We all have our different views on the value of Google's search results after Panda. What is undeniable is that a lot of rubbishy spam sites have disappeared out of the listings which is very welcome - but many commercial key phrases are now dominated by big brands that have taken the opportunity to move into niches that they have never been in before, and which they have little obvious expertise in. Their thin pages (usually affiliate pages, which often appear higher in the SERPs than the sites of the merchants whose products they are promoting) can offer little or nothing extra to searchers, and degrade the search experience.
The idea of promoting sites which are more trustworthy is, on the face of it, a logical move; but it is one that is now being abused by many brand sites. Should Google counter this? Or is it a trend which should be encouraged, in order to improve websites generally by making us all more professional and competitive, whilst squeezing out those that cannot adapt?
