Parasite Seo
Plan and execute SEO on high-authority third-party sites when you cannot wait to rank on your own domain.
Overview
Parasite SEO is an agent skill most often used in Launch (also Grow) that guides publishing optimized content on high-authority third-party platforms to earn rankings and backlinks without building your own domain author
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills --skill parasite-seoWhat is this skill?
- Framework for parasite/barnacle SEO on Medium, Reddit, LinkedIn Pulse, GitHub, Grokipedia, and similar hosts
- Maps "distributed authority engineering" instead of building site DR from scratch
- Routes to sibling skills for GitHub, Medium posts, and Grokipedia when platform-specific
- Separates platform-selection parasite SEO from generative-engine-optimization for AI citations
- Optional 1–2 sentence onboarding on first invoke, then direct tactical output
- metadata version 1.1.0
Adoption & trust: 962 installs on skills.sh; 586 GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You need search visibility and links but your own site has little authority and a long ramp to compete in organic results.
Who is it for?
Indie marketers and builders shipping content-led products who want fast third-party SERP presence and backlink leverage.
Skip if: Teams that only want owned-domain technical SEO or AI answer-engine optimization without third-party publishing—use generative-engine-optimization and on-site SEO instead.
When should I use this skill?
User wants third-party platform SEO, parasite/barnacle SEO, hosted content on Medium/Reddit/GitHub/LinkedIn, or to rank without a strong own site.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a structured parasite/barnacle SEO approach—platform choice, distributed authority framing, and pointers to dedicated GitHub/Medium/Grokipedia or GEO skills when those paths fit.
- Parasite SEO strategy and platform guidance aligned to distributed authority engineering
- Routing to platform-specific skills (github, medium-posts, grokipedia-recommendations) when needed
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Parasite SEO is a distribution and visibility tactic—canonical shelf is Launch because the goal is getting found via borrowed domain authority. The skill selects platforms, optimizes hosted content, and targets rankings/backlinks—core SEO subphase work, distinct from GEO-only answer-engine tuning.
Where it fits
Pick which high-DR hosts to target for a new product’s comparison and tutorial keywords.
Republish cornerstone guides on LinkedIn Pulse and Medium to compound backlinks while the main blog matures.
Stack Reddit and GitHub parasite pages to support a launch week without waiting on site DR.
How it compares
Platform-selection and hosted-content SEO workflow—not a single-channel Medium or GitHub-only playbook.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is parasite-seo for?
Solo builders and indie marketers who rank or link-build via Medium, Reddit, LinkedIn Pulse, GitHub, and similar high-DR hosts before their own site is strong.
When should I use parasite-seo?
At launch when choosing distribution SEO channels; during grow when repurposing content off-domain; whenever you mention parasite SEO, barnacle SEO, hosted content, or borrowing domain authority.
Is parasite-seo safe to install?
Review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page and vet third-party publishing policies on each platform before scaling automated or bulk posting.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Parasite Seo
# SEO: Parasite SEO Guides parasite SEO (also "barnacle SEO")—publishing optimized content on high-authority third-party platforms (Medium, Reddit, LinkedIn, Grokipedia, etc.) to leverage their domain strength for rankings and backlinks, bypassing the need to build your own site's authority from scratch. **When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output. ## What Is Parasite SEO **Parasite SEO** = Placing content on high-authority platforms to leverage their domain strength for rankings and AI citation. Part of "Distributed Authority Engineering." Instead of waiting months for your own domain to gain trust, you publish on established platforms that Google already trusts. Content can rank on page one within days rather than months because Google crawls these platforms frequently and inherits their domain trust. **Best for**: Beginners testing niches; local businesses needing quick leads; demand validation; supplementing traditional SEO. ## Why It Works | Factor | Effect | |--------|--------| | **Domain authority** | Platforms (DA 90+) rank faster than new sites | | **Crawl frequency** | Google crawls Reddit, Medium, LinkedIn often | | **AI citation** | ChatGPT, Perplexity cite Reddit, Quora, wikis | | **UGC preference** | Algorithm updates favor UGC platforms as trustworthy | | **Technical foundation** | High-authority sites have strong technical SEO, fast load, good UX | ## Platform Tiers *Platform examples are illustrative only. No endorsement implied.* | Tier | Platform type | Examples | GEO / AI citation | |------|---------------|----------|-------------------| | **Tier 1** | GEO authority | Medium, Reddit, LinkedIn Articles, Quora | Very high | | **Tier 2** | Technical authority | GitHub, Stack Overflow, Dev.to | High; expertise signals | | **Tier 3–6** | Controlled / entity / wiki | WordPress.com, Blogger, HN, Grokipedia | Varies | ### Platform Notes | Platform | Use case | Notes | |----------|----------|-------| | **LinkedIn Pulse** | B2B, agencies, professional content | Keywords in headlines; often ranks above corporate blogs | | **Medium** | How-to, thought leadership | Use canonical link if reposting; storytelling works | | **Reddit** | Product reviews, alternatives, discussions | Comprehensive guides; upvoted threads rank well | | **Quora** | Q&A, long-tail informational | Answer industry questions; link to resources naturally | | **YouTube** | Video search, how-to, reviews | Titles, descriptions, tags; watch time matters | | **GitHub** | Repos, README, Pages, gists, awesome lists | Tier 2 technical authority; very high AI citation; see **github** | | **Grokipedia** | AI encyclopedia | See **grokipedia-recommendations** for contribution flow | | **Free web builders** | WordPress.com, Wix | Indexable content; lower authority than above | ## Keyword & Content Strategy | Element | Practice | |---------|----------| | **Keyword targeting** | Intent-driven; mid-competition and long-tail; clear monetization potential | | **Content depth** | 1,500+ words for competitive keywords; comprehensive coverage | | **Keyword placement*