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Google Destroys Rap Genius’ Search Result Rankings As Punishment For SEO Spam

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Re: Google Destroys Rap Genius’ Search Result Rankings As Punishment For SEO Spam

#71

Post by chrismcb »

yeukhon wrote: post #32
znowi wrote: post #13

We are working with Google right now to resolve this. They’ve been really great, helping us identify changes we need to make. As if they don't know what they did. These guys are toxic. I'd ban them for a year.

Give them the credit for trying to resolve a problem. Are you telling me if you run a business you would never this kind of mistake? It is a good idea to explain why they did it and what they were thinking, instead of just say "damn I screwed up." I rather hear people explain to me why they did it and they now think they screw up. It is part of resolution. If you don't care about explanation (or excuse if you think t…

Wasn't the first thing they said was "damn we screwed up" AND "everyone else does it?"

Re: Google Destroys Rap Genius’ Search Result Rankings As Punishment For SEO Spam

#72

Post by chrismcb »

flexie wrote: post #8

Still, the real story here is that almost all small businesses depend on the mercy of one giant corporation. This Google monstrosity / police man should be split up into smaller, competing search engines.

How would you split it up? By category? Google A can only search for words that begin with A, or are about Apples and arch-rivals (but you need to go to Google R to search for rivals) Its not like no other search engines exist.

Re: Google Destroys Rap Genius’ Search Result Rankings As Punishment For SEO Spam

#75

Post by ScottWhigham »

csomar wrote: post #47

Google is actually penalizing its users' as they'll have less useful results instead of the best possible results. Google is not supposed to be the Internet police. It's supposed to analyze the best sites, and rank them. Rap Genius getting some spammy links doesn't make it a better site; but it doesn't make it worse either. The next thing we are going to see is a Google Justice Department?

I'd like to hear from someone who downvoted you with an explanation about why. I genuinely don't understand - you've made a logical post but clearly 1-5 people have disagreed and you're now on the bottom of the page in light, light gray (downvoted). I'm struggling to grasp the "Why?"

Re: Google Destroys Rap Genius’ Search Result Rankings As Punishment For SEO Spam

#76

Post by zmitri »

dkuntz2 wrote: post #63
zmitri wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems toxic to lay such claims without getting to know someone personally. Have they done you wrong? Perhaps you are uninterested in rap music, perhaps you believe in staunch professionalism, but at least have respect for an individual's choice to live to their life as they please. Success isn't truly success unless you do it while being yourself. There is a reason you don't have the power to ban them for a year. Rap…

I'm sorry, did they not, with "malice aforethought", blatantly disregard Google's terms. And then brag about it? And, after being called on it, issue a not-really apology that basically said "fuck you, we do what we want"?

Are Google's terms a moral imperative? Does observation of Google's terms define who you are as a person? Are rules created by a corporation means to determine whether doing something is right or wrong?

Google can do what they want, they own the rankings. But why would you personally attack someone? Is adherence to Google's terms a factor you use in judging the quality of someone's character?

Re: Google Destroys Rap Genius’ Search Result Rankings As Punishment For SEO Spam

#77

Post by angryasian »

benched wrote: post #31

So, the best lyric site by a mile no longer shows up in ordinary Google lyric searches. As a music fanatic, searching lyrics is something I do all day long every day, by the way - and when I search lyrics in Google, I really want to go to rap genius. Anyway, supposedly this degradation of Google had to happen to make a public example, and most of us are ok with it because the founders of RG are known to be kind of je…

are they only the best lyric site until they have to monetize ?

Re: Google Destroys Rap Genius’ Search Result Rankings As Punishment For SEO Spam

#78

Post by angryasian »

aroman wrote: post #15
flexie wrote: post #8

Still, the real story here is that almost all small businesses depend on the mercy of one giant corporation. This Google monstrosity / police man should be split up into smaller, competing search engines.

Frankly I think it's an inherently monopolistic industry. In the current state of affairs (i.e. web browser interfaces and mobile phone integration), it's quite inconvenient for people to switch up their search engine regularly, or even use multiple ones regularly. With say, supermarkets, it's pretty easy to shop at Acme one day, Trader Joes another, and Superfresh the third. Search engines aren't like this, or at le…

I don't see why its not just as easy to switch to other search engines. If Google is beating these other search engines purely because they are a better product then there is nothing monopolistic here.

The reality is that the barrier is very low. Blekko, DDG, bing, yahoo, and we can go back even farther and list more search engines. Nothing is stopping them other than their own engineering resources. Your entire argument is saying Google is better and out innovating the competitors so we should punish them.

Re: Google Destroys Rap Genius’ Search Result Rankings As Punishment For SEO Spam

#79

Post by bhartzer »

benched wrote: post #31

So, the best lyric site by a mile no longer shows up in ordinary Google lyric searches. As a music fanatic, searching lyrics is something I do all day long every day, by the way - and when I search lyrics in Google, I really want to go to rap genius. Anyway, supposedly this degradation of Google had to happen to make a public example, and most of us are ok with it because the founders of RG are known to be kind of je…

Who needs google? Why don't you just go directly to rap genius and bypass search altogether?

Re: Google Destroys Rap Genius’ Search Result Rankings As Punishment For SEO Spam

#80

Post by bhartzer »

cabbeer wrote: post #29
benguild wrote: post #10

It's probably a temporary ban that will last up to 90 days once appealed.

30 days.

Here generally is not a timeframe involved in this. Is google penalized them then they received a manual penalty for unnatural links. They will have to identify all the links that are unnatural, contact all those site owners and try to take get the links taken down. Or disavow them and show a huge effort was made... And tell google that they won't do it again through a reconsideration request. Unless google makes an exception, it is taking at least five days or more for google to respond to RRs. And even then, once a penalty is lifted, the site won't necessarily come back quickly.
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