Reddit's May Comeback
Reddit didn't just survive the May core update. It took top positions across every niche SE Ranking tracks.
The firm analyzed 100,000 keywords and found Reddit ranked first for 13,872 queries after the update. That's up 54% from the 8,993 it held in March. The gains weren't spread evenly though. Reddit grabbed 18% of top 3 spots in pets, which is a different competitive picture than the 1.33% share it holds in healthcare.
Two-thirds of domains that lost visibility after the March update didn't recover by May. If you're waiting for another core update to fix your traffic, the data says that's not a guarantee.
Why This Matters For Your Reporting
The niche-level split changes how you read "Reddit is growing" headlines. An 18% top 3 share in pets means something entirely different than 1.33% in healthcare.
The direction also reversed from March, when Amsive's analysis found Reddit and similar platforms losing visibility. Core updates have moved the same platforms in different directions, which makes it risky to draw conclusions from a single update.
Most domains that lost visibility after the March update didn't gain it back after the May update. For websites waiting on a rebound, the data shows another core update doesn't guarantee one.
The Clicks Problem
SparkToro co-founder Rand Fishkin published new U.S. zero-click data drawn from Similarweb's clickstream panel, covering January through April.
In the panel, 68% of Google searches ended without a click. For every 1,000 searches, 232 clicks reached the open web. Of all clicks: 66% went to the open web, 27% to Alphabet properties, and 6% to ads.
When stakeholders expect click rates from a few years ago, this gives you something concrete to point to. The measurement angle matters as much as the traffic angle.
Google's new AI performance reports in Search Console show impressions, and independent data keeps showing fewer clicks. Visibility tracking now means watching where you appear, not just what arrives in your analytics.
What SEO Professionals Are Saying
In a comment on Fishkin's LinkedIn post, Darren Shaw, founder of Whitespark, connected the data to Google's new Search Console reports:
"I shared a post recently talking about how Google will be showing impression data from Ai overviews and AI mode in search console. Lots of people complaining in the comments that there was no click data. I thought, 'you don't get it'."
Andre Alpar, board member and advisor at Alpar Ventures, questioned whether searches that lead to follow-up searches should count in another comment:
"A portion of the 29% that do 'another search' do a click afterwards on their next search. So they are not 100% 'zero click' imho."
The reactions split between accepting the click decline and debating how to count it.
Google Updates Its SEO Documentation
Google published a new Search Central page covering third-party SEO tools, services, and advice. It also updated its "Do you need an SEO?" page with about seven changes.
The new page advises businesses to check SEO advice, including AEO and GEO, against Google's documentation. The updated hiring guidance warns about third-party tools, mentions AEO and GEO services, and now encourages business owners to contact the FTC about fraudulent SEO services — a first for this page.
The guidance splits SEO information into two categories. One is third-party opinion based on data or experience. The other is Google's documentation, which the page recommends for weighing everything else.
Roger Montti's analysis reads the wording as aimed at agencies and people selling SEO services, which puts you on the receiving end.
The "Do you need an SEO?" page is what business owners find when they look into getting help. It tells them to weigh your recommendations, and your tools, against Google's documentation.
The AEO and GEO mentions give the terminology debate an official anchor. When a client asks whether they need a separate AEO strategy, Google's answer is now on the record.
Where Local Data Lives Now
Two updates put Google Business Profile data in new places. Google documented a native Business Profile link in Google Analytics and announced a Business Profile connection for the Gemini app.
The Analytics link brings seven Business Profile metrics into reports, including calls, directions, and bookings. Once connected, Gemini can draft review replies, edit profiles, and answer performance questions. The Gemini features begin rolling out this month; the Business Profile connection follows in the coming weeks.
Local reporting has lived in separate places for years. Website data sits in Analytics, while calls and direction requests sit in the Business Profile dashboard. The Analytics link closes part of that gap.
Whether it helps you depends on your setup. Analytics combines metrics across linked profiles, so multi-location reporting still needs the Business Profile dashboard or the API.
What Local SEO Professionals Are Saying
Darren Shaw welcomed the Analytics link in a LinkedIn post:
"Google Business Profile data is coming to Google Analytics. You'll soon be able to connect your Google Business Profile directly to GA4 and see local performance data inside Google Analytics. This means you'll be able to report on things like: Calls, Bookings, Direction requests, Website clicks, Total interactions. And this is great because local SEO reporting has always been messy."
In a comment on Shaw's post, Kaycie Mandour-Smith, managing director at Infinity Dental Web, described a restriction she ran into:
"Was so excited for this and then…. if you have your listings in a manager acct group, you can't connect them. Have to ungroup them in order to be able to link. Hoping newer iterations will allow you to select a group and then a profile."
Theme Of The Week: Search Work Keeps Moving Onto The Big Platforms
Each story this week shows more of the search workflow moving onto large platforms.
SparkToro's data measures fewer clicks reaching independent websites. SE Ranking's numbers show top positions collecting on Reddit across every niche it tracks. The Business Profile connections move local reporting and management into Google Analytics and Gemini.
This week is less about any single feature and more about where the work gets done. The data, reporting, tools, and advice all sit closer to the big platforms than they did a month ago.