How fast LLMs (ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Mode, Web Guide, AI Overviews, Claude, Perplexity) pick up on a Reddit listicle?
Yesterday, I got notified of a post mentioning me as an active SEO account to follow on Reddit (thanks). After a single day, I decided to check if LLMs have picked up on the thread. Here are the results:
| Model | Planned used | Was the thread cited? | Did the thread influence the answer? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google's web guide | Public/free | Yes | Yes |
| AI Overview | Public/free | Yes | Yes |
| AI Mode | Public/free | Yes | Yes |
| Gemini | 3 / Fast (Paid) | Yes | Yes |
| Perplexity | Free/logged in | Yes | Yes |
| ChatGPT | 5.5 (paid) | No | No |
| Claude | Sonneet 4.6 (free) | No | No |
Here's the web guide screenshot (it pulled names from both the thread and the comments!):
Here's the AI Overview (after I switched to the classic search). It icludes usernames:
AI Mode also pulled some citations from the thread:
Perplexity only used the thread after I logged in (the public version didn't do much searching and pulled older threads)
Curious if Perplexity is pulling from its some sort of cache when answering public prompts
Gemini created a helpful table listing the names from the thread.
I like it how ChatGPT found my name \"familiar\" LOL
ChatGPT failed to find and cite the thread but just look at its fan-outs!
- It actually knows which subreddits to search!
- It *really* wanted to include John Mueller
- It is a little confused with some advanced Google operators :)
Claude didn't find the thread. But I am not using the PRO account. But look at its fan-outs! It also knows the big SEO subreddit but it also needs a calendar :)))
Takeaways:
- The thread in question ranks, so this LLM visibility is likely driven by Google
- A Reddit mention can influence AI answers pretty quickly (but, likely, not for a lifetime). If you and at least one of your competitors start using Reddit to manipulate this, that is going to be a fun race to watch :)
- The thread did, in fact, influence the answer any time it was cited
- ChatGPT search is, again, weird :)
