Reddit is rolling out a series of updates to its search capabilities including the ability to search comments and return more relevant results.
For the first time in Reddit’s existence, everything is now searchable. You can use the site’s search bar to find users, posts, communities, and now comments.
Reddit’s search has also gotten smarter, with an algorithm that understands search intent and includes new ranking signals.
Additionally, Reddit is improving its search experience with an all-new user interface.
Here’s more about the Reddit search updates that are launching today.
Search Reddit comments
Reddit users now have an easy way to search for comments, and they can also refine their searches to find comments within specific communities.
Before today, users had to click through posts and scroll through comments manually to find an answer relevant to what they were looking for.
Users can now enter a query into the Reddit search bar and use the new Comments tab to browse replies to threads more efficiently.
According to a Reddit survey last year, the ability to search comments was one of the most requested updates.
More relevant search results
Reddit is making several adjustments to how search results are displayed, which are said to make the results more relevant.
Modifications to Reddit search include:
- Less restrictive matching: 100% of the query does not have to match the text of the post to return results.
- Understand the purpose of the researchReddit will change how search results are ordered based on search intent.
- New ranking signs: User clicks and interactions on search results are now a ranking signal for a Reddit search.
In an announcement, Reddit also explains how the new user interaction order signal works:
“For example, if 30 other people click the result of the fourth post when they search for ‘sap’, the next time someone else searches for ‘sap’, we are more likely to show the fourth post in the higher position in the results.”
New user experience
Reddit is updating its mobile search results pages with what it says is a simpler design.
Along with cosmetic updates, the layout of Reddit’s search results pages has been updated to prioritize posts over other types of content.
In an effort to make Reddit’s search safer for all users, it reduces the number of unexpected results by understanding the searcher’s intent.
Early testing indicates that users are happy with the new experience. In the first quarter of 2022, Reddit saw a 20% increase over the fourth quarter of 2021 in people using the search bar.
These updates, including the ability to search comments, are available on Reddit as of today.
Featured image: Julia Tim/Shutterstock
