SEO, Article Sites And Google's Farmer Update

The gist of Google's Farmer Update is that it is intended to suppress content much of which is found on websites just like the one this article is hosted on. So, what has Google done? In one sense they have furthered the effort of many an SEO consultant to keep their own content in the background while promoting that of their client. So does that help to promote good articles? Perhaps not entirely, except for my suspicion which was partially acknowledged in chatter about the farmer update and its accompanying tweaks and algorithm changes–a suspicion that Google is actually checking grammar. I Don't mean the way that they school teacher checks your grammar, but more like the way that locals will listen to how you speak and decide if you are "from around here."



Suppose I were to write an article about, wait for it–a blatant promotional link: Jacksonville chiropractors, Google would begin to pick apart my speech. If my content becomes wooden and awkward, and also lack any sense of colloquialisms or "street speech" the kind you use in everyday conversation, you just might not be a redneck, and Google may treat you quite differently. Since the bulk of content from the content mills is offshore, this seems like a relatively easy, if processor intensive, algorithm adjustment. It makes me wonder how many cups of tea could be boiled with the energy used in this extra processing for everything that Googles bots consume. If a simple search consumes enough energy to boil a cup of tea how much does this new algorithm change add to the carbon footprint of Google? I'm sure that's something that's even less known than Google's algorithm nuances that all SEO junkies constantly seek out.



Without delving too much into so-called profiling, it seems that offshore article content has been specifically targeted. One article I read cited the idea that many offshore writers from India and anywhere else content production work is often produced have been specifically targeted by the update. That would make sense since many of these "writers" have little understanding of the nuances of American English and could also care less about their topic at hand for a given project.



Nevertheless, we all know the primary purpose of the content for many is the valued back link. Google has repeatedly acknowledged its commitment to the core concept of determining search results by the anchor text found in the links to a site. The result is probably little change in the inflationary nature of cheap content and a growing army of back links and those who produce them, this writer included. It is Google who created this currency and Google who controls its value and its relative inflation or deflation. I don't see this last update as having done much with this issue, unless they plan to actually de-index article websites from e-zine on down to the lowest PR1 article site.