[LINK] Google Cleaning up the Web...

[Tom Koltai]

The Large Corps are claiming Foul!!! The smaller guys don't know it yet,
but Google is out the front of the revolution and carrying the flag.
(How to make money from this ? Short the bigger guys....)

Quote/ [From:
http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/25/technology/gaming_google/index.htm]

Websites to Google: 'You're killing our business!'
By David Goldman February 25, 2011: 4:40 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Google made one of the biggest changes ever to
its search results this week, which immediately had a noticeable effect
on many Web properties that rely on the world's biggest search engine to
drive traffic to their sites.

The major tweak aims to move better quality content to the top of
Google's search rankings. The changes will affect 12% Google's results,
the company said in a blog post
<http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/finding-more-high-quality-sites-
in.html>  late Thursday. 
"Our goal is simple: to give users the most relevant answers to their
queries as quickly as possible," said Gabriel Stricker, Google
spokesman. "This requires constant tuning of our algorithms, as new
content -- both good and bad -- comes online all the time. Recently
we've heard from our users that they want to see fewer low quality sites
in our results."

Typically, Google's algorithm changes are so subtle that few people
notice them. But these most recent changes could be seen immediately.

How to test the change: The IP address 64.233.179.104 displays Google
search results as they would have appeared before the recent algorithm
change, according to several webmasters posting to the
WebmasterWorld.com forum.

Google would not confirm that IP address uses the older algorithm, but
comparing searches of trending topics on google.com with searches using
the special Google IP address reveals how the search engine now seems to
be favoring certain content.

The changes appear to be affecting so-called "content farms" the most,
which are websites that amass content based on the most-searched terms
of the day. Demand Media, AOL, Mahalo and the Huffington Post have all
been accused of such tactics, including a notable "story" from HuffPo
<about the Super Bowl that Slate.com media critic Jack Shafer called
"the greatest example of SEO whoring of all time
<http://twitter.com/jackshafer/status/34381602305867776#> ."

Tests using trending topics show Google's tweaks in action.

The current top Google result for a search of Charlie Sheen rant target
"Haim Levine  is a New York Daily News page, followed by a story from
gossipcop.com. The old algorithm would have featured two Huffington Post
stories at the top, with the New York Daily News story not appearing
appear until the second results page.

A controversial decision: Any change to Google's algorithm is a zero-sum
game. Some websites win, some lose. <SNIP>
/Quote
Story
continues.....http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/25/technology/gaming_google/i
ndex.htm