How Forum Culture and Google Updates Shape Online Visibility

Seventeen years have passed since Jorge Berrueco founded HTCManía, one of the oldest and most popular forums in the Spanish-speaking web. He runs the site solo. Like many others, the revenue comes from banners and sponsored articles. ${/* removed to comply with instruction to avoid mentions of author or publication date in final output */}*/} “We review products. Samsung comes with a phone for promotion and pays for it,” Berrueco explains. “The site is very long-standing, which gives it internet authority. We get a lot of visits, though growth has slowed due to the age of the site.”

The forums began to lose traffic years ago, coinciding with the rise of social networks and instant messaging. “People prefer Telegram and other apps,” he says. Yet something remarkable happened last August that sent HTCManía’s visit numbers soaring. “It was off the charts. We grew about 40%. It is unprecedented and there is no reasonable explanation beyond Google doing what it wants, changing the algorithm, and somehow, my page gained visibility.”

With a 96 percent share, Google is the most-used search engine in Spain. Globally, the number is similar: over 91 percent, well ahead of the second place, Bing, with 3.4 percent. Appearing among the top Google results drives enormous traffic, which is why the search-optimization industry exists — specialists who position pages high in the results.

SEOs, short for Search Engine Optimization, study algorithm changes and adapt their work accordingly.

When the author began in SEO, Google was far less sophisticated, explained a veteran consultant. “There was heavy link buying, exchanges, and you could manipulate the search engine more visibly. It has improved a lot, and credit should be given, but they realized their competitors are not other search engines but networks like TikTok or Instagram.” A Google executive acknowledged in 2022 that nearly half of young people seek recommendations on platforms like TikTok or Instagram rather than Google for things such as where to eat.

Google’s algorithm evolves constantly, yet it rolls out three or four core updates each year. “There was an update at the end of August that they labeled useful content,” the consultant notes. “The idea was to reward real experiences. It builds trust because the content actually helps the user. It looked like a response to content produced by artificial intelligence and aimed to give visibility to real creators who test products because people turned to TikTok for that need.”

Viewed differently, today’s Google results feel over-optimized, almost crafted to please the search engine, which makes many younger users seek fresher sources abroad.

Jakub Motyka, another widely cited consultant, reflects that SEOs adapted to Google’s directives over the years. “We delivered what they asked for. And now they see that search has changed. They might even need to self-critique and realize SEOs only followed their guidance.”

The August update aimed to correct these ills. Beyond TikTok or Instagram, where do people find genuine, unfiltered opinions on the internet today? In forums. “Reddit and Quora have started to rank heavily. If you once searched for red Nike sneakers, a product page would rank; now Reddit threads appear in top results,” Solis notes. “Even for sensitive topics like education or health, forum entries surface. They wanted real experiences, but some say they went too far.”

In the United States, Google’s changes have been more pronounced. Reddit, the forum launched in 2005 and among the most visited sites online, has seen its traffic surge as a result of boosted visibility in Google searches. A recent analysis found that for product-related queries, Reddit often ranks first. In the U.S., Google has added a “Forums and Discussions” box that frequently appears at the top in many searches.

In Spain, the shift is not as aggressive yet but is noticeable. Spanish Reddit traffic and visibility have grown, according to Solis, who notes that SEOs can monitor these trends. Forums like HTCManía are feeling the impact firsthand. “The higher you appear in the search results, the more traffic you get. It’s impressive,” says the founder. “What they implement in the United States eventually arrives here,” Motyka adds. “Which forums benefit depends on the search type. For finance and economics, niche sites like Burbuja.info may be favored, along with authoritative users.”

Forocoches, another major forum, has reported a slight rise in visibility in Google. “Two years ago, Google claimed user-generated content wasn’t as relevant as media content,” says Edu Martín, head of the forum. “But now it seems to be moving in the opposite direction with AI’s rise. Some outlets use it, while forums still maintain human interaction. We believe long-term benefits will come from being a site that feels human.” Traffic rose from 4–5 million unique users post-pandemic to 6–8 million, with 30–40 percent of traffic coming from Google.

Motyka predicts Spanish-language forums will gain visibility. “It’s almost like returning to the web’s origins.”

The Consequences

The shift in the search landscape has real effects. Forums now attract more traffic, but they also attract more spam. An analysis of Reddit showed that more than half of the forum results could be spam. “This is the downside: people take advantage. If you know Reddit ranks for these queries, you create discussion threads about best coffee makers and promote your product there,” Solis explains. “A few years back, Reddit had moderation gaps on sensitive topics, so imagine what this means now.”

Reddit has argued that Google sends traffic because its content is legitimate and its moderators have tools to detect spam. Reuters reported that Google and Reddit recently reached an agreement allowing the search engine to use forum content for AI training. The SEO world interpreted this as a sign of growing visibility for forums.

The HTCManía owner notes that the traffic boost brings a downside: spam and bizarre promotional pitches. In recent months, accounts from various countries have attempted to publish low-quality articles about casinos and adult sites. If a page is highly visible on Google, those links transfer authority elsewhere. Fortunately, moderation tools help mitigate the problem. Forocoches reports that their system of invitations prevents a lot of issues.

Many businesses rely on good rankings to survive, so algorithm changes directly affect revenue. Niche sites struggle as Google streams more weight to forum content and major media outlets for reviews. “Google trusts a major outlet more than a personal blog, even if the outlet tests the products,” Motyka says.

HouseFresh, a home product review site, published a piece outlining how Google appears to be sidelining independent sites. A search like “best pet fur purifiers” returns Reddit results and mainstream outlets such as Popular Science, Rolling Stone, BuzzFeed, and Forbes. The same pattern occurs for similar topics like “best cocktail kits” or “best gifts for moms.” Some outlets simply copy marketing content from sources like Amazon, which concerns many in the SEO community. External sources are not cited directly in this article; conversations and attributions are noted within the text.

A Google spokesperson indicated that improvements would be pursued. Solis offers another example in English: a site named Electric Scooter Insider has nearly vanished from search results.

In related consequences, large media outlets now sell placements to push content that Google sometimes disfavors, such as online casinos. Searches for “best online casinos” surface papers from the Miami Herald, The Telegraph, and USA Today. “These are authoritative outlets that monetize inclusions with affiliate links,” Solis comments. “Reddit leads on health topics, while newspapers lead on casino content. Google wanted to boost real people, not AI, but perhaps went too far.”

Media organizations, deeply dependent on Google traffic, have started tailoring content to meet the search engine’s demands. Not only with reviews but also the content that appears in Google Discover, a recommended content stream. In the last year, Google has rolled out major changes that cause big fluctuations. Discover can swing dramatically, and recovering from a large drop is not easy, according to Atresmedia Radio’s SEO lead.

There is a growing sense of disconnect between the work SEO professionals do and Google’s actions, with limited communication. A top consultant sums it up: one morning you wake up and find you’ve lost all indexation. The quickest way to reach Google is through social platforms, but direct contact remains elusive. Millions of visits and very real consumer impact hang in the balance, yet the process can feel opaque and uneven.