Article exposing 'parasite SEO' from ClickoutMedia been removed from Google
A second Press Gazette article has been removed from Google Search after a copyright claim by ClickOut Media, which was previously exposed by the outlet for using "parasite SEO" tactics. The publisher claims the takedown request is spurious and part of a pattern to suppress critical coverage.
Background
Press Gazette is a UK-based trade publication covering journalism and the news industry. It has been reporting on "parasite SEO" — a practice where companies publish low-quality, SEO-optimised articles on high-authority domains (like legacy news sites) to game Google search rankings. ClickoutMedia is a marketing firm that allegedly engages in this practice. This article was itself removed from Google Search after a copyright claim (since revealed to be spurious) was filed against it — the second such takedown of a Press Gazette piece. The story highlights how the DMCA takedown system, designed to protect legitimate copyright, can be weaponised to silence critical journalism about SEO manipulation.