In March 2017, Google released an algorithm update that the SEO community named “Fred.” This update came to shake things up in search rankings for many websites and felt its effects wide across the internet. Let’s dive in and talk about what the Fred update is and how it affects websites.
What is a Google Fred Algorithm?
Fred is the name given to an update of Google’s algorithm by the SEO community. Unlike some other updates, Google did not officially announce the Fred update and hence its purpose was not immediately clear. After digging a little, though, SEO professionals found that the main idea behind Fred predominantly targeted websites aimed at gaming the system with low-quality content.
How Does Fred Work?
Fred targets websites that cater more to generating income than providing content that is useful to users. These may be websites with much advertisements, affiliate links, or sponsored content, but little usable information for the visitor. The point of the Fred update was to try and ensure that low-quality sites stop ranking in the top results, and only the most helpful and relevant content makes it through.
A) What Fred targeted: Low-Quality Content: Websites with lots of thin content, pages with very little good content on them, were severely penalized by Fred. These may be keyword-stuffed pages or with content that’s overly generic, failing to add much value to the users.
B) Ad-Heavy Pages: Fred also hit the ad-heavy pages. If a website had too many ads or if the ads were more obvious than the content itself, it most probably suffered a ranking drop.
Affiliate-driven content typically refers to websites that have been created with the sole purpose of earning revenues through affiliate links, offering little value to the visitor. These also took a hit. Fred eradicated such sites from top positions in search results to make room for more information-heavy and user-friendly content.
Fred and SEO: How Has It Impacted?
The Google Fred Algorithm was an eye-opener for many websites. Sites using too many ads or low-quality content saw their search rankings plummet. What does this portend for SEO?
Quality: Focus on Fred said it all comes down to the same thing, quality. Websites should be offering real value to users. Well-researched, informative material and engaging. If your website is full of thin content or over-optimized in a futile attempt to rank better, then now’s the time for change.
Balancing of Ads and Content: This is particularly crucial if your website is going to generate income either through ads or affiliate links. You need to ensure that advertisements will not overwhelm the content at any time, with the user experience coming first.
Fred pointed out that Google wants the best results for users. That means actually creating a good user experience: content should be easy to use, navigate, and inform-and valuable.
Why Fred Still Matters
Although it was released in 2017, the teachings of Fred still apply to today. Google still favors content that is well-crafted and focused on actually meeting the needs of its users. Keep these in mind to achieve excellent performance for a website in search results.
Conclusion
The Google Fred algorithm update was a strong attack on the low quality, ad-heavy sites that didn’t add much to the value of its users. The key here is quality content, ad balance, and improving the user experience-the things that will help you keep your website in good books with Google and at top rankings in search results.
