Facebook Promises Low-Quality Links Will be Downgraded in News Feed

Facebook is continuing to roll out updates to its News Feed algorithm.

The latest update affects how links to low-quality websites appear in the News Feed.

“We’re always working to understand which posts people consider misleading, sensational and spammy so we can show fewer of those and show more informative posts instead,” says Jiun-Ren Lin of Facebook. “We hear from our community that they’re disappointed when they click on a link that leads to a web page containing little substantive content and that is covered in disruptive, shocking or malicious ads.”

The update will mean people will see fewer posts and ads in News Feed that link to low-quality web page experiences.

“We have had a policy in place since last year to prevent advertisers with low-quality web page experiences from advertising on our platform,” says Shengbo Guo of Facebook. “Now, we are increasing enforcement on ads and also taking into account organic posts in News Feed.”

If Facebook determines a post might link to low-quality web pages, it may show up lower in people’s feeds and may not be eligible to be an ad.

More changes will roll out gradually over the coming months, according to the social network.