Parasite SEO: Is It Black Hat?

Is ‘Parasite’ SEO Black Hat or Not, That Is The Question I'll Answer

Parasite SEO is often referred to as a black hat SEO technique. I disagree, wholeheartedly! It’s nothing more than guest posting. The fact that you are “piggy-backing” on another domain’s authority does not make Parasite SEO wrong, it makes it smart! You still have to know SEO to rank the article on page 1 of Google, and the article has to be top-shelf writing, so what’s this ‘black hat’ nonsense? Black hat implies cheating. To me, cheating is writing whole articles using chatgpt without a single thought going into them except to make the prompts. Admittedly, writing a good prompt is paramount to the quality of the article it spits out, but for some, that’s where the thinking ends and the AI begins. Parasite SEO still takes a ton of effort and SEO 'know-how'.

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Parasite SEO, or guest posting on high domain authority websites, is a technique in which an individual leverages the authority and ranking power of these websites to rank content quickly in the search results. The fact that you are posting a well-crafted article, if you are a real ‘SEO’ and not an imposter, indicates that you’ve done your homework and aren’t just spamming the platform. For me, calling it black hat is a broad generalization, totally inappropriate in some cases.

?Here are some common questions, aspects, and methods associated with Parasite SEO;

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Parasite SEO: Is Aggressive Keyword Targeting Black Hat?

?The content is often optimized for highly competitive keywords, taking advantage of the high authority of the host domain to rank well in search results. This term could also refer to keyword stuffing which is considered borderline black hat, more like gray-hat though.

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Will Parasite SEO Have Temporary Success?

Parasite SEO can lead to quick rankings, but those may be short-lived. Some say that once the host site discovers the exploit or if search engines detect the tactic, the content can be removed or de-indexed. I have never heard of this happening.

The So-Called Risks of ‘Parasite SEO’

Search engines like Google can penalize both the parasite content and, in some cases, the host site if the practice is detected. Some say this makes Parasite SEO a black hat technique, risky strategy for SEO. I say, unequivocally, that’s baloney!

If you post a great article on Linkedin, and Google agrees with you and puts it on page 1, how can that go wrong? You are not forcing Google to rank your article, you AREN’T TRICKING IT INTO RANKING YOU, you’re playing by the rules- and winning, that’s all. I’d say it should be commended, but I guess it already is, if Google ranked it on the first page.

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Content May Be Considered Black Hat If;

It is posted on vulnerable sites: Often, the content is created on sites that allow easy user access without stringent verification processes. Examples include certain blog platforms, forums, or even compromised websites.

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Parasite SEO Black Hat: Spammy Tactics

?Parasite SEO often involves other spammy tactics such as excessive link building, keyword stuffing, and using spun or low-quality content to quickly generate pages.

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Example Scenario of Possible Parasite SEO 'Blackhat' Technique

An individual creates a blog post on ChatGPT and does not edit it, then adds it to a high-authority site like Medium. The target keyword is "best SEO strategies." Due to Medium's high domain authority, this post could rank highly in search results much faster than if it were posted on a new or less authoritative site. However, if Medium detects that the post is purely for SEO manipulation and not original content, they may remove it, negating any short-term gains.

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While this may be true of a spammy article, poorly written, it does not apply to a well-crafted article carefully researched and written. A million people are trying to rank for some of these keywords. Do you think Google would rank articles that suck- on page 1, just because they were written on a well-established platform? No Way Jose!

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People Say There Are ‘Ethical’ Considerations To ‘Parasite SEO’?

Well, yeah! If you plagiarize someone else’s article. NOT if you write your own.

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Some consider that posting on a high domain authority to get backlinks is not ‘Kosher’. I say it is, Glatt, as a matter of fact!

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How To Do Parasite SEO: Which Platforms should you use?

These articles usually start off with ChatGPT

A spammer may ‘write’ an article on ChatGPT and post it, unchanged, on various platforms in order to game Google. The problem with Chat is that it gathers information from other websites, so in effect, it is plagiarizing other people’s work. You should use it as a guideline for topics more than anything else.

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ChatGPT Should Be Used As A Guideline, Not Thought Replacement!

After you create your fantastic ‘handmade’ article, you will decide which platform to post it on for maximum affect. In my opinion, Linkedin gets the best traction with Google. Other good ones seem to be Reddit, Quora, Medium, and YouTube, in some cases. Google owns YouTube, don’t forget. If your article is good, you will cash in on the platform’s already high domain rating, helping you to rank quicker and easier.

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Can You Add Backlinks to Your Article?

Yes, indeed! You most certainly should. Don’t over-do it though. This is where some people go wrong. They stuff links to their website or affiliate marketing channel like stuffing a Thanksgiving Turkey!? Say ‘it ain’t so’! I would, but it is.

Don’t over do it. That could get you into trouble. My advice: only add 2 backlinks from your article to your ‘stuff’. That’s it!

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Promotion

You can post your original article on one platform, then talk about it on others, like social media, for example. You may post an article on Linkedin and then mention it on Facebook, for example. The more signals that Google gets, the better.

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Platforms Commonly Used for Parasite SEO

?Medium

?A popular publishing platform with high domain authority. It’s relatively easy to publish articles and get them indexed quickly. Here is a good example of an article I just posted on Medium . I will update you if it shows up on page 1 of Google.

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LinkedIn

Articles and posts on LinkedIn can rank well, especially if they gain engagement from the platform’s professional user base. This Linkedin article on the History of The Hebrew Language, particularly well written by a scholarly Rabbi will not doubt do good because of its original content. More well written articles on Linkedin should also do well in Google searches .

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WordPress.com

Hosting a blog on WordPress.com can leverage its strong SEO capabilities.

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YouTube: Although it’s primarily for video content, well-optimized video descriptions and titles can also rank well in search engines.

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Reddit: Posts and comments on Reddit can sometimes rank highly, particularly for niche topics.

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Quora: Answers on Quora can rank well for specific questions and keywords.

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HubPages: A platform for user-generated articles on a variety of topics, which can rank well due to the site’s authority.

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Tumblr: Although it’s more of a social network, Tumblr posts can sometimes achieve good rankings.

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Risks and Considerations

Platform Policies: Each platform has its own set of rules and guidelines. Violating these can lead to content removal or account suspension.

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Keep in mind;

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Create High-Quality Content: Produce valuable, original content that naturally attracts backlinks.

Build Genuine Relationships: Network within your industry to earn high-quality backlinks.

Optimize On-Page SEO: Ensure your website’s on-page elements are fully optimized for your target keywords.

User Experience: Improve your website’s user experience to increase engagement and reduce bounce rates, positively impacting your SEO.

By focusing on ethical SEO practices, you’ll build a sustainable and long-lasting online presence.

#SEO #techniques #blackhat

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