically
- Asking specific, on-topic SEO questions with context
- Discussing changes in search and AI search, which is what the top posts of the past year do
- Staying within SEO topics, as the on-topic rule requires
What gets removed
- Any post or comment with a link
- Self-promotion, branded content, guides and news roundups
- Asking people to DM you, and work offers
- Case studies, repeat questions and posts better suited to PPC or other subs
The rules, summarised
- 1. Follow Reddit Content Policy
All members should familiarize themselves with the Reddit Content Policy.
- 2. No Links Allowed
Any posts or comments with links are automatically removed.
- 3. No Work Offers
This is not a job board. This is not a recruitment tool. Please don't make posts or comments where you are looking to hire someone for SE, testers, reviewers, link exchanges, employment or freelance jobs, paid or unpaid.
- 4. Must be related to SEO
Posts must be related to search engine optimisation, even just adjacent. For example if the entire post is around PPC, there are better subs for your post.
- 5. Communicate kindly
We must foster a healthy environment for all members. Disagreements will and should happen, but as long as everyone handles it respectfully and openly, there shouldn't be any problem.
- 6. No Spamming
No spam, self-promotion, advertising or brand awareness, including branded content, news roundups, how-to guides and community promotion.
- 7. No Soliciting and "Asking to DM"
No Soliciting and "Asking to DM". Asking people to DM you will get your post/comment removed and will likely get you banned after a few times.
- 8. No Blogs, No Guides, No News, No Apps
This is a Q&A forum, not a blog platform.
- 9. No Low Quality Posts, Case Studies etc
Repetitive Questions, for example, where to get free backlinks or roasting sites, how SEO has changed etc - will be removed.
Source: the community's own rules page, read on November 7, 2026. Rules change, so check the page before you post. See also the 9:1 rule.
Frequently asked questions
Can I link to my site on r/SEO?
No. The rules say any post or comment with a link is removed automatically.
Can an SEO agency advertise on r/SEO?
No. The rules ban spam, self-promotion, advertising, brand awareness, work offers and asking people to DM you.
Want help earning a place in r/SEO?
30-minute intro call with a partner. If we're not the fit, we'll tell you in the first five minutes.
We take on 3 new engagements per quarter. Serious teams only.