Have you ever heard of Parasite SEO?
It’s an SEO strategy that can boost the search rankings of some of your web pages.
Parasite SEO involves finding authority websites that accept sponsored content and creating content for those sites to build links to your own website.
In this post, let’s discover what parasite search engine optimization is all about and how to do it right. Let’s go!
What is Parasite SEO? A Complete Guide for Beginners
What Is Parasite SEO? How Does it Work?
Parasite SEO is a way of improving your website search rankings by attaching it to a BIG website. This can be done by getting links from the authority website and getting some link juice from their domain authority.
Imagine you are a small fish swimming in the ocean. The big fish are the BIG websites, which have much power (i.e., authority).
They can swim faster and eat more food than you can. In other words, big websites can rank faster and higher than small websites.
Parasite SEO is like being a small fish that attaches itself to a big fish. The small fish doesn’t have to work as hard to swim; it also gets to eat some of the big fish’s food. Similarly, you’ll get better search rankings by building links and mentions from authority websites.
Parasite SEO Example
Here’s a real-world example of a parasite website.
Let’s say you want to rank for a high-competitive keyword, “sell feet pics.”
Ranking on top of Google for such competitive search terms is NOT easy at ALL.
Also, the search intent for such keywords is highly commercial, which means you can make a lot of money if you rank for those keywords.
Google usually prefers eCommerce and image platforms to rank such keywords. But when you search for the same keyword on Google, you’ll notice this;
As you can see above, Outlook India is ranking #1 for the keyword. Outlook India is a top Indian online magazine.
It is ranking above the eCommerce websites like Etsy for that keyword. It’s the BEST example of successful parasite SEO.
If we click on the result and scroll down the page, we can see that it’s a sponsored post.
Have a look;
FeetFinder website has paid Outlook India to publish the article. We can say that because the article has linked to the website several times within the post.
Parasite SEO can be extremely effective in improving your website’s authority and search rankings.
But… you need to do it carefully. If you use parasite SEO too aggressively, your website could get penalized by Google.
How to Implement Parasite SEO Properly?
Here are a few proven steps to get started with parasite SEO to build links and boost your website’s organic visibility.
1. Find websites open to parasite SEO
To use parasite SEO, you need to find high-authority websites that are relevant to your niche.
You need to find websites that meet the following criteria:
- Websites with a huge DA (domain authority)
- Websites that allow users to post content
- Websites that allow sponsored content (for money)
- Websites that let you link to your website (or its content)
- Websites that get massive traffic from search engines like Google
In case you’re wondering, here are a few authority websites that most website owners use for parasite SEO link building;
- Forbes
- Outlook India
- Business Insider
- Business2Community
- Entrepreneur
- The Huffington Post
- Social Media Examiner
- Content Marketing Institute
Once you’ve identified such websites, create content that is relevant to both your website and the high-authority website.
Once you have created the content, you can post it on the authority website. This will help your website get high DA backlinks and improve its search rankings.
2. Find the right keywords to rank for
There’s no point in using parasite SEO for keywords that are totally irrelevant to your website topics.
Make sure to perform keyword research to find relevant keywords that can help with targeted website traffic from search engines.
Here are a few quick tips to find better keywords to implement parasite SEO;
- Firstly, don’t look at metrics like monthly search volume, keyword difficulty, etc. Why? If you get links from big sites, your sponsored content will rank. So, focus on the intent of the keywords instead.
- Target long-tail keywords. They’re more specific and help with targeted visitors from search. For example, instead of targeting the keyword “SEO consultants,” you could target the long-tail keyword “best SEO consultants for agencies.”
- Consider local keywords, especially if you have a local business. These are keywords that are relevant to your location. For example, you could target the keyword “SEO consultants in New York City.”
Create engaging and helpful content
Once you’re done with keyword research, you should create helpful content.
Yes, you’re publishing sponsored content for others to boost your website’s link authority. But your content should be informative. Otherwise, it can damage your website’s reputation.
Here are some of the best tips to create engaging content.
- Do your research on the topic. Try to cover in-depth information so it can be useful to users looking for more information on the topic.
- Avoid using jargon and technical words while writing any topic. Use simple words so even a beginner can understand your content. Use a conversational tone. Write as if you’re talking to a friend.
- Use lots of visuals to explain the topic you’re discussing.
- Edit your content carefully. Make sure your content is free of grammar mistakes.
3. Implement on-page optimization
On-page optimization is important in parasite SEO because you’ll mostly build links by creating content on authority sites.
If your content is mediocre, it can hurt your brand in the long run.
On-page content optimization is the process of optimizing your blog posts for specific keywords.
Here are some useful on-page optimization tips that you can follow while creating content for BIG websites.
- Use relevant keywords in your title tags and meta descriptions.
- Use lots of engaging subheadings to break up your content. Try to write informative and in-depth content on any topic you pick.
- Include images and appealing illustrations in your content. You can use tools like Canva to create images while creating content.
4. Build more backlinks to your website
Do NOT stop building links just because you bought (or attracted) links from high-authority websites.
Google rewards webpages that have a lot of relevant backlinks.
Here are a few tried and tested ways to build more relevant links organically.
Write on platforms like Quora: Quora is a question-and-answer platform where people can ask and answer questions on various topics.
Quora is a powerful platform to build links to your website content. The key here is to write high-quality answers to questions that are relevant to your website.
While writing answers on Quora, you can include a link or two to your website pages that are relevant to the particular answer.
Guest blogging: Guest blogging is the process of writing articles for other websites. Guest posting is an EVERGREEN strategy to build links no matter your niche.
To get started, find a list of free guest posting sites. Analyze their top-performing blog posts and come up with relevant topic ideas to pitch to the website owners.
You can start writing high-quality guest posts if they’re satisfied with your topics. Make sure to keep their audience in mind and write in a conversational tone to build user engagement.
You can also reach out to relevant websites and ask for links. It can be done in several ways, such as blogger outreach, broken link building, influencer marketing, etc.
Want more ideas? Here are 12 proven ways to build quality backlinks to your website in 2023.
Pros & Cons of Parasite SEO
So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of Parasite SEO in 2023? Let’s find out.
Pros:
- You can compete with BIG websites in your niche (as you’re leveraging high-authority sites to build links). We all know that, for most keyword terms, big websites will show up in the top 3 results. With parasite SEO, you can improve your site’s organic rankings for targeted keywords.
- It helps with quick visibility for the target keywords in search engine results
- You can attract targeted visitors from the host website
- With Parasite SEO, ranking content for a new website is easier.
- You’ll be able to increase your website’s domain authority if you get backlinks from the host site
Cons:
- Risk of getting penalized by Google (if you’re overdoing it).
- Fluctuations in rankings as your competitors can also use the same technique to build links and outrank your website in search results
A Quick Checklist for Parasite SEO
If you’re new to parasite SEO, here’s a handy checklist you can use to improve your website rankings in 2023.
- Find a list of all the high-authority websites that accept guest posts or sponsored content, such as Forbes, Outlook India, etc.
- Come up with relevant keyword ideas that you want to rank for.
- Create high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience. Make sure your content is original and informative. Don’t use AI tools!
- Rinse and repeat the process until you start seeing better results from Google.
- Don’t stop building links using other methods, such as guest blogging, writing on Quora, video marketing, influencer outreach, etc. NEVER depend on one strategy.
FAQs | What is Parasite SEO
Here are some FAQs on Parasite search engine optimization.
Is Parasite SEO the best practice to improve rankings?
No, it’s NOT. It’s a bad SEO practice that basically involves “buying links” or sponsored content from authority sites to improve search rankings quickly. However, if you’re running a less domain authority website and looking to rank for profitable keywords, parasite SEO can work.
Is Parasite SEO worth the risk?
If you’re doing it carefully, then parasite SEO can help you with better rankings and domain authority for your website. If you do it aggressively, it can ultimately lead to your website penalization in Google.
How do I know if a website is using Parasite SEO?
It’s hard to find if a website is using Parasite SEO. However, you can use tools like Semrush backlink audit to find a list of all the high-authority websites that point to a website. If you see a low-quality article ranking on top of Google, it can be a sign that the webpage is using parasite SEO.
Can I recover from using Parasite SEO?
If you’re seeing a massive traffic drop in your website rankings, make sure to audit your website links. If any toxic or spammy links are pointing to your site, use the Google Disavow tool to remove such links.
What are the best ways to build links in 2023?
Some of the evergreen link building strategies are;
– Guest posting on other websites
– Broken link building
– Influencer outreach
Related Resources:
Final thoughts on parasite websites
Remember, Parasite SEO is MOSTLY meant to gain short-term gains. It’s NOT a long-term SEO strategy. Don’t overdo it if you want to stay safe from website penalties.
Parasite SEO can be effective if you’re looking QUICKLY to boost some of your web page rankings in Google.
So, what are your thoughts on parasite SEO? Are you going to try it out? Have any more questions? Let us know in the comments.
