{"id":175716,"date":"2024-05-31T05:54:38","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T10:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=175716"},"modified":"2024-05-31T05:55:43","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T10:55:43","slug":"parasite-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/parasite-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"Parasite SEO Explained (It\u2019s Not Always Evil!)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">Parasite SEO can help you rank for more competitive keywords, rank faster, and get more traffic to your content.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>But do these benefits come at the risk of a Google penalty?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>It depends\u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"intro-tok\" id=\"intro_tok\" style=\"display:none;\"><div class=\"intro-title\">Contents<\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"expand-dots\"><span><\/span><span><\/span><span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"What is parasite SEO?\" data-section=\"what-is-parasite-seo\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_di0r5mb3e6mg\"><\/a>What is parasite SEO?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Parasite SEO is where you leverage the authority of an established website to rank for competitive keywords. You do this by publishing content on the high-authority website instead of your&nbsp;own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are obviously pros and cons to this approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-313\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-313 tablepress-responsive tablepress-ahrefs-width-full\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Pros<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">Cons<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\"><ul><li>Can be easier to rank for competitive keywords with lucrative content. (See the example below).<\/li><br><li>Better distribution and more eyeballs on your content because established sites often have more readers.<\/li><\/ul><\/td><td class=\"column-2\"><ul><li>Lower brand awareness in the search results as it\u2019s the third-party site that ranks, not your&nbsp;own.<\/li><br><li>Less control over the content (can\u2019t update whenever you want, change copy without approach, etc.)<\/li><br><li>Content can get taken down or changed at any time by the site&nbsp;owner.<\/li><\/ul><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Is parasite SEO an unethical, black-hat SEO tactic?\" data-section=\"is-parasite-seo-black-hat-seo\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_935cvn48nei0\"><\/a>Is parasite SEO an unethical, black-hat SEO tactic?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Not always. But often, yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most SEOs doing parasite SEO opt for a \u201cchurn and burn\u201d approach. This is where they pay for a sponsored post on one site, reap the rewards while they last, and then move on to publishing on another site when Google penalizes the first&nbsp;one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re wondering why Google might penalize sites for publishing this content, it\u2019s because of something called <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\/spam-policies\">site reputation abuse<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Site reputation abuse is when third-party pages are published with little or no first-party oversight or involvement, where the purpose is to manipulate search rankings by taking advantage of the first-party site\u2019s ranking signals. Such third-party pages include sponsored, advertising, partner, or other third-party pages that are typically independent of a host site\u2019s main purpose or produced without close oversight or involvement of the host site, and provide little to no value to&nbsp;users.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Put simply, it\u2019s when established sites publish junk content from parasite SEOs en masse. You see it happen a lot with local newspapers as they try desperately to compensate for declining advertising revenue with other revenue sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It \u201cworks\u201d for a while, but eventually, these sites get caught by a Google update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is exactly what happened to Outlook India (don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s not a site anyone knows about outside the black-hat community!). In 2023, it was a parasite SEO\u2019s dream, seemingly able to rank high for pretty much any topic. It published content about everything from \u201cbest mushroom coffee\u201d to \u201cbest dating sites\u201d to \u201cbest nootropics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"968\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/some-of-outlook-indias-rankings-in-2023.jpg\" alt=\"Some of Outlook India's rankings in 2023\" class=\"wp-image-175719\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/some-of-outlook-indias-rankings-in-2023.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/some-of-outlook-indias-rankings-in-2023-680x321.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/some-of-outlook-indias-rankings-in-2023-768x363.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/some-of-outlook-indias-rankings-in-2023-1536x726.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But the party was short-lived. It got penalized in September 2023 and traffic fell off a&nbsp;cliff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1308\" height=\"704\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/outlook-indias-traffic-downfall-via-ahrefs-site.png\" alt=\"Outlook India's traffic downfall, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-175720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/outlook-indias-traffic-downfall-via-ahrefs-site.png 1308w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/outlook-indias-traffic-downfall-via-ahrefs-site-680x366.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/outlook-indias-traffic-downfall-via-ahrefs-site-768x413.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1308px) 100vw, 1308px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This is just one of countless similar examples over the years, and it\u2019s why black-hat parasite SEO is risky. Unless you know what you\u2019re getting yourself into and are happy to play the \u201cchurn and burn\u201d game, I wouldn\u2019t touch news sites like these with a barge&nbsp;pole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there is a white-hat alternative: writing guest posts about competitive topics for well-known blogs in your industry. There\u2019s nothing wrong with doing this. I\u2019ve done it before and had great success with it (more on that&nbsp;later).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> People often refer to the white-hat version of parasite SEO as barnacle SEO. Makes sense\u2026 but also I think SEOs need to stop coming up with silly names for every slight variation of tactics&nbsp;\ud83d\ude09<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Examples of parasite SEO\" data-section=\"examples-of-parasite-seo\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_nu7b5f27p24i\"><\/a>Examples of parasite SEO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at a few examples of parasite SEO. Specifically, a black-hat, grey-hat, and white-hat example. I want to show you that the tactic itself isn\u2019t unethical but rather the way it often gets&nbsp;used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_o5r93gwuyyi1\"><\/a>Black-hat: Outlook India\u2019s page on the best free movie streaming sites<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1460\" height=\"982\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/outlook-indias-page-on-the-best-movie-streaming-s.png\" alt=\"Outlook India's page on the best movie streaming sites\" class=\"wp-image-175721\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/outlook-indias-page-on-the-best-movie-streaming-s.png 1460w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/outlook-indias-page-on-the-best-movie-streaming-s-632x425.png 632w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/outlook-indias-page-on-the-best-movie-streaming-s-768x517.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1460px) 100vw, 1460px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Between July and December 2023, this page on Outlook India attracted between an estimated ~25K and ~377K search visits per&nbsp;month!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1460\" height=\"704\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/estimated-traffic-to-outlook-indias-page-over-tim.png\" alt=\"Estimated traffic to Outlook India's page over time\" class=\"wp-image-175722\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/estimated-traffic-to-outlook-indias-page-over-tim.png 1460w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/estimated-traffic-to-outlook-indias-page-over-tim-680x328.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/estimated-traffic-to-outlook-indias-page-over-tim-768x370.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1460px) 100vw, 1460px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the page did not declare sponsored content, it was clearly that, as the piece contained multiple very dodgy links to a movie-streaming service. It was trying to turn traffic into&nbsp;users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1356\" height=\"502\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/spammy-links-in-outlook-indias-post.png\" alt=\"Spammy links in Outlook India's post\" class=\"wp-image-175723\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/spammy-links-in-outlook-indias-post.png 1356w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/spammy-links-in-outlook-indias-post-680x252.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/spammy-links-in-outlook-indias-post-768x284.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1356px) 100vw, 1356px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The content was also absolute trash. ChatGPT could write better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> The site these links went to isn\u2019t even indexed by Google anymore, so I assume it was pretty sketchy!<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_dj2q4hjq2z38\"><\/a>Grey-hat: Washington City Paper\u2019s post on the best essay writing services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A marketing agency used parasite SEO to rank for \u201ctop essay writing service\u201d\u2014a highly competitive keyword with a Keyword Difficulty (KD) score of 87 and only high-authority websites ranking in the top&nbsp;10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1396\" height=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/parasite-page-ranking-1-for-top-essay-writing-se.png\" alt=\"Parasite page ranking #1 for &quot;top essay writing service&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-175724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/parasite-page-ranking-1-for-top-essay-writing-se.png 1396w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/parasite-page-ranking-1-for-top-essay-writing-se-680x321.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/parasite-page-ranking-1-for-top-essay-writing-se-768x363.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1396px) 100vw, 1396px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>They did this by publishing a sponsored post on a strong DR 80 site: <em>washingtoncitypaper.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1408\" height=\"822\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/example-of-sponsored-parasite-content.png\" alt=\"Example of sponsored parasite content\" class=\"wp-image-175725\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/example-of-sponsored-parasite-content.png 1408w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/example-of-sponsored-parasite-content-680x397.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/example-of-sponsored-parasite-content-768x448.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1408px) 100vw, 1408px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s likely that this helped them to rank faster and more easily compared to publishing on their low-authority DR 4 website:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"956\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/the-dr-of-the-agency-behind-the-parasite-posts-we.png\" alt=\"The DR of the agency behind the parasite post's websites\" class=\"wp-image-175726\" style=\"width:525px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/the-dr-of-the-agency-behind-the-parasite-posts-we.png 956w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/the-dr-of-the-agency-behind-the-parasite-posts-we-680x378.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/the-dr-of-the-agency-behind-the-parasite-posts-we-768x427.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>How did this benefit them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their post features a list of links to top essay writing services\u2014<strong>half of which are monetized with affiliate links<\/strong> (see the highlighted ones&nbsp;below):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1366\" height=\"1002\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/affiliate-links-in-the-parasite-post.png\" alt=\"Affiliate links in the parasite post\" class=\"wp-image-175727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/affiliate-links-in-the-parasite-post.png 1366w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/affiliate-links-in-the-parasite-post-579x425.png 579w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/affiliate-links-in-the-parasite-post-768x563.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1366px) 100vw, 1366px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Ahrefs, this page gets an estimated 2.7K monthly visits from organic search\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"546\" height=\"268\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/estimated-traffic-to-the-parasite-post-via-ahrefs.png\" alt=\"Estimated traffic to the parasite post, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-175728\" style=\"width:330px;height:auto\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026 and one of the affiliate programs has a 60% commission on first orders over $60:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"666\" height=\"508\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/example-affiliate-commission-for-the-recommended-s.png\" alt=\"Example affiliate commission for the recommended services\" class=\"wp-image-175729\" style=\"width:366px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/example-affiliate-commission-for-the-recommended-s.png 666w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/example-affiliate-commission-for-the-recommended-s-557x425.png 557w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 666px) 100vw, 666px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if we assume that only 1% of those 2.7K visits result in an affiliate conversion of $60, that\u2019s potentially ~$1K\/month in affiliate revenue for the agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_8qg1wo9ily06\"><\/a>White-hat: Moz\u2019s blog post on SEO services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2015, Ryan Stewart published a post on the Moz blog about why he stopped selling SEO services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2004\" height=\"1428\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/mozs-post-on-seo-services.jpg\" alt=\"Moz's post on SEO services\" class=\"wp-image-175730\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/mozs-post-on-seo-services.jpg 2004w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/mozs-post-on-seo-services-596x425.jpg 596w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/mozs-post-on-seo-services-768x547.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/mozs-post-on-seo-services-1536x1095.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2004px) 100vw, 2004px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This ranked for the keyword \u201cSEO services\u201d (as well as many others) for years\u2014getting thousands of monthly organic visits as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1658\" height=\"704\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/estimated-traffic-to-mozs-post.png\" alt=\"Estimated traffic to Moz's post\" class=\"wp-image-175731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/estimated-traffic-to-mozs-post.png 1658w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/estimated-traffic-to-mozs-post-680x289.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/estimated-traffic-to-mozs-post-768x326.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/estimated-traffic-to-mozs-post-1536x652.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1658px) 100vw, 1658px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The estimated organic traffic graph above shows that the post\u2019s traffic only dropped off in 2021. It ranked pretty well for almost six years before that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time of publishing, Ryan ran WEBRIS\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s the difference in WEBRIS and Moz\u2019s Domain Rating (DR) at the time of publishing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"524\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/dr-for-moz-vs-webris.png\" alt=\"DR for Moz vs. WEBRIS\" class=\"wp-image-175732\" style=\"width:266px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/dr-for-moz-vs-webris.png 450w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/dr-for-moz-vs-webris-365x425.png 365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Given that DR is logarithmic, DR 90 is massively more authoritative than DR 53. This is likely part of the reason Ryan\u2019s post ranked so quickly and for so long. It probably wouldn\u2019t have done quite as well if he had published it on his own website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What did Ryan get out of this? Unlike black-and-grey hat parasite SEO, the game here wasn\u2019t to directly monetize the content. It was to build Ryan\u2019s personal brand and establish thought leadership in the space. After all, Moz has a lot of readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why does parasite SEO work?\" data-section=\"why-does-parasite-seo work\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_371g1aclenjk\"><\/a>Why does parasite SEO&nbsp;work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Parasite SEO works for a mix of three reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_y53a0xrnw45l\"><\/a>You benefit from the site\u2019s \u2018authority\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Google representatives have said many times that website authority isn\u2019t a ranking factor. But what is a ranking factor is <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-pagerank\/\">PageRank (PR)<\/a>. Despite being decades old, Google still uses this to help rank websites\u2014and high-authority sites have more of it than low-authority ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For this reason, the average page on a high-authority website has more \u2018authority\u2019 than the average page on a low-authority website. This is because <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/internal-links-for-seo\/\">internal links<\/a> to the page send it more PageRank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_jz5778b5m0i3\"><\/a>You benefit from the site\u2019s \u2018topical authority\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re posting on a site with lots of content about a particular topic (as big sites often have), your post will likely have internal links with relevant <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/anchor-text\/\">anchor text<\/a> from lots of similar content. This helps build \u201ctopical authority\u201d because Google <a href=\"http:\/\/infolab.stanford.edu\/~backrub\/google.html\">uses<\/a> anchor text to help rank web&nbsp;pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Google employs a number of techniques to improve search quality including page rank, <strong>anchor text<\/strong>, and proximity information.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_g8jrxuvchvj8\"><\/a>You (might) benefit from the site\u2019s \u2018brand equity\u2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>People want to see results from websites they know and trust, right? This likely means that big, credible sites will have an easier time ranking in search because searchers trust them more than small unknown sites. (Or maybe it\u2019s just because <a href=\"https:\/\/housefresh.com\/david-vs-digital-goliaths\/\">Google favors big sites<\/a> these&nbsp;days?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to do parasite SEO\" data-section=\"how-to-do-parasite-seo\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_g3cg0tfm97fw\"><\/a>How to do parasite SEO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re sold on parasite SEO and want to try it, there are only four steps to the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_gxnjxnthuvg4\"><\/a>1. Find high-authority websites ranking well in your&nbsp;niche<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The best contenders for parasite SEO are websites already ranking well for the types of keywords you want to rank for. Here\u2019s a quick way to find these sites in Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enter a handful of similar keywords to what you want to rank for (10-20 is plenty)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to the <strong>Traffic Share by Domain<\/strong> report<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1846\" height=\"1228\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/traffic-share-by-domain-in-ahrefs-keywords-explor.png\" alt=\"Traffic share by domain in Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-175733\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/traffic-share-by-domain-in-ahrefs-keywords-explor.png 1846w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/traffic-share-by-domain-in-ahrefs-keywords-explor-639x425.png 639w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/traffic-share-by-domain-in-ahrefs-keywords-explor-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/traffic-share-by-domain-in-ahrefs-keywords-explor-1536x1022.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1846px) 100vw, 1846px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This report shows you the sites getting the most combined traffic from the keywords you entered. For example, the sites above all rank well for keywords related to the best essay writing services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_kw0eziqasblp\"><\/a>2. Pull out the best opportunities for parasite SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For a website to be a potential candidate for parasite SEO, it needs to be open to publishing guest posts, sponsored content, or be somewhere you can self-publish like Reddit or LinkedIn Pulse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s easy to spot the websites that allow self-publishing; there are a few on our&nbsp;list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"710\" height=\"1038\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/example-of-sites-that-allow-self-publishing.png\" alt=\"Example of sites that allow self-publishing\" class=\"wp-image-175734\" style=\"width:429px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/example-of-sites-that-allow-self-publishing.png 710w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/example-of-sites-that-allow-self-publishing-291x425.png 291w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 710px) 100vw, 710px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The rest of the sites will typically fall into one of three buckets:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Competitors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Niche blogs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Newspapers\/magazines<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Competitors are bad candidates for parasite SEO because they\u2019re unlikely to publish your content\u2014even if you\u2019re willing to pay them. There\u2019s no incentive for them to do this because they\u2019d just be helping a competitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Niche blogs are good candidates if they\u2019re likely to be open to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/guest-blogging\/\">guest posts<\/a> (like the one from Ryan Stewart in the previous section). This is probably the case if there are numerous authors with just one or two posts in the last few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an easy way to check for this using Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/content-explorer\">Content Explorer<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Search for <code>site:theirwebsite.com<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Filter for pages published in the last 90&nbsp;days<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to the Authors tab<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1424\" height=\"1304\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/researching-whether-a-site-likely-accepts-guest-po.jpg\" alt=\"Researching whether a site likely accepts guest posts in Ahrefs' Content Explorer\" class=\"wp-image-175735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/researching-whether-a-site-likely-accepts-guest-po.jpg 1424w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/researching-whether-a-site-likely-accepts-guest-po-464x425.jpg 464w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/researching-whether-a-site-likely-accepts-guest-po-768x703.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1424px) 100vw, 1424px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the example above, Moz has published posts from 32 different authors in the last 90 days\u2014each of whom has only published 1-2 posts. This is a strong sign that they accept guest&nbsp;posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Newspapers and magazines are good candidates if you\u2019re happy to pay for sponsored content and understand that the website will probably get penalized by Google at some point. (More on this in the section on black-hat vs white-hat SEO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">Want to find easy parasite SEO opportunities on Reddit?<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of starting new Reddit threads and hoping they rank, look for threads that already rank and leave a useful comment. Here\u2019s how to find such threads in Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enter reddit.com<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to the <strong>Organic Keywords<\/strong> report<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Filter for\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>URL contains <em>comments <\/em>(this excludes subreddit homepages)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Top 5 rankings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keywords you want (e.g., ones containing \u201cessay\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>View \u201cMain positions\u201d only (this removes the discussion and forum results)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"961\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/finding-reddit-parasite-seo-opportunities.jpg\" alt=\"Finding Reddit parasite SEO opportunities\" class=\"wp-image-175736\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/finding-reddit-parasite-seo-opportunities.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/finding-reddit-parasite-seo-opportunities-680x319.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/finding-reddit-parasite-seo-opportunities-768x360.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/finding-reddit-parasite-seo-opportunities-1536x721.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Click through to the Reddit threads in the results and leave comments where it makes&nbsp;sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_tpvfjfy75rpi\"><\/a>3. Publish optimized content on the&nbsp;site<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s now time to get some content onto the sites you&nbsp;found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With places like Reddit and LinkedIn Pulse, this is pretty straightforward. You simply publish content there with little to no gatekeeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For newspapers and magazines (i.e., the black\/grey-hat route), you need to reach out and ask if they\u2019re open to a sponsored post. In other words, you\u2019ll have to pay to get your content live in such places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re going after niche blogs, reach out and pitch a guest post (don\u2019t offer money). Remember to choose a competitive topic with search volume as the whole point of parasite SEO is to take advantage of \u201cstrong\u201d sites to rank for keywords you\u2019d otherwise struggle to rank&nbsp;for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is exactly what I did back in 2013 (yes, over a decade ago!) when I ran a very small video production company with my brother. Because our site was brand new and weak, there was a slim chance of us ranking for a competitive term like \u201cvideo SEO\u201d\u2014so I wrote a guest post for Kissmetrics instead:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1934\" height=\"1154\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-on-kissmetrics.jpg\" alt=\"My guest post on KISSmetrics\" class=\"wp-image-175737\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-on-kissmetrics.jpg 1934w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-on-kissmetrics-680x406.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-on-kissmetrics-768x458.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-on-kissmetrics-1536x917.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1934px) 100vw, 1934px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This post ranked for years, and attracted significant search traffic until June 2018 (that\u2019s over 5 years after I wrote&nbsp;it!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1370\" height=\"708\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-got-traffic-for-years.png\" alt=\"My guest post got traffic for years\" class=\"wp-image-175738\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-got-traffic-for-years.png 1370w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-got-traffic-for-years-680x351.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-got-traffic-for-years-768x397.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1370px) 100vw, 1370px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, the only reason traffic appears to fall off a cliff in 2018 is because Neil Patel bought Kissmetrics and moved the content to NeilPatel.com. My post is actually still ranking there to this&nbsp;day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1374\" height=\"884\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-still-gets-traffic.png\" alt=\"My guest post still gets traffic!\" class=\"wp-image-175739\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-still-gets-traffic.png 1374w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-still-gets-traffic-661x425.png 661w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-still-gets-traffic-260x166.png 260w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/my-guest-post-still-gets-traffic-768x494.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1374px) 100vw, 1374px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This wasn\u2019t entirely a fluke, though. It stood the test of time largely because I wrote an optimized post that matched <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/search-intent\/\">search intent<\/a> and followed <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-best-practices\/\">SEO best practices<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the resources below to learn more about creating optimized content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/on-page-seo\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/on-page-seo\/\">On-Page SEO: How to Optimize for Robots and Readers<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-optimization\/\">Content Optimization: The Complete Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_v713s9drrdy\"><\/a>4. Build links to your content (optional)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Posts published on \u201cstrong\u201d websites will often rank well without links, but not always. In this case, building a few links to your post can sometimes make sense to give it a nudge in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why only sometimes? Two reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Link building is a lot of work.<\/strong> Unless you\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/buy-backlinks\/\">buying links<\/a> or building <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/bad-links\/\">bad links<\/a> (don\u2019t do this!), link building is hard. If you\u2019re going to go to that effort, it\u2019s probably better to publish content on your own website and build links to&nbsp;there.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It might be a waste of time (and money).<\/strong> If you\u2019re doing parasite SEO on news websites, they\u2019ll probably get penalized at some point. If this happens, all that hard work building links will be for nothing.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>If you still want to build some links to your parasite post, check out the resources below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/link-building\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/link-building\/\">Link Building for SEO: The Beginner\u2019s Guide<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-get-backlinks\/\">How To Get Backlinks: Add, Ask, Earn,&nbsp;Buy<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/find-competitors-backlinks\/\">How to Find Your Competitors\u2019 Backlinks (And Get Them for Yourself)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-175716-_odq85yngw6oi\"><\/a>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Parasite SEO (or barnacle SEO, or whatever you want to call it) isn\u2019t always bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure, it\u2019s most commonly used by black-hat SEOs opting for a \u201cchurn and burn\u201d approach\u2014but there\u2019s no reason you can\u2019t use it for good. It\u2019s perfectly possible to take advantage of a site\u2019s authority to rank truly great content quickly and more easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Got questions? Ping me on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/joshuachardwick?lang=en\">X<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/uk.linkedin.com\/in\/joshuahardwick28\">LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>But do these benefits come at the risk of a Google penalty? It depends\u2026 Parasite SEO is where you leverage the authority of an established website to rank for competitive keywords. You do this by publishing content on the high-authority<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[335],"tags":[],"coauthors":[336],"class_list":["post-175716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-seo","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Parasite SEO Explained (It&#039;s Not Always Evil!)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Parasite SEO can help you rank for more competitive keywords. 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