This day in search marketing history: March 9

• Updated on: 2023-03-12
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In 2017, there were strong signs of a Google algorithm ranking update that had actually started on March 7.

At first, it seemed to be a spam algorithm update related to links. However, a later Search Engine Land analysis of Fred indicated that the update targeted low-value content sites that put revenue above helping their users – and that many affected sites saw up to a 90% drop in traffic.

Many called this the Fred Update, which came from Google’s Gary Illyes, who had jokingly suggested that all updates be named “Fred.” It stuck with this update.

Illyes wouldn’t confirm Fred until SMX West on March 23, when he said the update targeted specific techniques that were well-documented within the Google webmaster guidelines. Though he didn’t elaborate on which guidelines specifically were targeted by the Fred update.

Read about it in New, unconfirmed Google ranking update ‘Fred’ shakes the SEO world.

2022: Google has told us how search works. We know plenty about how it works. But a professor seemed confused about search personalization.

2021: Google opened the door to more hotels by offering free hotel listings, separate from paid results. 

2020: You could update your business hours, description, phone number and even add Google Posts.

2020: RankRanger said the people also ask was showing for 40% of queries, down from 52% of queries.

2020: On mobile, the link appeared in the “Listen” carousel of streaming music services; on desktop, it appeared within a list of streaming services in the album’s knowledge panel.

2020: The ad unit had a campaign life of 24 hours and was designed to align brands with the most popular and relevant trends of the day.

2020: A number of topics were discussed, including managing Google penalties, how Google penalizes websites, the disavow link tool and nofollow link attribute.

2018: After adding the attribute, a “women-led” icon would appear in the business attributes section of their business listing.

2018: Instead of just showing additional questions people might ask around a query you entered into the search results, Google was testing showing a snippet of the answer directly below the question.

2018: The latest images showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have and more.

2017: Android users gained access to emoji and GIF suggestions as they typed and the ability to share GIFs in supported apps.

2016: While Google would remove PageRank scores from public view in the coming weeks, the way those scores dramatically reshaped the web remained.

2016: The reason: to help users understand that these were official blogs managed and operated by Google.

2016: A mobile search for a continent, country or state, along with the word “destination” or “vacation,” would return a series of travel options.

2015: Google’s Gary Illyes also said that Google was working on possibly boosting the ranking of secure login pages even more than they did with the normal HTTPS ranking boost.

2014: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) had the power to impose a fine of up 10% annual revenues, averaged over a three year period.

2013: Google didn’t want low-quality experience merchants to be ranking in the search results.

2013: Trulia Suggests took a range of data from users’ interactions with the site and to offer personalized home recommendations.

2012: Even though personalized search had been the norm at Google for over two years and at Bing for just over a year.

2012: The latest images showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have and more.

2011: A California federal court ruled that it is allowed to bid on a competitor’s name for search ads.

2011: Microsoft said scores wouldn’t directly influence how ads were ranked – it was more of a reflection of how well the ads were performing in the marketplace.

2011: Search engine was using a new system it called “AdSpam.”

2011: Research suggested that most Americans were well aware of Twitter … they just weren’t using it.

2011: The iPad app used the same search and machine learning capabilities developed by Worio to create a personalized magazine that got “smarter” as you used it.

2010: Twitter: “routing all links submitted to Twitter through this new service, we can detect, intercept, and prevent the spread of bad links across all of Twitter.”

2010: Wolfram Alpha proved useful for the multiplication of fractions.

2009: Google Image search added an option to the advanced search page to enter in the exact image size you are looking for.

2009: “It’s also good for our business because we’re in the information business. And a lot of the energy solutions involve a lot of information…”

2009: Satellite images of schools, places of worship, government buildings and medical facilities would need to be blurred.

2009: He was allegedly the “media chief” of the Indian Mujahideen, a terror group charged with the September 2008 bombings in Delhi.

2007: Documenting an undercover tour of a Google office in Dallas, Texas that appeared to be the new home of the Google Audio group.

2007: “Microsoft could have been the one to buy Inktomi and Overture instead of Yahoo, and the world would be much different now for both companies.”

2007: There were a number of improvements and upgrades.

2007: Plus a “white label” Nokia Advertising Connector a program for others who want to run mobile ad programs.

2007: IBM and Yahoo teamed up on UFOCrawler, a search engine about finding sources on “UFO Sightings, time travel, conspiracy theories and anomalies.”

These columns are a snapshot in time and have not been updated since publishing, unless noted. Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and not necessarily Search Engine Land.