Clickout Media, parasite SEO, and the acquisition of news websites
A new investigation by Press Gazette, based on testimony from former Clickout Media employees, has revealed a parasite SEO business model used by the company and its large-scale acquisition of news websites followed by content repurposing.
Clickout Media and media asset acquisitions
The company Clickout Media acquires news, sports, and gaming websites in order to use their SEO authority to promote content containing links to online casinos.
Among the sites mentioned are Gambling Insider, CasinoBeats, Football Blog, She Kicks, Sportslens, Sportscasting UK, Techopedia, as well as other websites across sports and iGaming sectors.
Scale of the website portfolio
According to former employees, the company may control up to 300 websites.
How the scheme works after acquisition
Initial preservation of editorial operations
After acquisition, a website continues operating in its usual editorial format to preserve domain authority and search rankings.
Shift toward casino content and AI
Later, the site begins publishing casino-related content, betting articles, and materials generated using AI. Original editorial content is gradually phased out.
Former employees claim that some writers are reassigned to produce betting and odds-related content, after which AI-generated articles and new author profiles appear.
Layoffs and deindexing
Following the content shift, some staff are laid off. According to Press Gazette, Google may have deindexed the websites Esports Insider and Videogamer after changes in ownership.
Deals and website acquisitions
Some website owners stated they were not aware of the buyers’ connection to Clickout Media until after the deals were completed.
One seller noted that the transaction was completed quickly, but the link to the company only became clear later.
Expansion of the model to other websites
The investigation also describes cases where charity websites were used to publish online casino-related content.
Projects associated with children’s and social initiatives were later found to be publishing gambling-related material.
Clickout Media’s business
The company operates under the brand Finixio. For the year ending 30 September 2024, it reported approximately £40 million in revenue, with a loss of around £3 million.
Its business model is based on acquiring high-authority websites and publishing content that drives traffic to online casinos.
SEO experts describe these practices as site reputation abuse, where a website’s authority is used to promote unrelated third-party content.