Google search is good, but over the years, the results have become cluttered as websites attempt to get the most clicks using SEO tactics. Things have improved over the past couple of years thanks to AI, with the brand filtering out results, and surfacing prime information using its AI overviews.

However, if you’re someone that likes to get to the meat of the subject, there’s a pretty good chance you just head to Reddit for your answers. Reddit has been a valuable place for information for some time now, as the information there is provided by folks answering questions that are being asked.

Verified profiles add another layer

Reddit
Credit: Jules Wang / AP

Of course, if you dive deeper, you’ll find that not all the answers provided are always 100% correct. But at least there’s usually someone willing to call it out in the comments. While Reddit does provide flair and other indicators in order to show off just how much a user interacts with a community, it isn’t quite the same as knowing that there’s an actual person behind the username.

With that said, it looks like that’s all about to change, as Reddit begins testing verified profiles. This is a very early test, going out to a select number of people on the platform. Once this is in place, confirmed identities will have a check mark next to the profile name, which will allow users to identify who has been verified.

This verification can be used on an individual account or by a business. The goal here is to “add clarity for Redditors and ease the burden on moderators who often verify users manually.” Accounts must also be in good standing, active, and not marked as NSFW. You can find the full details of what Reddit is looking for on its support page.

Will there be a cost?

As of now, there doesn’t appear to be any mention of cost in order to be verified on the platform. This is quite different from X’s current strategy, which charges users in order to become verified on the platform. Previously, X, formerly known as Twitter, only offered verified status on a case-by-case basis.

The process and criteria to be selected wasn’t as clear, but they did manage to keep things quite exclusive. It will be interesting to see what a verified community on Reddit will look like. By allowing verified profiles to exist, it will create a new sense of transparency with accounts that are vetted and verified. While personal accounts will benefit, so will business accounts as well.