One small step for Google, one big leap (or fall) for many businesses. 

Google made a change to its search algorithm at the end of February.  The idea was to improve search results by moving high-quality content sites (rather than content farms and other sites that are simply working the SEO system) up on the list of search responses.  Now, according to CNN Money's David Goldman, we're starting to see results. 

Google's change appears to have most harmed so-called "content farms" like Mahalo, which critics say amass content for the sole purpose of luring in search-engine traffic. Sites like Mahalo.com, Wisegeek.com, Ezinearticles.com and Yahoo's (YHOO, Fortune 500) Associated Content were among the biggest losers in the algorithm tweak. Google-generated traffic to each dropped more than 75%, according to software firm Sistrix.

Interestingly, Demand Media (DMD) -- one of the most oft-criticized content farms --appears to have gotten off relatively scot-free. Its most prominent site, eHow.com, even grew its traffic after the algorithm change, though some others like AnswerBag.com and Trails.com dropped off.

The biggest beneficiaries seem to be originators of what Google calls "high-quality" content, which the company defines as "information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and so on." Traffic to sites that belong to the Online Publishers Association grew between 5% and 50% the day after Google's tweak, according to Pam Horan, president of the OPA.

Read Google's code change shifts billions from losers to winners here.