Definition
Google's Site Reputation Abuse policy, effective May 5, 2024, targets a practice known as 'Parasite SEO' or 'Barnacle SEO'. This technique involves publishing third-party content (often comparisons, reviews, or buying guides) on high-authority domains (major media, universities, government sites) with little to no editorial oversight, to leverage the host domain's authority for quick ranking. Notable examples included subdirectories of major newspapers hosting coupon or casino comparisons. Google enforces this policy through both manual and algorithmic actions, potentially impacting the concerned third-party content without affecting the rest of the host site.
Key Points
- Policy effective May 5, 2024
- Targets third-party content hosted on authoritative domains without editorial oversight
- Enforced via manual and algorithmic actions
Practical Examples
Coupon subdirectory on a media site
A major newspaper hosts a /coupons/ subdirectory managed by a third-party promo code company. This content, without editorial oversight from the newspaper, ranks on page one due to domain authority but is targeted by the Site Reputation Abuse policy.
Casino comparisons on an educational site
A university site leases a subdomain to a gambling company that publishes online casino comparisons. This practice is now penalized by Google.
Frequently Asked Questions
Editorially supervised and thematically coherent guest posting is not targeted. The policy targets third-party content published primarily to exploit host domain authority, unrelated to the site's editorial line with little oversight. If you accept relevant guest articles and edit them before publication, you should not be concerned.
Parasite SEO involves publishing content directly on a third-party site to benefit from its authority. Regular link building involves getting links from other sites to your own site. LemmiLink facilitates ethical link building by connecting advertisers and publishers for authentic content partnerships.
Go Further with LemmiLink
Discover how LemmiLink can help you put these SEO concepts into practice.
Last updated: 2026-02-07