Reddit battles AI SEO spam as brands chase chatbot citations

The clearest example of the new dynamic emerged in a skincare-focused subreddit earlier this year when a user named Primary-Taro4254 appeared to offer genuine advice about a hypochlorous acid spray from Honeydew Labs. The comment seemed innocuous: "I haven't personally tried [that brand] so I can't fully compare, sorry. But I have been using a similar hypochlorous acid spray from Honeydew Labs and I've honestly really liked it." Primary-Taro4254 went further, citing the product's 0.02% hypochlorous acid concentration and its acceptance by the National Eczema Association. But closer inspection revealed that Primary-Taro4254 had posted similar praise for the Honeydew Labs product across multiple skincare subreddits and threads unrelated to skincare. A member of r/SkincareAddiction, which has more than 1 million weekly visitors, flagged the pattern to others: "be aware of honeydew labs hypochlorous acid/ marketing bots." A moderator then announced they would automatically filter Honeydew Labs posts for review. (Honeydew Labs and Primary-Taro4254 did not respond to requests for comment.)

The Honeydew Labs case illustrates a broader shift in how brands and marketers target online spaces. According to data compiled by Semrush for The Verge, Reddit was the most-cited domain in May by AI tools ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's Gemini, and Google's AI Mode—more than any news publisher, repositories of scholarly articles, or even Wikipedia. As Google inserts AI Overviews more frequently into search queries with commercial intent—like product research or brand comparisons—being cited by a chatbot has become critical. Marketers no longer need traditional backlinks; a mention is enough. This has sparked what some in the industry call AEO (answer engine optimization) or GEO (generative engine optimization), tactics designed to influence LLM responses and populate AI search results with brand-friendly content.

Reddit's volunteer moderators have become the front line of defense. Maya Adivi, a moderator of r/SkincareAddiction, says that spam tactics have evolved dramatically. Years ago, signs of covert promotion were obvious: overly glowing reviews, product links with tracking tags, or identical before-and-after photos. Now, suspected spammers pose authentic-sounding questions like "How does everyone keep track of their skincare routine?" before a coordinated wave of comments mention AI skincare apps. Other posts might ask, "I keep seeing ads for this brand. What's your experience with it?" followed by dubious spam responses in a self-deprecating format: "I thought this product would be too aggressive, but it was actually very gentle. Slow and steady wins the race!" Adivi notes: "It's a lot more subtle, but we've become more sophisticated as well."

Complaints about LLM-related spam have surfaced across diverse subreddits. Users on r/CleaningTips questioned whether the community needs a ban on product names; a user warned r/BuyItForLife that it was being "brigaded by ad bots to skew Google and AI search results." r/FoodNYC updated its rules to specifically call out brands targeting old posts. A moderator of r/salestechniques posted a "name and shame" thread of brands they said were astroturfing.

Reddit itself has begun to respond. In early July, the company announced upgrades to its spam detection tools using AI and LLMs to catch "the highly subtle, coordinated patterns of fake behavior and artificial hype." The company said it is catching 25,000 spammy posts and comments and blocking 23 million spam views a day. Jared Nelson, senior director of global corporate reputation communications at Reddit, told The Verge: "In Reddit's 21 years, one constant has been that spam tactics continually evolve as new technologies emerge. Every time bad actors change their playbook, we strengthen ours." Nelson declined to specify which signals the system targets, saying Reddit did not want to provide a roadmap for evasion. The company evaluates accounts at creation, looks for coordinated manipulation, and relies on platform activity and user reports.

Google's official stance, articulated by spokesperson Jennifer Kutz, is that its systems detect high- and low-quality content, and that Reddit "gets no special preference" in its ranking system. Kutz stated: "There will always be bad actors trying to game the system—in fact, spamming predates the internet—and fighting spam is a core expertise for us. We have strong protections against manipulation across Search, including our AI features, and we've kept results 99% spam-free for years."

Meanwhile, some brands have begun creating their own subreddits to moderate themselves, attempting to boost their presence on the platform. Mike Moschella, director of analytics at DKC, a marketing and PR firm, observes that Reddit is "tricky" because "you can't bullshit Reddit." He argues that in a world where consumers seek specific, personalized answers, brands should make honest pitches about price, service, or quality rather than repeating generic marketing promises. He notes that roughly 40 percent of discussions on Reddit are commercial in nature, yet communities like r/WallStreetBets will ignore brand claims unless the fundamentals align. The challenge for moderators and platforms alike is maintaining that trust as marketers become more sophisticated at mimicking authentic engagement.