Google Fred Update

For weeks it is speculated about whether there has been a major update at Google. It is known that about 400 changes are made to Google’s algorithm every year. However, most of them are not as strong. Here, the change process is rather creeping. Sometimes changes are also tested by Google.

Some will love Fred update, others will hate him. The fact is that he is here now and will remain. Fred is the new update from Google and is hot topic for discussion, because rankings of websites big jump up and down.

The colleagues from the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) field, weather record unusual fluctuations and set them up as a temperature profile. Here, during the last 30 days… Fred Update is an exceptional update, although the name Fred was thought of as a joke from the beginning. Since we now know where we have to look, I have looked at few domains, which have lost their visibility, almost all of these websites had few, or inferior content, where there was no added value for the users. It was also noticeable that many of these sites were heavily loaded with advertisements.

Google does not reveal the guidelines that Fred Update addresses. However, if we look at the losers of this update, it looks as if there are many websites that have tried to attract low-value content, attract many visitors through Google, and monetize them quickly and easily through affiliate programs.

So far the following few ranking factors in the SEO country are discussed as potential candidates:

• Displayed information at the top of the page without scrolling
• Precise information in the text, no so-called gap fillers
• Too much advertising on the website
• Error-free spelling and grammar.

The official confirmation from Google to the update came on 24.03.2017 via Twitter. It should affect websites with (very) inferior content.

It could also be a tightening of the pandas

A few weeks ago, the Panda update was adopted into the core algorithm. The Panda update was used in the past to evaluate the content of a website qualitatively. The last official Panda update was on 27.07.2015. In 2016 these test algorithms were adopted. There should be no more Panda updates. This does not mean that Google does not work on its mechanisms and refine them. It is therefore quite possible that an update of the test criteria has now taken place and is now stricter.

Conclusion

It remains to be seen how the rankings will behave in the near future and which direction they will take. Until now, it is clear that “honesty and benefits for the user” are rewarded on a website. Advertising websites are more punished than ever before.

If we look at the ranking distribution for many of the evaluated websites, a picture is typical of a Google update: After Fred, many rankings fall by 40 to 100+ positions.

What are your experiences? Do you have a theory? Write us in the comments.