Marathon vs. Business: Parasite SEO in 2024

Tuesday, May 28, 2024 SEOAlex Kirpichonak

What are the differences between running a marathon and doing business? A marathon ends, but competition in business never does. There is no business where you can cease efforts and simply earn money through inertia. In most cases, business is an endless race where you must continually strive to survive.

To thrive in a business never-ending marathon, you need a gargantuan amount of energy and savvy.

Hi, my name is Alex. I have been working as an SEO consultant for almost seven years. My specialization is in Technical SEO and Core Web Vitals (CWV). These are the areas I enjoy most improving.

Here at Digital Loop, we have a dedicated team of marketers and SEOs with decades of experience. We bring our expertise to our clients and help them achieve great results in their own never-ending marathons.

Where we take a look at:

• 3 first steps in Parasite SEO for complete beginners.
• 3 Types of Parasite SEO. Top websites SEOs use for Parasite SEO. 
• Top websites SEOs use for Parasite SEO
• The Difference Between Parasite SEO and Guest Blogging.
• Top 5 Parasite SEO Tools and How to Get Started with Parasite SEO.
• Real-life examples of Parasite SEO. 
• How to Get Banned by Using Parasite SEO? - What not to do when working in SEO. 
• How to safely use Parasite SEO? - Follow Google’s guidelines. 
• Summary of our Parasite SEO Guide Do’s & Dont’s

So, let's be concise and get to the point.

The topic of this overview isn't new, but it is very important and popular among our clients, as they often ask us about it. It is called "Parasite SEO." You can see its significance and popularity just by looking at the SERP:

https://d.pr/i/pLGelo

google.com

Below, you can see the popularity of one of the most popular approaches to Parasite SEO, known as "expired domain renewal":

https://d.pr/i/jNZDnj 

google.com

*I will describe expired domain tactics a bit later in this article. Just stay tuned.

Today, I am going to give you a clear understanding of the most important questions about this topic, such as what Parasite SEO is, the differences between Parasite SEO and guest posting, and, most importantly, how to avoid a Google ban using Parasite SEO (if you decide to pursue it).

So, buckle up, and let’s get started.

So, you’ve heard about Parasite SEO, right?

And...

Maybe someone told you that it is a silver bullet for businesses.

Actually, the peer who told you that was close to the truth, because in the modern competitive market, Parasite SEO really helps small businesses gain their first sales in short terms.

Why?

Because... Parasite SEO is, in most cases, an absolutely legal strategy where people use someone else's website to rank their own content higher on search engines like Google.

Imagine a small fish sticking to a big fish to travel faster - that's what Parasite SEO is like. The "big fish" are popular websites, and the "small fish" are people trying to use those sites to boost their content.

*Parasite SEO is a strategy where individuals use the established authority and high search engine rankings of popular websites to boost visibility for their own content.

Step #1: Understanding of How Parasite SEO works

Since we’ve started talking about fish, let’s learn how SEOs ride those big ones. Below, I am breaking down the secret Parasite SEO tactics for you.

Here's how it usually works:

SEOs find a high-ranking website. They look for popular websites that already have a good reputation with Google. For example, sites like Wikipedia, news websites like CNN, or well-known blogs.

*I'll give you a list of the best websites for Parasite SEO later in this blog post. 

SEOs order high-quality content from experienced copywriters. Yes, this is an important step because people often fail here. I would say that this is the most important step of all. When we talk about Parasite SEO (and not just this type of SEO, as quality content is important for any kind of marketing effort), AI-generated content or content from ten-dollar-Upwork copywriters doesn't bring value. This is just wasting your time.

SEOs post the content. They then post their own content on that website, finding a way to do so legally (there are numerous methods, ranging from sponsored content for significant fees to free placement if the content genuinely adds value for website visitors).

For instance, someone might write an article about "Best Running Shoes for Women 2024" and post it on Forbes. And I am not kidding - the proof is here:

forbes.com 

Benefit from authority. Because the published content is on a high-ranking website, it quickly achieves better search engine rankings. If the article about running shoes is on a trusted website (as in our example), Google views it as credible and pushes it higher up in search results.

You can see that the webpage mentioned above receives more traffic than the average website on the Internet:

ahrefs.com 

Step #2: Examples of Parasite SEO in Action

Below, I provide some examples of Parasite SEO which some SEOs use. Of course, some of these approaches may fall outside the principles of fair play and potentially violate the rules (or even be illegal), so I do not recommend doing them. 

*I describe these approaches for educational purposes only.

Affiliate Marketing Hijack.

A marketer posts an article titled, for example, "Most Expensive Gaming Laptops 2024," on a popular tech blog through a guest post or on a high-ranking website such as LinkedIn or Medium.

Real-life example:

linkedin.com

They include affiliate links to earn commissions from purchases:

linkedin.com

The article ranked in the top 10 for "most expensive laptop on the market" and "luxury laptops" because it was published on a high-authority website:

ahrefs.com

Hacked Content Insertion.

This is a rare and illegal case. I mention it because I found some explanations on web.dev. 

So, how does this happen? 

Hackers exploited a vulnerability in a well-known news website to post an article.

Since the article appeared on a trusted news website, it ranked high for keywords.

User-Generated Content Abuse:

Someone wrote a review on a popular forum that allows user-generated content and placed their affiliate link:

neurotalk.org

The post included links to their affiliate products, leading to increased sales.

Expired Domain Reuse

An expired domain that once belonged to a financial advice blog was repurposed to post content about "Best Online Trading Platforms," for example.

The old blog's high authority meant that the new articles quickly ranked for finance-related keywords.

Step #3: The Importance of Understanding Parasite SEO Strategy in Modern SEO

So, what benefits can you gain from implementing a Parasite SEO strategy?

Getting leads in the short term: If done correctly, you can benefit from your Parasite SEO content much faster compared to your primary website.

*For example, an article published on the Medium social network starts working within the next few hours because Medium is a well-crawled website by Google bots.

Boosting Visibility: Understanding Parasite SEO can help you comprehend why some content ranks higher than others.

*For instance, if you're selling headphones, knowing about Parasite SEO might explain why your competitor's product article ranks higher on Google.

Staying Competitive: By learning about Parasite SEO, you can stay ahead of the competition by employing clean, ethical strategies to enhance your search engine rankings.

*For example, you might focus on writing high-quality guest posts or creating helpful content that naturally ranks well.

Not all Parasite SEO techniques are the same. They vary based on how ethical or unethical they are. Below, I describe them, moving from “white” techniques to “black” and forbidden ones.

Here are the main types:

Legitimate Guest Posting and Content Collaboration

Legitimate Guest Posting involves writing valuable articles for other websites as a guest author. This is done with permission, and typically, the host website approves the article.

Example: Writing an article about "Top Photography Tips" for a popular photography blog, which links back to your own website.

Content Collaboration involves partnering with other websites to produce joint content.

Example: Co-authoring a guide about "Healthy Recipes" with a well-known food blog.

Grey Hat Tactics

Grey hat SEO is essentially the middle ground between white hat SEO, which fully adheres to the rules, and black hat SEO, which disregards the rules to improve search rankings. 

Think of it as if you’re playing a sport where you can play by the book (white hat), play dirty (black hat), or play in a way that pushes the boundaries of the rules without outright breaking them (grey hat).

In grey hat SEO, the strategies used are not directly prohibited by search engine guidelines, such as those from Google, but they are also not completely above board or ethical. These tactics exist in a murky zone, and I strongly recommend against using them.

Let's take a look at these tactics and understand how they work.

Buying Expired Domains with Good Backlinks: Purchase expired domains that were once popular and repurpose them to post new content.

Example: An expired domain that was formerly a popular travel blog is bought and used to promote "Cheap Vacation Packages."

Renting High-Ranking Domains: Rent space on a high-ranking website to post your own content.

Example: Renting a subdomain from a well-known educational website to post an article about "Best Online MBA Programs."

Private Blog Networks (PBNs): Create a network of websites that link to each other to enhance SEO rankings.

Example: A network of five blogs, each linking to one another and to a central "money site" about "Top Home Gadgets."

Black Hat Parasitic Techniques

Black hat SEO is a set of practices that explicitly violate search engine guidelines to boost a webpage's rankings in search results. 

This approach is like playing a game where instead of trying to get better through practice and skill, someone cheats to win. It’s like hacking the score system or paying off the referees to ensure a win in sports.

These tactics are often deceptive and manipulative, aiming to trick both search engines and users. 

Examples of black hat SEO include:

Content Hijacking: Hackers break into a popular website to post their own content without permission.

Example: A hacker adds an article promoting "Magic Skin Cream" on a popular health website, which ranks high due to the website’s authority.

Unauthorized Guest Posting: Someone may find a way to post unauthorized articles on a website.

Example: Posting an article about "Best Smartphones" on a high-authority tech blog by exploiting user-generated content loopholes.

Scraping and Republishing Content: Scraping content means copying it from another website and publishing it on a high-ranking domain without permission.

Example: Copying an article about "Top 10 SEO Tips" and posting it on a hacked news website.

As I promised earlier, I would like to reveal the top websites that SEOs use for Parasite SEO. I'm not only providing a list of top websites for Parasite SEO but also structuring them by topic.

This approach, I bet, will allow you to find new websites in the future should you decide to try Parasite SEO. 

Let's get started.

News Websites

Popular news websites like CNN, BBC, or Forbes are sometimes used because they rank well.

Forbes

Link to website: https://www.forbes.com/ 

Forbes is a highly respected global media company, focusing on business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership, and lifestyle. It's a valuable platform for parasite SEO due to its authoritative reputation and vast readership. 

You can contribute guest posts or expert commentary that integrates strategic keywords and includes backlinks to your primary website. 

Blogging Platforms

Sites like Medium or Tumblr allow anyone to post content freely. They can be strategically utilized for parasite SEO, which involves leveraging the high domain authority of established sites to rank higher in search engine results quickly. 

Medium

Link to website: https://medium.com/ 

Medium is an open publishing platform that allows anyone to write and share articles with a global audience. This platform is particularly useful for implementing parasite SEO strategies due to its high domain authority and large user base. 

Forums and Community Websites

Sites like Reddit, Quora, or niche-specific forums can also be exploited.

Reddit

Link to website: https://www.reddit.com/ 

Reddit is a vast network of communities based on people's interests where you can find forums on nearly any topic imaginable. It's a powerful tool for parasite SEO because of its active user engagement and niche subreddits. 

You can participate in relevant discussions or even start your own threads to subtly incorporate strategic keywords and backlinks to your main website. 

Reddit’s voting system can help your posts gain more exposure if they resonate well with the community, thereby amplifying your reach and potentially converting engaged readers into leads.

Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (a favorite among Parasite SEOs) can be used to share parasitic content.

LinkedIn

Link to website: https://www.linkedin.com/ 

LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that connects individuals and businesses across various industries. It's an ideal venue for parasite SEO because of its professional context and the ability to reach targeted audiences directly. 

You can publish articles, post updates, and participate in industry-specific groups to integrate strategic keywords and include backlinks to your main website. 

Reviews

Reviews play a significant role in shaping a business's online reputation and search engine optimization (SEO). 

In the context of parasite SEO, review platforms like Yelp, Google Reviews, and Trustpilot can be strategically manipulated to enhance a site's SEO by creating an abundance of positive reviews or diminishing competitors through negative feedback. 

This tactic involves posting reviews that directly link back to a business’s main page or related product sites, boosting their visibility and search rankings due to the high authority of the review platforms.

Trustpilot

Link to website: https://www.trustpilot.com/ 

Trustpilot is a consumer review website where users can post reviews about companies and services. It offers a platform that can be exploited for aggressive SEO tactics, such as the creation of fake reviews. 

For example, a company could generate multiple fraudulent reviews for "Top VPN Services," each review linking to a website selling VPN subscriptions with affiliate links. This approach can temporarily boost the perceived credibility and search rankings of the service.

 However, employing such tactics comes with considerable risks, including potential legal repercussions and severe damage to the company's reputation if these actions are uncovered.

Other

GitHub

Link to website: https://github.com/ 

GitHub is a code hosting platform for developers to collaborate, share, and publish projects and documentation. It can be creatively used for marketing purposes, such as by affiliate marketers. 

For example, an affiliate marketer might create a repository titled "SEO Tools" on GitHub, embedding affiliate links within the project's documentation. This strategy leverages GitHub's credibility and high traffic to promote affiliate products subtly. 

However, while this can be an effective way to reach a tech-savvy audience, it's crucial to maintain transparency and abide by GitHub’s policies to avoid potential ethical issues or violations of terms of service.

So, as I mentioned guest blogging in alignment with Parasite SEO, let's examine them more closely.

Parasite SEO and guest blogging both aim to leverage another website's authority to boost search engine rankings and increase traffic.

However, they differ significantly in their approaches, ethical considerations, and long-term impacts.

With parasite SEO, you have the opportunity to publish content on high-authority platforms like LinkedIn. Here, you often retain the ability to edit and manage your post, allowing you to take advantage of the host site's established SEO strength to quickly boost your content's ranking.

In contrast, guest blogging involves creating content for another person's website, typically under a more formal arrangement. While you might not maintain the same level of control over the content once it's published, guest blogging provides deliberate backlinking opportunities and the potential for a longer-term partnership. 

This not only enhances your brand's credibility but also expands your reach, making it a valuable strategy for building a strong, reputable online presence.

While it's crucial to understand the ethical implications of Parasite SEO, knowing the tools used in this strategy can help you stay informed and protect your site. 

Here are the top 5 tools frequently used in Parasite SEO:

Ahrefs

Link to website: https://ahrefs.com/ 

A comprehensive SEO tool that provides insights into backlinks, keyword rankings, and competitor analysis.

Use in Parasite SEO:

• Identify high-authority websites with strong backlink profiles.
• Discover expired domains that could be repurposed for parasite SEO.
• Analyze competitors' backlink strategies for guest posting opportunities.

SEMrush

Link to website: https://semrush.com/ 

A versatile SEO tool that offers keyword research, competitor analysis, and backlink auditing.

Use in Parasite SEO:

• Perform keyword research to identify high-volume keywords.
• Analyze competitors' backlink profiles for potential parasite SEO targets.
• Find high-ranking pages on high-DA domains for guest post opportunities.

Moz Link Explorer

Link to website: https://moz.com/link-explorer 

A link analysis tool that provides comprehensive backlink data and domain authority scores.

Use in Parasite SEO:

• Find high-authority domains by analyzing their DA scores.
• Discover pages with high backlinks for potential guest posting.
• Monitor backlinks to your parasite SEO content.

ExpiredDomains.net

Link to website: https://www.expireddomains.net/ 

A free tool that provides lists of expired domains with strong backlinks.

Use in Parasite SEO:

• Find expired domains with existing backlinks and good domain authority.
• Filter by niche or language for more targeted results.

Google Alerts

Link to website:  https://www.google.com/alerts 

A free tool that sends email notifications for specific keywords and content mentions.

Use in Parasite SEO:

• Monitor mentions of specific keywords to identify new guest posting opportunities.
• Track competitors' content to understand their SEO strategies.
• Keep tabs on potential targets or high-authority domains in your niche.

Now, I'm going to take you through the intriguing world of Parasite SEO with real-world examples. As we explore these cases, I'll show you how this strategy leverages the authority of well-established websites to boost the search engine rankings of lesser-known pages.

You can find examples of Parasite SEO across a variety of topics. 

Let's take, for instance, the keyword "best hosting provider." 

As you can see, this keyword has a "Super Hard" difficulty rating according to Ahrefs data, which means appearing in the Top 10 might be challenging.

ahrefs.com

And as you might guess, there are a lot of Parasite SEO articles at the top of SERP. 

Here is an example of how to use LinkedIn for Parasite SEO purposes:

google.com

Article published with affiliate links:

linkedin.com

Here is an example of how to use Reddit for Parasite SEO purposes:

reddit.com

Finally, the topic we are discussing in this article also includes examples of Parasite SEO. Here they are:

google.com

*As you navigate through these dubious techniques, remember that while they may promise quick gains, the long-term consequences are often dire. As an ethical consultancy in the business, we do not work with this approach.

Search engines like Google are becoming increasingly adept at identifying and penalizing such manipulative practices. 

The end result? A swift and often irreversible ban from search engine results pages (SERPs).

By understanding these unethical strategies, you can steer clear of the pitfalls that could lead to your site’s demise. 

Instead, focus on building a robust, legitimate SEO strategy that will stand the test of time. 

So, how to get banned by using Parasite SEO? 

Let's learn the rules from Google's documentation. Here are the easy ways to not succeed in SEO:

Use generative AI tools or other similar tools to generate many pages without adding value for users.

Example: A casino website may use AI to generate thousands of pages with repetitive and generic content about various casino games. The pages might provide basic information about game rules without any insights, strategies, or unique content that would benefit the users.

Scrape feeds, search results, or other content to generate many pages (including through automated transformations like synonymizing, translating, or other obfuscation techniques), where little value is provided to users.

Example: A website selling restricted medication may scrape product descriptions from legitimate pharmacy websites, run them through an automated synonym replacement tool, and publish these slightly altered descriptions across hundreds of pages. The end result could be a set of pages that offer no new information and confuse users with poorly phrased content.

Stitch or combine content from different web pages without adding value.

Example: An affiliate marketing website for online betting might combine parts of articles from various sources about betting strategies, bonuses, and game rules into a single article. 

The stitched content may lack coherence and offer no original insight, failing to provide any added value to readers.

Create multiple sites with the intent of hiding the scaled nature of the content.

Example:

An operator may create a network of sites promoting illegal streaming services for movies and TV shows. Each site might have slightly different branding but share almost identical content, such as copied reviews, listings, and descriptions, aiming to dominate search results and mislead users about the variety and legitimacy of the service.

Create many pages where the content makes little or no sense to a reader but contains search keywords.

Example:

A fake online pharmacy may generate numerous pages filled with nonsensical paragraphs interspersed with popular search keywords related to prescription drugs, aiming to rank higher in search results. 

The content could be unreadable and provide no useful information to users seeking medical advice or products.

Okay, we discussed the ways to get banned by Google by using Parasite SEO tactics. 

But…

Is there a way to avoid a ban and benefit from Parasite SEO? 

Here is the good news: in Google documentation, there are examples of how to use Parasite SEO without the danger of being banned. 

Let's take a quick look at them.

Some examples of how to work with Parasite SEO that are not considered abuse of a site's reputation:

• Wire service or press release service sites: You can use these platforms for the dissemination of press releases and news wires.

• News publications with syndicated content: You can use publications that share syndicated news content from other reputable news sources.

• User-generated content platforms: You can use sites like forums or websites with comment sections that are designed to allow contributions from users.

• Editorial content with oversight: You can use columns, opinion pieces, articles, and other editorial works that involve close review or involvement by the host site.

• Third-party content with host involvement: You can use 'advertorial' or 'native advertising' pages produced with significant involvement from the host site, aimed at delivering content directly to readers, rather than manipulating search rankings.

• Use of third-party ad units and affiliate links: You can embed third-party ad units or using affiliate links throughout a page, provided these links are treated appropriately.

• Closely monitored coupon listings: You can use coupons that are listed with significant involvement from the hosting site.

To wrap up, let me welcome you to a discussion about your SEO challenges and ways to improve your rankings on LinkedIn or via e-mail.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them. I'm here to help!

Until then, I wish for you to be the leader in your business's never-ending marathon and to attain new rewards in this complicated, but exciting competition.

Best regards,

Alex

P.S. Don't forget to check out our last post where we discuss “How to conquer the world with international SEO”.