There has been a buzz in industry regarding the latest algorithm “Fred” update by Google. The update was released last month and since then businesses have been raising questions regarding its impacts on traffic and rankings.

We decide to give you the first scoop for all you need to know about Fred algorithm right here.

Google has traditionally been tight-lipped for any changes or updates to their algorithms. In past also we have seen numerous large and small updates from Google as part of its constantly revolving policy. This time it is no different as it has been a month since the release of latest Fred algorithm and we have just started to see its substantial effects over search engine rankings.

Though there haven’t been any official stance over the areas being hit by “Fred”, however, the only clue that have been rolled out is that “Fred” update will be targeting websites that do not adhere to webmaster guidelines. This means that websites with poor-quality content and low-rating backlinks are most vulnerable to get penalized for their Black-Hat SEO. Though poor quality backlinks and content aren’t the only factors that are expected to be penalized with “Fred”, however, these two are the most common for black-hat SEO strategy.

Don’t get Nervous – There’s always light at the end of tunnel!

If you have already been penalized or fear that you will be hit with penalty, here’re some steps that you should start working on right now:

1. First of all you should see if you are already hit with “Fred” or not. You can easily know this through Google Analytic traffic and keywords monitoring. If you saw a lowered traffic or keyword ranking for the month of March; most probably you have been penalized.
2. Whether or not you have been penalized; it’s time to invest in high quality content. Add some fresh, relevant and highly engaging content to your website – the early you do this the better!
3. Identify keywords that have lost rankings; you can do this easily through comparing past and present rankings
4. For keywords that have lost their ranking or with poor-quality content; start writing high quality, properly stuffed and relevant contents. It’s better to start-off this by pages that generated most traffic before “Fred”
5. “Backlink Spam” tool can help you identify any or all bad backlinks that are dragging your position over search engine. Only leave high-quality “”good” backlinks like anchor text similarities, no follow etc. These are considered as website’s strength by search engine crawlers.

An Overlook to Fred Update and Concerns

To be precise, the “Fred” update seems to hit bad SEO tools that had been incorporated in the past. For instance, if you had any outdated, irrelevant or ad heavy content as your primary rank generator; your website can be hit any moment. So, basically all you got to do is to refresh your content with intriguing, informative and relevant information with naturally stuffed keywords (neither too low nor too high).

Apart from low-quality contents, bad backlinks are another area where “Fred” seems to hit hard. Most SEO agencies or businesses have invested in paid “artificial” backlinks, which now is going to affect your ranking badly. In fact, websites with outdated content are also vulnerable to bear bad backlinks. So, while updating your content you should simultaneously locate and remove any or all bad backlinks associated with your website.

Incorporating legal SEO techniques – The best way forward

As a matter of fact, this isn’t the first neither it will be the last update to hit bad or Black-Hat SEO techniques. Google has previously launched many updates aimed to tackle forged search engine results and optimize legitimate websites / businesses. This pretty much sums-up the way forward for businesses to invest in white-hat legitimate and webmaster’s recommended SEO techniques, provided they want to avoid “Fred” or any future update by Google.