Reddit is rolling out a series of updates to its search feature, including the ability to search for comments and return more relevant results.
In Reddit’s first existence, everything was searchable. You can use its on-site search bar to find users, posts, communities and now comments.
Reddit searches are also getting smarter, with algorithms that can understand search intent and incorporate new ranking signals.
Additionally, Reddit is enhancing its search experience with a brand new user interface.
Here’s more information about the Reddit search update released today.
Search Reddit comments
Reddit users can now easily search for comments and even refine their searches to find comments in specific communities.
Before today, users had to manually click on posts and scroll through comments to find replies relevant to what they were looking for.
Users can now enter queries into the Reddit search bar and use the new Comments tab to browse replies to threads more efficiently.
According to a survey conducted by Reddit last year, the ability to search for comments was one of the most popular updates.
more relevant search results
Reddit is making several tweaks to the way it returns search results, which it says will make the results more relevant.
Adjustments to Reddit searches include:
- less restrictive matches: 100% of queries don’t have to match the text of the post to return results.
- Understand search intent: Reddit will change how search results are sorted based on search intent.
- new ranking signal: User clicks and interactions with search results are now ranking signals for Reddit searches.
In the announcement, Reddit further explained how its new user interaction ranking signal works:
“For example, if 30 people clicked on the fourth post result when they searched for ‘succulents,’ the next time someone else searches for ‘succulents,’ we are more likely to show the fourth post at the top of the results. “
new user experience
Reddit is updating its search results page on mobile devices with what it says is a simpler design.
Along with the refreshed look, the layout of the Reddit search results page has also been updated to prioritize posts over other content types.
To make Reddit searches safer for all users, it reduces the number of unexpected results by understanding searcher intent.
Early tests show that users are happy with the new experience. In the first quarter of 2022, Reddit saw a 20% increase in the number of people using the search bar compared to the fourth quarter of 2021.
The updates, including the ability to search for comments, are available on Reddit starting today.
Featured image: Julia Tim/Shutterstock
