G2 & the Evolution of Software Review Sites: What’s Happening as We Enter 2025?

Context and Insights

Here’s my take on some the points made.

A recent LinkedIn post highlighted some dramatic changes for G2:

“G2 has lost an astonishing 80% of their SEO traffic since 2023.”

Analyzing the Numbers

While the headline figure is alarming, one commenter pointed out that G2 pruned a significant portion of their blog content. Additionally, the traffic drop for category pages is closer to 40% based on firsthand observations.

Despite the decline, G2 still attracts 635,000 visitors per month. That’s substantial traffic—enough to matter for SaaS companies. For marketers, the key is to understand how your category ranks on G2 and what your buyers see in the search results (SERP).

Editorial vs. Programmatic Content

One key argument in the original post was that:

“Users prefer ‘handcrafted’ editorial review content instead of programmatic database pages.”

This claim invites some debate. Historically, users turned to review sites for the “wisdom of the crowd,” valuing aggregated user opinions over a single expert’s perspective. Both approaches have their merits:

• Editorial reviews, often produced by industry analysts or journalists, provide a structured, credible perspective.

• User reviews capture a broader range of experiences and opinions.

For example, the top page from eSecurity Planet—highlighted in the original discussion—is written by credible journalists, offering an alternative but complementary view to user-generated content.

The Role of Major Players

The conversation also touched on Gartner:

“Gartner is the king of programmatic B2B review SEO. Buyers still believe that Gartner is the most credible source.”

Gartner’s dominance is rooted in its Magic Quadrants and other highly regarded resources. In the battle for search-driven traffic, the “king of reviews” is often the site that ranks highest in the SERP. For now, Gartner’s blend of programmatic content and domain authority gives it an edge.

Transparency in Scoring

Another critique of G2:

“Software product rankings on G2 pages are sorted by ‘G2’ score, but they are not very transparent about how that score is calculated.”

While G2 does publish its scoring methodology, the details are not widely understood. The algorithm—rewarding tactics like review gating—can frustrate marketers. It also raises questions about whether the scoring process unfairly favors larger companies or those skilled at “gaming” the system.

Credibility Concerns

One of the more subjective points raised:

“It seems G2 has lost credibility among software buyers.”

This sentiment resonates within marketing circles, where frustration with G2’s practices—such as the ongoing need for review generation and paid access to buyer intent data—is common. However, it’s worth questioning whether this view is limited to marketers or shared by the broader buyer audience.

SEO Winter for G2?

The original post concluded with a stark prediction:

“SEO winter has finally come for G2. And I only see this blizzard getting worse.”

While challenges abound, it’s too early to count G2 out. Buyers still value user-generated insights, and there’s room for G2 to evolve. Integrating expert editorial content into their programmatic pages, for instance, could align with Google’s preferences and help regain lost ground.