After an eight-month investigation by the journalistic outlet Aftermath, it has been revealed that Clickout Media is acquiring or partnering with reputable gaming publications to promote iGaming content through parasitic SEO.
Key findings highlighted by iGN indicate that Clickout Media employs parasitic SEO by placing iGaming content, including online casino rankings, on trusted domains. An anonymous SEO expert from Malta described Clickout Media as the largest and most successful parasitic SEO affiliate network in the iGaming segment.
According to an SEO analyst, two months after publishing iGaming content, GamesHub achieved its best search engine rankings in the past two years. The main traffic was driven through casino-related keywords and monetized through online casino affiliate programs. However, following inquiries from Aftermath and increased attention from Google, the organic traffic to the site dropped by 50%. In response to Aftermath's request, Google stated that their policy prohibits the publication of content aimed at manipulating search results.
After acquiring websites, Clickout Media edited old articles by previous authors, inserting links to casino rankings. On GamesHub, some authors also had their bylines replaced.
Aftermath journalists discovered authors on Clickout Media's sites with AI avatars and fictional biographies. One author on Videogamer, Benny Carter, claimed to have a master's degree from Oxford University, but the university confirmed to Aftermath that no such graduate or program exists.
In Clickout Media's task manager, Monday, there is a labeling system for AI content based on a traffic light principle, ranging from green for minimal AI involvement to red for significant AI involvement. Several gaming guides on The Escapist site are marked as having significant AI involvement.
The investigation revealed that Clickout Media also uses custom AI agents capable of emulating the style of key authors and generating articles about casinos and gaming releases.
In February, Clickout Media conducted mass layoffs at their site editorial teams and offered remaining journalists positions as AI editors.
Employees of Clickout Media were prohibited from indicating their affiliation with the company in personal profiles, such as on LinkedIn. In Slack communications, one manager advised ignoring inquiries from journalists and never responding to anyone asking about the sites.
Aftermath journalists reached out for comments from seven editors and managers at the company, but none responded to the requests.
The investigation confirmed Clickout Media's acquisition of the Australian GamesHub, the British Videogamer, esports sites Esports.net and Esports News UK, and Dutch sites pu.nl and PlaySense. The company was also linked to the gaming publication The Escapist and the industry portal Esports Insider.