Introduction
SEO has come a long way. It’s been revolutionary to see how it has evolved and helped many businesses. But with time, many professionals want to adapt to shortcuts so that they can rank their content faster than others. With this process, they go for black hat techniques which is against the SEO practices. It is good for a short time but in the long term, you will end up receiving nothing because your website can be penalised by search engines. However, As I said many things have changed, Right now one term that has drastically changed SEO strategies is Parasite SEO. But every new thing comes with some warning! Don't get afraid my friend. You will see later on in the content in the detail of how it works.What is Parasite SEO?
Parasite SEO is a digital marketing strategy where content creators publish their high-quality content to rank their keywords on high-authority websites so that their content will rank faster. Now you’re wondering, it’s an amazing strategy, that it is not necessary to have your website and you can go for shortcuts and eliminate all the SEO practices. I just want you to wake up to the reality! While posting on the third-party website it will not give you the brand identity. Moreover, if you post without giving any links to the content, then it will give a signal to search engines, that the content is not giving value to the customers. Anytime your content can be deleted by the platform.
With the Image, It is clearly shown that the “Pt trim review” keyword is ranked by the high-authority website and it’s an ideal example of Parasite SEO. Drawbacks
1. Limited Control Over Content
You’re posting your content on other people’s websites and depending on their traffic to bring visitors to your site. It's important to understand that while most of these platforms have high domain authority and can get your content up the rankings instantly, they have some serious drawbacks, primarily related to how much control you have over the content. For example, platforms like Reddit or Quora have strict policies related to content. If you violate even one policy they will not think even a second to delete your content. The risk that your content will be deleted without your permission is huge.2. No Long-Term SEO Equity
This SEO can help you rank faster and gain lots of rankings and authority but all those rankings and authority don’t contribute to your site’s SEO. Instead of establishing long-term equity and authority for your domain name, you are boosting another platform‘s rankings. This makes it more of a short-term SEO strategy as compared to a long-term SEO strategy.3. Platform Dependency
When you post your content on a third-party website, it means you are dependent on the health, reputation, and policies of the other platform. This platform dependency is a big disadvantage as it makes your SEO vulnerable to any random event or activity that you may not be able to control. A change in their platform’s policy could backfire on your content. You May Also Like: - Why Kasra Dash is the Best SEO Consultant for Affiliates?4. Risk of Penalization
While conducting the strategy, especially if you use highly aggressive or black-hat strategies, there is always the risk of getting a penalty from the platform and the search engines. You’re inviting search engine algorithms to ban your content. You need to consider that search engine algorithms want valuable, high-quality, and trusted content. If you’re posting your content on another site with keyword stuffing and spammy links, then your content may be de-indexed by Search engines.5. Brand Reputation Risks
Any marketing tactic comes up with flaws. If you use Parasite carelessly, it focuses on over-promotional, using low-content, spammy link-building strategies. Then you’re in big trouble. It’s good you are doing it for your benefit but it should also be catered to users. If users don’t find your content valuable or helpful, you risk harming your brand.6. Competitor Intervention
It is very common if you’re on a high domain authority website and posting your content, then competitors can see such strategies and accumulate similar efforts. They may even flag your content for review if they think that it is a violation of the required policies of the platform.You May Also Like: - Top 10 Best Social Media Platforms for Marketing in India
For example, if you discover that specific keywords work well in SEO for your blog when relating them to Quora, a rival can come in, offer a more comprehensive response, and therefore outdo your content.
7. Overcrowded Platforms
It is well known that a multitude of marketers and content creators tend to gather around the most popular parasite platforms. Therefore, to remain relevant and occupy a niche at the top of the market is quite a hard task. For example, as more and more people are using such platforms, there is higher competition to rank well, thus leading to less permanent traffic. Eventually, platforms can induce a lot of low-quality or spamming content and it will result in low ranks and your site can be de-listed.How to use Parasite SEO safely
One mistake can cause you a huge loss. So I suggest reading and implementing whenever you want to adopt that strategy in your SEO.1. Choose High-Authority, Relevant Platforms
Choose only reliable platforms that have high levels of domain authority and that are related to the niche the website is in. Such sites are Medium, Quora, Reddit, YouTube, Pinterest, and so on. Some of these platforms already have credibility with search engines and your content will open with a ranking. You should always check these factors while choosing a website.- Relevance to Your Industry: The platforms where you share your content have to target your audience and, if possible, be specialized in your field.
- Content-Type: Choose channels that are best fit for your content, You can choose Youtube for Videos and Medium for articles.