Google loves Reddit because Reddit looks like what users actually type: messy questions, blunt answers, and disagreement in public. For thousands of commercial queries, a thread outranks the brand that makes the product.
You cannot "hack" that with a keyword dump. You can write threads that deserve to be the answer, then give them enough on-site traction that crawlers keep returning.
Why Reddit wins the SERP
Threads are long, multi-author, and frequently updated. They contain the exact phrasing of the question. They include caveats that marketing pages strip out. Google's quality systems have spent years promoting forum content that reduces "regret clicks."
Upvotes are not a Google ranking factor in the way backlinks are. They are a visibility factor on Reddit. Visibility creates engagement. Engagement creates a richer document. That document is what ranks.
Engineer the page Google will see
Reddit SEO is still Reddit. If the community hates the post, Google never gets a good document.
Pick communities that already rank
Not every subreddit appears in search equally. Large, actively moderated, well-linked communities show up more often. Group Stats and Index Checker estimate health and public visibility; they do not replace Search Console. Still, a dead subreddit will not carry you onto page one.
Links without looking like a farmer
One contextual URL, earned in the body or a comment, beats a signature spam block. If you must link, make the post complete without the click. Users who feel tricked downvote, and downvotes kill both Hot and the chance of a stable URL.
Measure like an SEO, write like a local
Track impressions on the brand site after a thread hits. Track the Reddit URL in Site Explorer or Search Console if you control nothing else. When a thread ranks, update it with a dated comment rather than posting a duplicate — Google prefers the living URL.
The play is simple and unfashionable: be the most useful answer in a community Google already trusts.