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I agree. This works until it doesn't. (Rap) Genius tried this a few years back, and was killing other lyrics sites until Google got wind of it. They've never re

by fnbr 10y ago

I agree. This works until it doesn't. (Rap) Genius tried this a few years back, and was killing other lyrics sites until Google got wind of it. They've never really recovered. https://techcrunch.com/2013/12/25/google-rap-genius/ https://techcrunch.com/2013/12/25/google-rap-genius/

crazypyro 10y ago
In my 20 or so manual tries of billboard top 100 songs and some other random ones, Genius is top 1-2 in results, so they might have recovered fine in the SEO sense... That is a really interesting example. They had the best product by far. Google penalizing them is almost like penalizing its own users because they provide a much better product for lyric searches, in my own opinion. Every other lyric site before them was generally full of spammy ads with no added value, but Genius actually tries to add to the experience. Some songs more than others, but still a world away from the old lyric sites.
- fnbr 10y ago
  Recovered in the financial sense- they recently fired a quarter of their staff: https://technical.ly/brooklyn/2017/03/16/genius-layoffs-verge/ https://technical.ly/brooklyn/2017/03/16/genius-layoffs-verg... I do agree that their product is the best by far; they're my go to site for lyrics.
conradoconnell 10y ago
They got a little public slap on the wrist, they recovered just fine after Google removed the manual action. https://www.semrush.com/info/genius.com+(by+organic) https://www.semrush.com/info/genius.com+(by+organic)
- fnbr 10y ago
  I mean "recover" in the financial sense, they've recently laid off a quarter of their staff: http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/15/14924238/rap-genius-web-annotator-chrome-extension-news http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/15/14924238/rap-genius-web-an...
  - skinnymuch 10y ago
    But you said they never really recovered. There's no way to interpret what you wrote but to suggest they never really recovered from their ranking demotion. Which isn't the case right? Their financial issues go far beyond their google rankings (namely I think Genius hasn't really gotten big with annotations beyond lyrics. Not at their valuation and hype)
vertex-four 10y ago
They've not entirely recovered in terms of what comes up in search results, but they're still the go-to for anyone I know who looks up lyrics on a regular basis.

by fnbr 10y ago

crazypyro 10y ago

In my 20 or so manual tries of billboard top 100 songs and some other random ones, Genius is top 1-2 in results, so they might have recovered fine in the SEO sense... That is a really interesting example. They had the best product by far. Google penalizing them is almost like penalizing its own users because they provide a much better product for lyric searches, in my own opinion. Every other lyric site before them was generally full of spammy ads with no added value, but Genius actually tries to add to the experience. Some songs more than others, but still a world away from the old lyric sites.

fnbr 10y ago
Recovered in the financial sense- they recently fired a quarter of their staff: https://technical.ly/brooklyn/2017/03/16/genius-layoffs-verge/ https://technical.ly/brooklyn/2017/03/16/genius-layoffs-verg... I do agree that their product is the best by far; they're my go to site for lyrics.

conradoconnell 10y ago

They got a little public slap on the wrist, they recovered just fine after Google removed the manual action. https://www.semrush.com/info/genius.com+(by+organic) https://www.semrush.com/info/genius.com+(by+organic)

fnbr 10y ago
I mean "recover" in the financial sense, they've recently laid off a quarter of their staff: http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/15/14924238/rap-genius-web-annotator-chrome-extension-news http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/15/14924238/rap-genius-web-an...
- skinnymuch 10y ago
  But you said they never really recovered. There's no way to interpret what you wrote but to suggest they never really recovered from their ranking demotion. Which isn't the case right? Their financial issues go far beyond their google rankings (namely I think Genius hasn't really gotten big with annotations beyond lyrics. Not at their valuation and hype)

vertex-four 10y ago

They've not entirely recovered in terms of what comes up in search results, but they're still the go-to for anyone I know who looks up lyrics on a regular basis.