Does Parasite SEO Really Work? Your Full Strategy Breakdown

You might not know that parasite SEO could be a solution to ranking content as a non-authority website. It can feel like a real rat race among site owners on the internet. Everyone competing for the same keywords, racing to get the most backlinks, keyword-optimize their content the best, and be picked up on page 1 of Google search results.

As a new kid on the block operating a website that's not an authoritative site yet, it can be challenging to rank your content against authority sites that are more seasoned than yours.

What's the solution?

Many people turn to parasite SEO. This is a strategy where you take advantage of authority websites to rank your content. You get to reap the benefits of riding on the coattails of a high-DA (domain authority) site.

It's really interesting how it all works, and we're going to break it down for you in this post.

Learn about:

• Parasite SEO and how it works
• What websites can be used for this SEO strategy
• Examples
• Differences between guest posting and parasite SEO

Let's go!

What Is Parasite SEO?

Parasite SEO is unlike traditional SEO. It's about publishing content on a high-authority site for the purpose of ranking on search engines. Doing this passes on the benefit of the site's authority to you, so you can gain traffic, leads, conversions, and other benefits.

High-authority sites have high domain authority (DA) and are trusted in the eyes of Google.

Some examples include Forbes.com, MySanAntonio.com, and Moz.com.

By posting your content on a high-authority site, you increase your chances of getting more traffic, which can help you do things like:

• Get leads or conversions for an affiliate program
• Funnel traffic to your website
• Grow your email list.

Benefits Of Parasite SEO

Parasitic SEO is a strategy that can get you results fast. Rather than waiting weeks, months, or years for your own site's domain authority to build, you can save time by executing this SEO strategy.

Here are some of the benefits:

• Greater search engine visibility: Ranking for keywords on 3rd party authority websites can produce faster results in the SERPs than if you used your own website.
• Access to a higher domain authority: Save time trying to build up your own site's domain authority by using parasite SEO and partnering with an authority site.
• More traffic and opportunities to make money online: Increased traffic, which can lead to more opportunities to make money from product and service sales, affiliate commissions, etc.

What Websites Are Used In Parasite SEO?

The websites used in parasite SEO are high-authority sites. Not all websites are contenders for parasite SEO since you'll need to have the ability to post your content on the website for this to work.

Examples of high-authority sites and established platforms you can use for parasite SEO include LinkedIn, Medium, and Reddit.

These sites are a mix of social media platforms, user-generated websites, and community platforms. They're all free, which will keep your costs low, and they are great for beginners to use in their parasite SEO tactics:

• LinkedIn
• Medium
• Reddit
• Hubpages
• Quora
• Blogger.com
• Wordpress.com
• YouTube
• Tumblr

You can do parasite SEO through free or paid methods. The sites above are examples of free websites good for parasite SEO. Typically, after registering to join the site, you can create an unlimited amount of content at no cost.

A parasite SEO technique where you pay money for sponsored content is another option. You can do this with paid guest posts and sponsored posts, where you pay for visibility on the website.

Either way, parasite SEO is generally seen as a cost-effective and time-saving way to do SEO.

How To Use Parasite SEO Successfully In Your Business

Using parasite SEO can be a smart way to drive more traffic and revenue to your website. While it seems like a newer SEO strategy, it's actually been around and evolving over a long period of time.

Here's the step-by-step process to implement a parasite SEO strategy for your content:

Step 1: Identify Platforms

First, identify the platforms you'll use for your parasite SEO strategy. Medium, LinkedIn, Quora, and YouTube are all examples. These are free platforms that are easy to join and create content for.

Don't discount paid strategies either, which may get you access to platforms competitors aren't going for, like Forbes and other sites that have parasite content.

The main takeaway here is to choose a high authority, high-DA website. Once you do, move on to step 2!

Step 2: Do Keyword Research

Next, conduct competitive keyword research. Identify your target keywords and start outlining your draft.

Use relevant keywords strategically within your content:

• Headline
• Body of your article
• Meta tags
• Descriptions

Focusing on long-tail, low-competition keywords is the tried-and-true keyword strategy SEOs usually go for. Use keyword research tools like SEMrush to perform your keyword analysis.

You can look at keyword difficulty, volume, and other metrics.

SEMRush is one of the best tools for SEO content writing.

Step 3: Create High-Quality Content

Write value-driven, relevant content for your audience. Create engaging content with interactive features like video, graphics, and other elements to break up the text and keep your audience on site.

Use search engine optimization to optimize your content for search engines and write with keywords in mind.

The competition is stiff when it comes to high-authority sites. Your content has to be top tier and sometimes strict guest posting policies are required, which you have to adhere to.

It's critical that you make your content stand out.

Some ways to achieve this include:

• Incorporating storytelling in your content: Telling a story is a great way of keeping your audience engaged.
• Perform keyword research and ensure your content is optimized: Make sure your article is written with keywords in mind.
• Use interactive and engaging tools/features: Some examples include sharing case studies and polling your audience.

Step 4: Engage With The Audience

Be responsive to your audience. Respond quickly to customer questions and inquiries.

Here are some examples:

• User-generated content
• Case studies
• Community-building
• Webinars
• Contests
• Email marketing

Step 5: Track Your Results And Adapt Your Strategy As Needed

Review your metrics to track your results. Look over search engine results, adapt and make changes to your content, as needed to remain competitive.

Evaluate and adapt your strategy over time as Google updates with future algorithm changes.

Use platform data analysis tools to look at traffic performance, time on site, and other metrics available to you.

Parasite SEO Examples

If you do some research, it's easy to see that parasite SEO content is everywhere across the internet.

If we search for the keyword “best collagen powder,” here are 3 examples of parasite SEO content found on Google:

Example 1: Best Online Casino

• DA 92
• Keyword: best online casino
• Reddit post: position 3

There's an art to using Reddit for SEO. They are a tight-knit community, and subreddits will quickly ban you if you're not following the rules, often of which is no promotion.

This question about the best online casino of 2023 could have easily been asked by the same team who answered the question. You can see in the answer that many, if not all, of the links shared are affiliate links, too.

Example 2: Best Protein Powder

• DA 87
• Keyword: best protein powder
• Health and New York Magazine in top 2 spots

These two high DA sites could easily be sponsored posts from publishers who want to rank for the keyword "best protein powder."

Example 3: Best Collagen For Women

• DA: 92
• Keyword: Best collagen for women
• Reddit post ranked on page 1

This is another example of how user-generated content ranks on page one of Google for competitive keywords. You could find a subreddit that falls within the niche of the product you're promoting and creatively share your affiliate links in a value-driven, informative post for the Reddit community.

What Is The Difference Between Guest Posting And Parasite SEO?

A guest post and parasite SEO have some similarities. They both require posting content onto a 3rd party website. They can both be done to brand yourself as an industry expert and gain backlinks. 

Other differences between guest posting and parasite SEO revolve around the purpose of each. Site owners who guest post are generally looking for a backlink pointed to their website, which can help with boosting their domain authority and website presence. They may also want to build their online reputation for their brand by posting as a guest on other websites.

With parasite SEO, the main goal is to rank in the SERPs for competitive keywords. While you can still get perks like link juice from backlinks and a chance to build on your brand reputation, it's generally not the chief focus.

Guest posting can be used for parasite SEO, too, but as you see, it's not its exclusive purpose. It can benefit your overall SEO strategy.

Here are 100 blogs with guest posting opportunities to get you started.

How Much Does Parasite SEO Cost?

Parasite SEO costs can vary based on things like your strategy, budget constraints, and other factors.

As we shared above, there are free options available. This is the most cost-effective approach, but the problem is it lowers the barrier to entry for all marketers, making it much more competitive.

Here are some examples of costs associated with a paid campaign:

• Content writing: $500 to $1,000
• Publication placement: $500 to $5,000+ depending on publication, placement type, etc.
• Backlinks: $50 to $500 each

Is Parasite SEO Worth It?

Yes, parasite SEO is worth it. It can take years to build your domain authority on a new site. Cut that time by a lot by executing a parasite SEO strategy in your marketing plan. You'll have an opportunity to quickly rank for competitive keywords using a high-authority website, and in many cases, it'll be totally free!

Bottom Line

Parasite SEO may not work for everyone, but if you decide to pursue it, using this approach along with traditional SEO may get you to the goals you're working toward. We just covered the ins and outs of it, sharing how it works, what the benefits are, examples, and how it differs from guest posting.

Now that you have a clearer idea of how parasite SEO works, you can make an informed decision on if it's the SEO strategy you want to use for your business.

Is parasite SEO an SEO strategy you'll be using?

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