Top 10 Parasite SEO Examples: YouTube, Reddit, & Forbes

The top parasite SEO examples are:

1. YouTube
2. Reddit
3. Forbes Marketplace
4. Quora
5. LinkedIn Pulse
6. Medium
7. Outlook India
8. Times Union
9. Deccan Herald
10. Amazon

Parasite SEO is using the domain authority of another website to rank well in search engines, such as local newspapers, social networks, or wikis. Often called barnacle SEO or piggyback SEO, parasite SEO is a third-party publishing content on another website to benefit from that website’s established content and backlink profile.

Parasite SEO works. SEO influencers like Charles Float, Jacky Chou, and Lily Ray have proven that parasite SEO works with real case studies on YouTube and X. In fact, it works so well that Google had to introduce the Site Reputation Abuse policy in March 2024 to combat parasite SEO tactics.

An example of parasite SEO working is a case study by SEO Jesus, where he used Reddit to generate $10,000 in affiliate commissions in 2024. He found Reddit threads ranking well on Google for high-traffic keywords. He bought aged Reddit accounts and used those accounts to leave comments on the threads with affiliate links. Then he paid for Reddit upvotes to push his affiliate links to the top of the thread.

Parasite SEO is so good because it enables you to rank for high competition keywords without the typical investment of money and time required to create a website good enough to rank for those keywords on its own.

I’ve been making money with SEO for over a decade now. Although it’s not my go-to strategy, I’ve used parasite SEO to generate thousands of dollars for my business in the last few years. In the following article, I talk about the top parasite SEO examples, including YouTube, Reddit, Forbes Marketplace, and Quora. I also show how you can benefit from this strategy.

1. YouTube - Number 1 Parasite SEO Strategy

YouTube is a parasite SEO example for video content. YouTube is the best website for parasite SEO because Google owns YouTube and often provides YouTube videos with premiere placement on the first page of Google. It has the highest Ahrefs domain rating of 99, so it can rank for any keyword on the internet. Plus, anyone can publish on YouTube for free.

An example of YouTube parasite SEO is the query “how to make money online”. Google has a YouTube video ranked #3 in the organic results. Above that, Google has a carousel of YouTube videos, so there are 4 YouTube videos to click on near the top of the SERPs for this competitive query.

2. Reddit - Fastest Growing Parasite SEO Platform

Reddit is a parasite SEO example that is free for anyone to use. Reddit was just the 68th most visible domain on Google back in July 2023, according to the digital agency Amsive. Today, it’s the 3rd most visible domain on Google Search in the US, according to Sistrix.

You’ve probably already noticed that a Reddit post appears on the first page of Google for nearly any query you search. That’s by design. Google and Reddit formed a partnership in February 2024. With this partnership, Reddit provides Google access to its real human content for AI training and Google provides Reddit with increased visibility in its search engine. One of the driving reasons behind Google forming this partnership with Reddit is to help combat low-quality AI content appearing in SERPs. Reddit is a forum that offers access to real human experiences, which is what many people are seeking these days with so much generic AI marketing content being published.

Here is a parasite SEO Reddit example. This Reddit thread is ranking #1 on the first page of Google for the search query “best laptop for work”. Ahrefs estimates the value of the traffic this page attracts at $6K/month.

Here is the very first comment on this Reddit thread.

As you can see, the comment says “Edited” and links to another page. This is a common sign that someone is using a Reddit thread for parasite SEO. The tactic is to first add a comment without a link to avoid subreddit moderators deleting the comment and get upvotes to increase visibility. There are even services out there to buy Reddit upvotes for this purpose. Once the comment is the top comment on the subreddit, the comment is updated with a link to monetize it.

Clicking on that link takes you to this other subreddit that lists the best laptop deals with affiliate links so the Reddit user can earn a commission.

3. Forbes Marketplace - Largest Parasite SEO Marketplace

Forbes Marketplace is the largest and most successful parasite SEO example. It’s a completely separate entity from Forbes magazine. It uses the high domain authority of Forbes to rank for many high-volume buyer intent keywords on Google. SEO expert Lars Lofgren estimates that the Forbes Marketplace partnership generated $300 - $400 million in revenue during the height of their success in 2024.

Forbes Marketplace partnered with Forbes in 2020 to run its affiliate marketing SEO business. Forbes allows Forbes Marketplace to operate the Forbes Advisor subdirectory on its forbes.com domain.

Here you can see Forbes ranking #4 on the first page of Google for the query “best protein powder”.

Forbes is a media brand best known for business content. It really shouldn’t be ranking on Google SERPs as an authoritative source of health and nutrition.

4. Quora - High-Ranking Q&A Parasite SEO Platform

Quora is one of the top parasite SEO examples because its Q&A format aligns well with Google’s preference for ranking user-generated content. Quora has a high Ahrefs domain rating of 92. As such, Quora posts can easily rank for some of the most competitive keywords on the internet.

Here is an example of Quora ranking #4 on Google for the extremely competitive query “best website builder”.

Quora does not allow affiliate links directly in post content. Although you can get away with posting an affiliate link, Quora is likely to remove the answer and potentially suspend the account. However, you can use Quora to link to another webpage that contains affiliate links instead, such as a blog post or a landing page.

5. LinkedIn Pulse - Business-Related Parasite SEO

LinkedIn Pulse is a parasite SEO example that anyone with a LinkedIn account can use to achieve visibility in Google SERPs. Pulse is a publishing platform built into LinkedIn. You simply choose “Write article” to publish a LinkedIn Pulse article and leverage the 99 domain rating of the LinkedIn platform.

Business-related keywords work best for publishing on LinkedIn Pulse because of the platform’s perceived authority on work and business topics.

A LinkedIn parasite SEO example is this LinkedIn Pulse article ranking #6 for the keyword “how to start a digital marketing agency”.

LinkedIn Pulse allows links in content, so you can link to a landing page, affiliate link, or website to promote your own products and services.

6. Medium - Monetizable Parasite SEO Platform

Medium is a popular parasite SEO example because you can use this high authority platform to rank for valuable keywords across many niches. Anyone can create a Medium account and start publishing instantly for free. However, those that pay the $5/month or $50/year for the medium membership can get paid for the views and engagement that their articles generate.

A Medium parasite SEO example is this article ranking #1 on Google for the search query “best essay writing service”.

The writer links to each of the essay writing services in the content. She can monetize these links by promoting her own essay writing service, coordinating direct payment with the companies for inclusion on the list, or using affiliate links.

7. Outlook India - Paid Parasite SEO Option

Outlook India is a parasite SEO example that digital marketers can pay to access. The website is an English language news outlet in India that covers a wide range of trending topics. You can buy an article on Outlook India through an Indian PR professional on Upwork starting at $380.

An Outlook India parasite SEO example is this web page ranking #7 for the search query “grace loan advance reviews”.

Outlook India was one of the most popular parasite SEO websites for the SEO community in 2023 because of its ability to rank quickly for many keywords. In fact, Ahrefs data shows that the site ranked in positions 1-3 on Google for over 138K keywords at its height. Although the site still ranks for some low competitive keywords, Google has significantly diminished its visibility.

8. Times Union - Trusted News Outlet Used for Parasite SEO

Times Union is a popular parasite SEO example that digital marketing agencies have used to get their clients’ organic visibility. It’s a New York media outlet covering topics interesting to the American public. There’s no online portal for buying Times Union article placement. Instead, advertisers must contact the Times Union advertising department directly to coordinate a paid advertising deal.

An example of parasite SEO with Times Union is Norcal Marketing using Times Union to rank above Healthline and Mayo Clinic for the query “what are the best diet pills”.

9. Deccan Herald - Paid Parasite SEO Platform for Premium Google Placement

Deccan Herald is a parasite SEO example that allows digital marketers to pay for premiere placement on Google. The site is an English language publication from India. It has a solid Ahrefs domain rating of 83, allowing it to rank on page one of Google for many competitive keywords. You can work with an Indian PR expert on Fiverr to get an article published on Deccan Herald for around $250.

A Deccan Herald parasite SEO example is this Deccan Herald article ranking #3 for the query “is fast loan advance legit”.

The beginning of the article promotes these two website links with tracking parameters set. The tracking parameters track the performance that this article generates for these two offers, enabling someone to make money leveraging Deccan Herald’s authority.

One SEO expert on the Black Hat World forum mentions using parasite SEO to make $100/day by promoting Amazon Associates through Deccan Herald and Outlook India.

10. Amazon - Ecommerce-Driven Parasite SEO Strategy

Amazon is a parasite SEO example for Ecommerce sellers. It’s an Ecommerce marketplace with an Ahrefs domain rating of 96. Amazon Marketplace sellers can use Amazon’s authority in the Ecommerce niche to rank on the first page of Google for buyer intent Ecommerce keywords.

An example of Amazon parasite SEO is this Amazon product listing ranking #4 on Google for the search query “best dandruff shampoo”.

One Amazon seller on Reddit mentions using Amazon parasite SEO to dominate the first page of Google for their target keyword. They mention that their website ranks #1 and their Amazon listing ranks #2 on Google for their target keyword.

Does Google Punish Parasite SEO?

Yes, Google does punish parasite SEO. Google addresses parasite SEO under its site reputation abuse policy. According to Google’s most recent site reputation abuse guidance from November 2024, “Site reputation abuse is the practice of publishing third-party pages on a site in an attempt to abuse search rankings by taking advantage of the host site’s ranking signals.”

Under Google’s site reputation abuse section of their spam policies for Google web search page, they note that third-party content is content that is created by an entity separate from the host site. This includes content from freelancers, white-label services, and anyone not directly employed by the host site. The document highlights that third-party content alone does not violate their site reputation abuse policy. It’s only third-party content that doesn’t match the topical relevance of the site. One example they give is a payday loans page written by a third-party being hosted on an education website.

An example of Google punishing parasite SEO is Google assessing Forbes Advisor a manual action around September 2024. A manual action means that a human at Google explicitly targets and inhibits a website’s visibility in Google search instead of allowing its algorithm to dictate search rankings.

Another example of Google punishing parasite SEO is Jerusalem Post. Jerusalem Post was able to rank top 10 on Google for thousands of high purchase intent “best” keywords between mid-2023 and early 2024. However, after Google’s March 2024 core update, Jerusalem Post lost significant rankings and barely ranks for any such keywords today.

Ways to Make Money With SEO Besides Parasite SEO?

Some ways to make money with SEO besides parasite SEO include:

• Generate and sell leads to local businesses with local lead generation
• Offer your expertise as an SEO consultant
• Teach SEO through an online course
• Monetize your own blog with affiliate marketing
• Sell backlinks

Is Parasite SEO Still Relevant?

Yes, parasite SEO is still relevant . You can still leverage the domain authority of many high authority websites to rank on the first page of Google right now. Here’s the Portland Monthly and University of Alabama ranking on the first page of Google for “best CBD gummies” to prove this strategy is still relevant.

The most relevant authority on the topic of CBD gummies would be companies that sell CBD products and websites specific to the CBD industry. Instead, a local newspaper and a university website are ranking because they have a better backlink profile than the other competing websites.

Conclusion: Is Parasite SEO a Good Idea?

Parasite SEO can be a good idea for digital marketers looking to create a supplemental traffic channel for their offer. However, parasite SEO typically only provides a temporary traffic boost. That’s because Google shifts ranking for global queries often and Google targets many parasite SEO practices, such as using local newspapers to rank.

An alternative SEO business model with more stable earnings long term is rank and rent. Rank and rent SEO entails setting up websites that rank on the first page of Google for local search queries and then selling the leads to real local service business owners for $500-$2,500+/month.

Rank and rent is lower competition than most parasite SEO campaigns because you target local traffic instead of global traffic. Rather than competing against major brands for visibility in Google, you typically just compete against a handful of small local service business owners. Rank and rent websites typically rank and generate income long term because you aren’t breaking any of Google’s rules, like parasite SEO often does.