Don't Fuck With Google

Disclaimer: I wrote this post bored in a car on my phone. Links are unsightly so I apologize for that. On with the post! 

Unless you regularly follow the exploits of Silicon Valley, you're probably unaware of the recent debacle involving Rap Genius and Google. Indeed, the former has been involved in dubious SEO tactics for some time now, royally pissing off the search engine giant. Today, the world learned what happens when a website gives Google the middle finger.

I want you to open up a new tab right now and Google "rap genius." You're sure to see a lot of financial and tech magazine stories concerning this story, but I'd be willing to bet that you won't find the actual Rap Genius website on the first page. Or the second page. Or, hell, even the third page. I know because I've checked. The site doesn't appear in the results until you go all the way to the fifth page. No one goes to the fifth fucking page. 

So what does this mean? Well, the website may still exist, but without the coveted first page spot, its traffic is sure to suffer a hit. For more information concerning their transgressions that brought them to this point, read more here. But I think we can all walk away from this one with a pretty clear message: you don't fuck with Google.

Edit: Fixed links.