If you have searched for almost anything in the last few years, you have probably noticed that Reddit threads, Quora answers and small forum posts show up far more often than they used to. A lot of business owners assume Google simply made a deal with Reddit and turned a dial. The real story is more interesting, and more useful for your own site.
Part of that shift came from something Google called "hidden gems." It was a set of ranking improvements meant to surface first-hand experience and personal insight, often buried in forums, social posts and small blogs. Google first talked about it in May 2023, quietly rolled it out with the fall 2023 core updates, and only confirmed it was live on 15–16 November 2023.
Let me explain what hidden gems actually was, how it differed from the helpful content system, what happened to forums afterwards, and what you can realistically do to earn that kind of visibility. For the wider picture of that busy autumn, see our full timeline of Google algorithm updates.
Hidden gems at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| First mentioned | May 2023, alongside the Perspectives feature |
| Rolled out | Gradually, "as part of core updates a few months" before November 2023 (Google) |
| Confirmed live | 15–16 November 2023, via Google's SearchLiaison account and Search Engine Roundtable |
| Type | A series of ranking improvements inside Google's core ranking systems |
| Part of helpful content system? | No, despite early messaging that suggested it would be |
| What it targeted | Content written from personal or expert experience, often on forums, social platforms and small blogs |
| Biggest visible winners | Reddit, Quora and many niche forums |
| Related updates | August, October and November 2023 core updates; September 2023 helpful content update |
The May 2023 preview: Perspectives and "hidden gems"
In May 2023, around Google I/O, Google announced two related things. The first was Perspectives, a filter at the top of some search results showing videos, images and posts from forums and social platforms. The second was a promise to get better at recognizing content written from a personal or expert point of view.
According to Wordtracker's coverage on 16 May 2023, Google said it would roll out an update "in the coming months" to better recognize this kind of content, and that it wanted to show more of these "hidden gems" in Search. At the time, Google described this as an update to the helpful content system.
That framing matters, because it is where the confusion started. Many SEOs expected a helpful content update that rewarded first-hand content. When the September 2023 helpful content update arrived and hit small publishers hard, people assumed hidden gems was part of it. It was not.
How the confirmation came in November 2023
For months, nobody was quite sure whether hidden gems had launched. Then on 16 November 2023, Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable reported that Google had confirmed it. His report quoted Google saying the work began rolling out "as part of core updates a few months ago," and that it was "a series of ranking improvements" that had already rolled out and were continuing.
Google's SearchLiaison account added some clarity in a series of posts on 15 November 2023:
“Since it's fully launched now, that's what we announced today -- that it's live and part of core ranking.”
— Google SearchLiaison, as quoted by Search Engine Roundtable, Google Hidden Gems ranking algorithm
Asked when it started, SearchLiaison replied that it was "several months ago" and that he did not know the exact date offhand. So we do not have a precise launch day. The best evidence points to the late summer and fall 2023 core updates. Glenn Gabe, who studied the effect closely, guessed the October 2023 core update was the main one.
Why hidden gems was not part of the helpful content system
This is the bit that confused people most, so let me put it simply. In 2023, Google had two separate things going on:
- The helpful content system, which at the time was a site-wide signal that demoted sites with a lot of unhelpful, search-first content. Its September 2023 update hit many small publishers.
- Hidden gems, which was a set of improvements inside core ranking that helped Google find and reward first-hand content.
Google had originally said the hidden gems work would be part of a future helpful content update. In November it corrected that. SearchLiaison wrote: "We said it wasn't part of an update to the helpful content system, because it wasn't part of that system." Back on 11 October 2023, he had also said the work "is still continuing and is not part of this particular update."
Today the difference matters less, because the helpful content system itself was folded into core ranking in March 2024. I explain that change in how the helpful content system became part of Google's core ranking. But if you are looking back at 2023 traffic data, it helps to know that a forum surge and a publisher drop could come from two different systems arriving at about the same time. Our article on the September 2023 helpful content update covers the other side of that story.
The Reddit and Quora surge
The most visible effect was on Reddit and Quora. In his August 2024 analysis, Glenn Gabe at GSQi pulled visibility data from two third-party tools:
| Site | Semrush visibility change | Sistrix visibility change |
|---|---|---|
| +378% | +978% | |
| Quora | +332% | +459% |
These numbers come from different tools with different keyword sets, which is why they disagree so much. I treat them as direction, not hard science. But the direction is very clear.
Many people linked the Reddit surge to Google's data deal with Reddit, reportedly worth up to $60 million per year. Gabe notes that this fueled speculation, but Google's Danny Sullivan has said Reddit gets no special treatment. In my view, the more likely explanation is simpler: Reddit is full of first-hand answers, and Google had just improved how it finds and rewards that type of content.
If you want to use Reddit as a channel rather than fight it, see our guides to Reddit threads in Google results and Reddit marketing for businesses.
What happened to smaller, niche forums
Gabe's analysis went beyond the big two, and this is the part I find most useful. He looked at 97 forums, comparing August 2024 visibility with August 2023.
“It wasn’t just Reddit and Quora.”
— Glenn Gabe, GSQi, Beyond Reddit and Quora
His findings, in brief:
- 88% of the 97 forums gained more than 100% year over year.
- Many gained 500% or more, and some gained over 1,000%.
- Many forums started climbing with the October 2023 core update and kept rising through the fall.
- Several spiked again in November 2023, when the November core update and reviews update rolled out together.
- Some dipped slightly in the summer 2024 volatility, which Gabe suggested might foreshadow later corrections.
Small forums cannot match Reddit's total visibility, but their percentage gains were often bigger. That tells me hidden gems was not about brand size. It was about the type of content. For what happened to forums in later years, read our deeper piece on forums and UGC after Google's 2023–2026 updates.
How hidden gems fits with the other fall 2023 updates
Autumn 2023 was crowded. If you are trying to explain a traffic change from that period, this table helps you separate the moving parts.
| Update | Timing | Who tended to gain | Who tended to lose |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2023 core update | Late August to mid-September 2023 | Early forum gains reported | Mixed |
| September 2023 helpful content update | Mid to late September 2023 | Some large, established sites | Many small independent publishers |
| October 2023 core update | October 2023 | Forums, according to Gabe's data | Mixed |
| November 2023 core update and reviews update | November 2023 | Further forum spikes | Some review and affiliate sites |
| Hidden gems (confirmed) | Rolled out across these updates; confirmed 15–16 November 2023 | First-hand content on forums, social and small blogs | Not a demotion system |
Note the last line. Hidden gems was about lifting first-hand content up, not pushing anyone down. If you lost traffic, it may simply be that a forum thread now sits above you. That is a different problem from a quality demotion, and it calls for a different response. Our 2023 algorithm updates review walks through the full year.
How to earn "gem" visibility for your own business
Google never published a checklist for hidden gems, and its ranking systems guide does not mention it by name. So this section is my practical reading of what the system rewards. Here is how I would approach it.
- Check whether your key queries show forums. Search your top 20 money queries. Note which show a "Discussions and forums" block or Reddit and Quora results.
- Look at what those threads say. Real people asking real questions tell you what your pages are missing.
- Add genuine first-hand detail to your pages. Photos you took, numbers from your own work, specific problems you solved, named authors with real experience. Our guide to first-hand experience signals goes deeper.
- Answer questions where your customers ask them. Contribute helpfully on Reddit, Quora or niche forums, without hard selling. Promotional posts tend to get removed or ignored.
- Consider a community on your own site. If you have an engaged audience, a forum or Q&A section can earn the same kind of visibility. See our guide to building a community forum on your own website.
- Measure third-party visibility too. Mentions and referral clicks from forums count, even if they do not show in your own rankings.
Example (hypothetical): a bike repair shop ranks fifth for "why does my bike chain keep slipping." A Reddit thread sits in second place. The shop rewrites its page with photos of three real chain problems, a short video, and a named mechanic explaining what he checks first. It also answers the Reddit thread helpfully, linking to the guide only where it adds value. Even if the page does not overtake Reddit, the shop now gets seen in two places on the same results page.
Hidden gems is one of several changes where Google reshaped what appears on the page rather than simply reordering links. Two years earlier, its title link update of August 2021 changed the headlines searchers see. And in 2025, Preferred Sources in Top Stories let readers choose which publishers they see more often. Each one rewards sites that real people trust and recognize.
If you are new to the idea of experience in content, our Learn SEO lesson on E-E-A-T explains the "experience" part in plain words.
Questions people ask about Google's hidden gems update
Was hidden gems a named algorithm update?
Not in the usual sense. Google described it as a series of ranking improvements that rolled out within core updates. "Hidden gems" was the label Google used when it talked about the goal.
Did Google give Reddit special treatment?
Google's Danny Sullivan has said Reddit gets no special treatment. The data deal between the two companies fueled speculation, but the gains were shared by many small forums too.
Is hidden gems the same as the Perspectives filter?
No. Perspectives was a search feature, a filter users could click. Hidden gems was ranking work that changed which results appeared in normal search.
Can a normal business blog be a hidden gem?
Yes, if it shares real first-hand experience. Google talked about content from forums, social posts and blogs. The key is genuine personal or expert insight, not the type of website.
Is hidden gems still active?
Google said in November 2023 that it was part of core ranking. Core ranking keeps changing, but the push toward first-hand content has continued in later updates.
What I would do about hidden gems this month
In brief: hidden gems was Google's way of saying that real experience beats polished but generic content. Forums benefited because they are full of it. Your site can benefit too, if you show the experience your business actually has.
Start with your top queries, see where forums appear, and add the first-hand detail only you can give. If you would like help turning your expertise into content Google rewards, our content writing team and SEO services can help. Or get a quote and tell us about your site.
Google updates around the same time
Before this update:
- Google’s November 2023 Reviews Update: The Last Announced Reviews Update (Nov 2023)
- Google’s November 2023 Core Update: Back-to-Back Core Updates (Nov 2023)
After this update:
- Google’s 2024 March Update | Latest Spammy Core Content Update (Mar 2024)
- How the Helpful Content System Became Part of Google’s Core Ranking (2024) (Mar 2024)
Or browse every Google update on one timeline, newest first.
Sources for this hidden gems update guide
- Search Engine Roundtable: Google hidden gems ranking algorithm (16 November 2023)
- GSQi (Glenn Gabe): Beyond Reddit and Quora (August 2024)
- Wordtracker: Google Search Perspectives will showcase content from TikTok, Reddit and more (May 2023)
- Search Engine Land: How to identify and rank for hidden gems
- Google Search Central: A guide to Google Search ranking systems
- Search Engine Journal: Google algorithm history
