Recent Google Algorithm updates were aimed at reducing spammy, copied content – which is exactly what people searching for information on the web don’t want. This change affected approximately 12% of Google searches.
According to Matt Cutts: “we recently launched a redesigned document-level classifier that makes it harder for spammy on-page content to rank highly. The new classifier is better at detecting spam on individual web pages, e.g., repeated spammy words—the sort of phrases you tend to see in junky, automated, self-promoting blog comments.”
Matt went on to say: ”We’re evaluating multiple changes that should help drive spam levels even lower, including one change that primarily affects sites that copy others’ content and sites with low levels of original content. We’ll continue to explore ways to reduce spam, including new ways for users to give more explicit feedback about spammy and low-quality sites.”
For search engine optimization it means that original, useful content is becoming more and more valuable, so if you can’t write, go get yourself somebody who can.
And to those who just take other’s content and “spin” it, “Where the heck were you when the page was blank anyway?“