Google plans to demote low-quality content farm websites in a search overhaul set to impact upon approximately 12 per cent of its US search queries. What is a content farm? Well, entirely from the perspective of a hard-working writer seeking to make an honest but viable living, content farms have much in common with factory farms. Unseen employers (everything is negotiated long-distance by email) treat writers just like caged egg-layers in their own homes, demanding an astonishing amount of content every day for very little money.

Images are sourced that are free to use with appropriate acknowledgements alongside. Writers even do all of the content uploading themselves, usually via proprietary CMS (content management systems). Training is non-existent, online help files being relied upon instead.

The pay is universally dreadful but because the work is allegedly part-time, freelance and ‘flexible’ in nature, content farms are able to easily circumnavigate minimum wage legislation where it exists. They mop up inexperienced writers keen to gain experience, keep the wolf from the door, or both. They promote so-called success stories on their front pages, with headlines like “I earn [insert four figure sum] every month, so can you!” and, in so doing, content farm promotions remind this writer of the miracle claims made for diet pills and exercise machines in newspaper ads of old.

Some argue that there are pros as well as cons to content farming but even they recognise that there are questions relating not only to the ethics of content farming but its sustainability as a business model going forward.

Left unchecked, the focus on ‘battery writing’ will diminish the value, quality and appeal of writing to readers and deter those young people who might otherwise have the talent to pursue writing as a career. Established writers might themselves turn away from the profession if their experience, creativity and talent are less valued than having an ability to pump out 300 words in less than half an hour, with little or no background research.

Alarmist? You might think so. You could be right. After all, we’ve always known the difference between good and bad writing, haven’t we? We know what makes a good book and what makes a bad one, yes? Surely great writing always wins over bad?

Well. Let’s hope so, eh?