Understanding the Google Fred Update
Over the years, there have been a variety of updates implemented by the Google search engine in a bid to influence the rankings in the SERPs. After all, core updates can be very broad which allows a handful of websites to slip through the cracks and raise their rank without putting in the hard work that is necessary to deserve it. In fact, the Google Fred update was one of the most memorable updates ever implemented! Read on as we go over everything there is to know about it…
What was the Google Fred update?
Implemented in March 2017, the Google Fred update was designed in order to target websites using black-hat methods as well as those with links to monetization such as advertisements and low-quality content. As a result, the majority of websites that were affected were websites that displayed a lot of ads because they had the potential to affect the users’ experience.
Why are black-hat techniques bad in SEO?
The term ‘black-hat’ comes from old western movies where the bad guys would wear a black cowboy hat in order to tell the viewers who they were with minimal dialogue. In SEO, it refers to the use of unethical methods such as keyword stuffing, link farming, plagiarised content, cloaking and spamming. They are considered as such because they give the technicians that use them an unfair advantage and allow poor-quality websites to hit the top spot in the SERPs when they don’t deserve it. As a result, they should be avoided at all costs.
How often does Google introduce updates?
Interestingly, Google will implement changes to its algorithm hundreds of times a year, however, many of them are too small and minor to notice. With this said, big updates such as Google Fred are often issued 3-4 times per year and may be announced ahead of time in order to give technicians time to prepare. Luckily, a website with severe ranking penalisations from one update can recover from it during the following update if they make suitable changes.
Here at Internet Marketing Questions, we recognise that old updates may not have any impact in the future, however, it can be very beneficial to look at their aim and see what features the algorithms are looking for. After all, the chances are that future updates may be similar and staying ahead of the game will ensure that a website is not affected by ranking penalisations. To find out more information about how Google updates affect internet marketing, get in contact with a member of the IMQ team today!