Thin is good – or so we believe.  We’re constantly fretting over our image and the thought of stripping off at the beach fills us with trepidation.  But when it comes to content, thin is not good, and Google’s Panda algorithm is making sure that thin, unoriginal and mass-produced content is being penalised.

Panda’s latest axe has come down when they announced on Thursday that both Yahoo Voices and the Yahoo Contributor Network were to be shut down.

According to Yahoo, Yahoo Voices will close on July 31^st, followed by Yahoo Contributor Network ‘by the end of August’.

Yahoo Voices was created in 2011 after Yahoo acquired Associated Content in 2010.  Yahoo deleted 75,000 articles created by Associated Content, changed their domain and started afresh using a network of authors from the Yahoo Contributor Network that were soon generating about 10,000 new articles per week.

Although Yahoo did not make any specific reference to the Panda updates when they announced the closures, it is likely that the effects of Panda’s algorithms has had a negative effect on Yahoo Voices and any other form of mass produced, un-original content.

So, how can companies and brands make sure that their online content increases their presence on the web, engages existing customers and pulls in new customers?  The answer is quality, not quantity.  Studies have proven that content must be adapted to meet the interests of all sorts of age ranges and social groups, it must even adapt to being seen on either a mobile device, tablet or desktop PC.  Content must be in depth and fresh, engaging the reader.  If you follow these guidelines, Panda may just leave you in peace.