Google Fred is an algorithm update that targets black-hat tactics tied to aggressive monetization. This includes an overload on ads, low-value content, and little added user benefits. This does not mean all sites hit by the Google Fred update are dummy sites created for ad revenue, but (as Barry Schwartz noted in his observations of Google Fred) the majority of websites affected were content sites that have a large amount of ads and seem to have been created for the purpose of generating revenue over solving a user’s problem.
Which Websites were Affected by FRED?
The majority of the websites affected had one (or more) of the following:
How to Tell Your Site Affected By the Google Fred Algorithm Update?
If you saw a large drop in rankings and organic traffic around the middle of March and are guilty of one of the above, your site was probably impacted.
Google Fred Recovery
The Google Fred algorithm is focused on limited black-hat SEO tactics for aggressive monetization, so the biggest fix is to scale down your ads and increase the quality of your content.
For a full Google Fred recovery, we recommend:
The number one thing you can do is to manually browse through your site. Is it user-friendly? Are you greeted by ads everywhere you go? Is your content scraped or extremely thin? Think about your users. If it’s not something you would enjoy seeing on other websites, you need to take it off of yours.
What are the Best Google Fred Update SEO Tactics?
If you’re looking for Fred update SEO tactics, we recommend you memorize the Google Quality Rating Guidelines and be sure every piece of content on your site is compliant with the best practices. These are the factors Google considers extremely important when it comes to quality:
Which Websites were Affected by FRED?
The majority of the websites affected had one (or more) of the following:
- An extremely large presence of ads
- Content (usually in blog form) on all sorts of topics created for ranking purposes
- Content has ads or affiliate links spread throughout, and the quality of content is far below industry-specific sites
- Deceptive ads (looks like a download or play button to trick someone into clicking)
- Thin content
- UX barriers
- Mobile problems
- Aggressive affiliate setups
- Aggressive monetization
How to Tell Your Site Affected By the Google Fred Algorithm Update?
If you saw a large drop in rankings and organic traffic around the middle of March and are guilty of one of the above, your site was probably impacted.
Google Fred Recovery
The Google Fred algorithm is focused on limited black-hat SEO tactics for aggressive monetization, so the biggest fix is to scale down your ads and increase the quality of your content.
- Scaling back the amount of ads on your site
- Review the Google Search Quality Rater Guidelines (QRG) and follow them as closely as you possibly can
- Review the placement of ads on your site. Do they contribute to poor user experience?
- Review the user experience of your site, and make a schedule to do this periodically. Keep upping the ante of your content
- Review the content to be sure it serves a purpose, and that purpose is outlined in the form of metadata and tags
The number one thing you can do is to manually browse through your site. Is it user-friendly? Are you greeted by ads everywhere you go? Is your content scraped or extremely thin? Think about your users. If it’s not something you would enjoy seeing on other websites, you need to take it off of yours.
What are the Best Google Fred Update SEO Tactics?
If you’re looking for Fred update SEO tactics, we recommend you memorize the Google Quality Rating Guidelines and be sure every piece of content on your site is compliant with the best practices. These are the factors Google considers extremely important when it comes to quality:
- Clear indication of who the website belongs to
- Clear indication of what the page is about
- A well-maintained and updated page, which means it’s error-free, loads quickly, and has few technical errors
- Excellent website reputation (quality of backlinks, industry awards, positive user reviews, and expert testimonials all contribute to excellent reputation)
- Content that demands at least one of the following: time, effort, expertise, and talent/skill