 |
| Google kills AZLyrics |
A few days back I Google searched for a Song Lyrics and found the lyrics is displayed directly on Google Search Page, it just saved me a click, few seconds and also saved me from annoying pop-ups which lyrics websites show us aggressively.
I didn't notice this, even before a couple of months when I searched for the same song. It was not there.
After doing some research I found that they started this feature it in 2014, as part of Google Knowledge Graph. So, when you Google Search for Song Lyrics you will see a Direct Answer from Google if you have searched for song lyrics some well known Band or Publishers.
 |
| Google now displays Song Lyrics directly on its results page |
I have a mixed opinion on this one...
Good for Searchers
We find the result directly from Google, which is a really believable source, we can be sure about its accuracy.
It saves time, a click and also saves us from the annoyance of being forced to see a bunch of ads and pop us. They genuinely contain too many ads and pop-ups.
And those site designs are also not that good, old UI/UX which are not very pleasing to at. Now they obviously can present their content very innovative way that is much pleasing, that Google SERP can never provide the same value. But they don't, they all just present it with an old boring design.
Though Google's result also do not do extraordinarily great, we are used to seeing Google SERP, it is much pleasure to look at Google's result page than other boring looking websites.
Google competing with small businesses and killing them
But it just killed the sites like AZLyrics, MetroLyrics, Genius etc. Though in the screenshot above, AZLyrics is ranking at #1 position, right after the direct answer snippet, nobody gonna click on it, when people find it right on the Google's results page.
Google is just hurting all their business.
Google is supposed to help business get found by people, not to steal your business. Instead of finding best results if they start answering so many types of queries themselves, to some extent good for users, but on the flip side really bad small businesses, who struggled for years to put themselves on the first page of Google.
In my research I found that previously they showed links to Google Play, we can that is also kind of ad, by Google itself as they are promoting their business there. And taking the business away from those small sites who were dependant on Google traffic to earn money.
Though I can not find any links to Google Play anymore.
Also, I found that all YouTube results are ranking better than most of the websites that provide lyrics. Again it seems like they are pushing their business up.
That being said, those sites have really annoying ads and pop-ups. So, this direct results are very useful for users, and Google will do anything to satisfy users.
But again, to make the users' lives easy they could have shown the results from the website who has done well in Featured Snippet, as Google does for many types of queries, something like this
Though it will also change the amount of traffic the websites listed on the SERP get, still here they will compete with each other, not with Google.
Google is just hurting all their business.
Google is supposed to help business get found by people, not to steal your business. Instead of finding best results if they start answering so many types of queries themselves, to some extent good for users, but on the flip side really bad small businesses, who struggled for years to put themselves on the first page of Google.
In my research I found that previously they showed links to Google Play, we can that is also kind of ad, by Google itself as they are promoting their business there. And taking the business away from those small sites who were dependant on Google traffic to earn money.
Though I can not find any links to Google Play anymore.
Also, I found that all YouTube results are ranking better than most of the websites that provide lyrics. Again it seems like they are pushing their business up.
 | |
|
That being said, those sites have really annoying ads and pop-ups. So, this direct results are very useful for users, and Google will do anything to satisfy users.
But again, to make the users' lives easy they could have shown the results from the website who has done well in Featured Snippet, as Google does for many types of queries, something like this
Though it will also change the amount of traffic the websites listed on the SERP get, still here they will compete with each other, not with Google.
To test the accuracy of the results getting featured, Google can compare it with the source from where google getting the lyrics from to show in their Direct Answer.
And the thing is I like Google very much for the so many ways it has made our lives simple. But I don't like the ways big organisations dominating everything without any competition. And making it very difficult for small businesses and start-ups to survive. It is bad for them as Google is taking away their traffic so many ways.
And becoming little like Facebook.
Facebook stopped sending any traffic to websites.
Previously many small businesses were benefitted from Facebook. A huge portion of traffics to their websites used to come from Facebook. But now Facebook's algorithms are very notorious against the posts that have a link to out to any website. One just does not receive any view or engagement from their subscribers to a post which has links out to their website, of course, unless you pay for an ad.
Many websites that were too dependant on Facebook for traffic, were damaged badly.
And Instagram! You can't even have a link from your posts on Instagram.
So, small businesses stopped using Facebook as an organic traffic source.
Many websites that were too dependant on Facebook for traffic, were damaged badly.
And Instagram! You can't even have a link from your posts on Instagram.
So, small businesses stopped using Facebook as an organic traffic source.
The domination of one or more organization is a bad thing.
If the giant companies start engulfing all small businesses, it will become like North Korea, we will have to accept whatever they show, we won't have any other option. They can show results that are in favour of them, push all bigger organisations up search results, do whatever profitable for them. And if we want not see biased results, well we will not have an option for that, because there will be no other search engine is near good as Google.
Well, again I'm not saying Google is an evil or something, but I think there should be some competitions. Maybe competition from smaller organisations.
So, what can we do?
Well, nothing.
Technically they are not doing the wrong thing. And showing results directly in SERP is helping many us as with fewer click we can find the direct answer.
For example, I enjoy seeing the calculator, currency converter on the result page. Also, I wish to see time zone converter there (Are there actually any? I do not see it.)
We get the answer from a more believable source.
But it is stealing their traffic, it is morally wrong, cause Google is there to get businesses found by searchers, but Google is stealing your business instead. By doing that Google can acquire many many small markets easily.
Technically they are not doing the wrong thing. And showing results directly in SERP is helping many us as with fewer click we can find the direct answer.
For example, I enjoy seeing the calculator, currency converter on the result page. Also, I wish to see time zone converter there (Are there actually any? I do not see it.)
We get the answer from a more believable source.
But it is stealing their traffic, it is morally wrong, cause Google is there to get businesses found by searchers, but Google is stealing your business instead. By doing that Google can acquire many many small markets easily.
So, maybe we can try to use alternatives, and help them get a bit market share. The other search engines are not as good as Google, but if we use them more frequently, they will get better eventually.
And, there are perks as well. By using other services you will get different results. Sometimes it is worth to find a different set of results.
So, try to make a habit of using other search engines, of course, you will need Google, and I am not asking you to boycott Google either. But using those will help their business, they will get better and in the distant future, you will have several options, Google will have competitions to compare itself with.
Use Bing, Yahoo, or DuckDuckGo little often.
Especially DuckDuckGo, as it is nice small search engine that doesn't capture any personal information. Providing you privacy is their main concern, not only it doesn't track you all over the web like Google does, it also prevents others like Google, Facebook from tracking you if you install their chrome extension. It is a small company of around 45 employees and they are doing a great job and improving faster. We should encourage them.
And check out these answers for how DuckDuckGo is better than Google and these, to inspire you. Know more.
While using new search engine be a bit open, as the experience will be different and our brain seeks similarity. It might seem like those engines are not as easy to use as Google, and this keeps people away from trying a different search engine. We are so used to Googling stuff, but in the beginning, when Google was new to us it was as difficult to use as others. Once you have the habit you will enjoy it.
And, there are perks as well. By using other services you will get different results. Sometimes it is worth to find a different set of results.
So, try to make a habit of using other search engines, of course, you will need Google, and I am not asking you to boycott Google either. But using those will help their business, they will get better and in the distant future, you will have several options, Google will have competitions to compare itself with.
Use Bing, Yahoo, or DuckDuckGo little often.
And check out these answers for how DuckDuckGo is better than Google and these, to inspire you. Know more.
While using new search engine be a bit open, as the experience will be different and our brain seeks similarity. It might seem like those engines are not as easy to use as Google, and this keeps people away from trying a different search engine. We are so used to Googling stuff, but in the beginning, when Google was new to us it was as difficult to use as others. Once you have the habit you will enjoy it.
What Businesses can do?
Though these direct results harm businesses, not users, businesses can't complain about this. It is Google's business they can do anything, if that hurts your business, you have got to change your tactics and evolve with the situation.
As the other search engines are also growing in popularity for SEOs and marketers, there might be a new opportunity. You might find some keyword phrases that have quite good search volumes in those search engines but your competitors' websites not optimised for those. This might be rear as most of the SEO activities are same for all search engines, but the ranking factors might be have been given different weightage by different search engines, and because of that you might find these opportunities.
And businesses, as always told by experts, should try to build brands, not just quick money. So, you are less dependent for your business on other services; and later it can still survive without much help from Google or any other service.
Let me illustrate this with an example.
In one scenario people search their queries on Google, they find your website, get their work done and leave the website without much connection with your business.
And in another scenario they come, to your website, they get there work done but along with them they just start liking your brand. They want to deal with you or use your services later again. So, they remember the brand name, subscribe to your newsletter, follow you on social media.
In the first scenario, if Google changes some algorithm which is not in favour of your website, your business is completely gone.
The second business is harder to fail just because Google doesn't support you. If people search for your brand, Google must so it. If they search something like "Heathens lyrics - Genius", Google must show result from Genius first, unless they (Genius' webmasters) screw up completely and get unindexed from Google. And as the people are connected to you through an email list, social media and so on, you are not completely depended on only one source, so if one screws up, you have all others to back you up, Even a good portion of traffic can come directly to your website.
-----
OMG! I have started with something and ended with a completely different thing. Here is the track of topics I rant through
...Discovering Google's new (new to me) SERP feature i.e. Direct Answer to Song Lyrics queries...How this is Good for people...How it is a stab at Small websites...Google itself competing with them...A little rant on Facebook...Google's and other Giant organisations dominance...Using Google's alternatives...And making Businesses failproof by a little...
Well, I enjoyed it. Let me know in the comment section what you think.
No comments:
Post a Comment