Fred

What is Fred?

In March 2017, the SEO community noticed significant fluctuations in search rankings, which led to the identification of an unconfirmed Google update. Named 'Fred' after a joke made by Google's Gary Illyes, this update primarily aims to penalize websites with low-quality content that are heavily monetized through ads. The idea is to improve user experience by rewarding sites that prioritize valuable, informative content over excessive ads. Fred affects sites that use overly aggressive advertising tactics, thin content with little user value, and content that is mainly created to generate revenue through affiliate links or ads. While Google has not officially confirmed the specifics of Fred, the SEO community has observed that sites adhering to high-quality content standards and user-focused practices tend to perform better post-update.

Fred is an unofficial name given to a series of Google algorithm updates that target low-value content, typically associated with websites that prioritize advertising revenue over user experience.

Examples

A travel blog that has engaging, well-researched articles about different destinations saw an increase in traffic after the Fred update. This was because the blog prioritized user experience by providing useful information rather than filling the page with ads.

An e-commerce site that had multiple product pages with thin content and an excessive number of ads experienced a significant drop in rankings. After the Fred update, the site had to revamp its content strategy to focus on detailed, valuable product descriptions and reduce the number of ads.

Additional Information

Fred is part of Google's ongoing effort to discourage practices that degrade the quality of search results.

Websites affected by Fred need to conduct a thorough audit of their content and advertising practices to recover lost rankings.

References

7 Survival Basics for 'Fred' & Other Recent Google Algorithm Updates

Google Fred: What it is and Why it matters in SEO - Alli AI

Decoding the Mysterious Fred Update: What You Need to Know ... - LinkedIn