Clickout Media and Finixio's Unethical SEO Tactics: Accusations of Parasite SEO and Domain Authority Exploitation

SEO expert Timothy M. recently released a detailed investigative report titled “Under Google’s Blind Eye, a Growing Parasite Ecosystem is Flourishing” on a dedicated new domain recleudo.com. The report uncovers unethical SEO tactics like site reputation abuse and parasite SEO, allegedly employed by Clickout Media to amplify its SEO traffic, and explores its connection with Finixio and its stakeholders.

In the past, TheHolyCoins revealed the problematic connection between Finixio and LuckyBlock during its pre-product launch stage and also highlighted how leading crypto websites are driving their visitors to invest in scam cryptocurrency projects. Timothy's investigation takes this narrative further.

While some details in his report were previously known and even derived from public records, its significance lies in consolidating key aspects of Clickout Media and Finixio’s operations into a single comprehensive report.

To conduct his investigation, Timothy employed a range of tools and methods. He analyzed public records, studied SEO analytics, tracked redirects, and compared the traffic patterns of multiple websites. He also conducted interviews with professionals who had been exposed to Clickout Media's and Finixio's operations. These interviews provided insights into the tactics used, further enriching the depth of his findings.

How Finixio Uses Parasite SEO and High-Authority Domains to Generate Traffic

Timothy’s investigation into the practices of Finixio reveals how the company leverages parasite SEO by acquiring older, high-authority domains and repurposing them to drive substantial search engine optimization traffic to their affiliated content, including gambling and crypto. By leveraging the credibility of these domains, they bypass ethical SEO practices and manipulate search rankings.

For instance, Techopedia, a site with a domain ranking of 88/100, was purchased, and soon after as revealed in the report, the entire staff was dismissed. A new, less experienced team was brought in. Subsequently, the site shifted its focus to promote affiliate businesses associated with Finixio, primarily online gambling and crypto ventures.

Source: Ahref domain checker tool

A side effect of this strategy is the sharp decline in the publication’s content quality according to the report. Timothy also noted a significant possibility that some of the authors listed on Finixio's sites might not actually exist. While he couldn’t confirm this with absolute certainty, he demonstrated the lack of any public information verifying these individuals or their claimed published works.

Source: https://recleudo.com/

Source: https://recleudo.com/

Timothy further examined the ReadWrite website, uncovering similar tactics. He found clear parallels in how site reputation abuse was performed across both Techopedia and ReadWrite, bolstering his findings.

Unethical SEO Practices: Redirecting Domain Authority for Traffic Gains

Another aspect of site reputation abuse examined in the report is Clickout Media’s use of 301 redirects to siphon SEO traffic from defunct domains. This practice, which might appear to align with unethical SEO tactics, highlights how outdated domains are manipulated to sustain high rankings and generate affiliate revenue.

The investigation uncovered multiple redirected domains, including archiveswales.org.uk and others, funneling authority toward Techopedia’s gambling pages. These methods appear to significantly enhance Clickout Media's ability to direct SEO traffic to their affiliate networks.

The Finixio and Clickout Media Connection: Public Records Examined

Timothy's deep dive into public records shed light on the intricate relationship between Finixio, Clickout Media, and the holding companies tied to them. Based on public records, Adam Grunwerg and Samuel Miranda appear to hold significant positions within this structure. Both are officers of Finixio, while simultaneously holding key positions, in Clickout Media, through holdings in parent companies of Clickout Media.

As Timothy concluded:

“The companies aren’t related, but the people are the same. Finixio doesn’t own Clickout Media; the same people own both companies. Some might call that a distinction without a difference, though I’m guessing none of those people would be lawyers.”

Recruiter Reveals Clickout Media and Finixio’s $40M Revenue and Network of 200+ Sites

At one point, a recruiter from Clickout Media reached out to Timothy, providing a glimpse into the inner workings of the company. The recruiter openly described Clickout Media and Finixio as "essentially the same entity" and shared notable details, including that the network manages over 200 assets, such as Techopedia and Business2Community. The recruiter also claimed that these operations had generated $40 million in net profit.

Source: https://recleudo.com/

This interaction offered additional confirmation of Timothy’s findings, aligning with his investigation into the interconnected businesses and their questionable SEO practices. The transparency of the recruiter’s remarks contrasted starkly with the opaque tactics Timothy had been uncovering.

Source: https://recleudo.com/

Google’s Algorithm Hits Techopedia’s Gambling Keywords but Leaves Gap

Timothy’s investigation reveals that recent changes in Google’s algorithm caused a dramatic decline in Techopedia’s organic traffic for gambling-related keywords in several regions. Despite this, certain markets like Sweden and Germany experienced stable or even increasing traffic, highlighting inconsistencies in Google’s enforcement of its updated algorithm.

Timothy attributes these discrepancies to the algorithm’s inability to uniformly target different languages and markets. He suggests that while English-language content may face stricter scrutiny, content in other languages can evade penalties, allowing sites like Techopedia to maintain rankings in specific regions despite their questionable SEO practices.

Transparency and Ethical SEO: Why Crypto Investors Deserve Answers

Timothy’s findings shed light on the pressing need for transparency in the cryptocurrency and blockchain sectors. If not enforced through regulatory measures, it should be a collective demand from the crypto community to ensure that ethical SEO practices are upheld when generating search engine optimization traffic.

The investigation reveals a well-coordinated effort by Clickout Media and Finixio to exploit search engine traffic through questionable methods, including parasite SEO and site reputation abuse. By leveraging outdated domains and manipulating Google’s algorithm, these tactics have significantly boosted affiliate traffic, raising concerns about ethical boundaries.

It is worth noting that Clickout Media plays a significant role in the marketing of many early-stage crypto presales, potentially raising tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars in total fundraising. Examples of projects promoted by Clickout Media include Pepe Unchained, Crypto All-Stars, and Flockerz. This raises important questions: what other businesses might Clickout Media have an interest in? This raises the question of whether they might have undisclosed stakes in the projects they are promoting. Are there any potential conflicts of interest that investors should be aware of?

These are crucial questions that deserve answers. Crypto investors, who entrust their funds to these projects, have the right to transparency and accountability from the entities shaping their investment landscape.

** Note: This article is based on publicly available information from Timothy M.'s investigative report published on recleudo.com. It aims to summarize and analyze his findings for informational purposes only, without asserting any legal claims or conclusions.