Skyscraper Technique Link Building For SEO

by Venchito Tampon Jr | Last Updated on July 10, 2023

The “skyscraper technique” by Brian Dean of Backlinko has reached its peak popularity because of its easy-to-follow process. Yet, it has produced effective results for most people who executed the methodology.

Of course, not all have reaped the fruits of their labor. Some have missed the objective of building and earning organic links through their skyscraper content (as well as ranking for keywords/search terms that might impact their overall campaign).

Here are reasons listed by Ross Hudgens why the Skyscraper technique may not be working (or can fail):

• Assuming skyscraper content (10x content) is an output of volume, not quality.
• Assuming content’s ranking performance on search is solely based on its own quality, not who it comes from.
• Quality of content is realized by the volume of effort put into the creation, not by the value it provides to its users (e.g. definition of terms queries requires mediocre yet succinct content, not bigger content piece, to satisfy its users).

The aforementioned reasons do not disprove the effectiveness of the “skyscraper technique”.

With proper strategy and thorough execution of each process phase, I guarantee you can hit your business objectives with the skyscraper strategy.

In this post, I’ll share samples of my workflow and thought process – from content writing and production to the extensive content promotion of skyscraper content.

 

How to Use Skyscraper Technique?

Here are four simple steps to use the skyscraper technique by Brian Dean to get more backlinks to your website:

1. Start by identifying frequently-searched topics.
2. Ensure that there are many pages to link to ranking pages.
3. Strategize how to outcompete link-worthy content
4. Pitch linkers and influencers

1. Start by identifying frequently-searched topics. 

Use keyword research tools (like Ahrefs’ keyword explorer) to find topic phrases that have substantial search volume. The data should answer the question, “Are there enough people looking for the topic?“.

 

Continue doing your research by looking for keyword variations. These keyword variations can help expand your content’s reach when included in your content piece (as they can help your page rank for secondary keywords and other long-phrase keyword variations).

AutoSuggest and Related Search Phrases (located below every search engine results page – SERPs) are handy features of Google that can help you find keyword variations of search terms.

Tip: You can use Ahrefs’ Questions feature to discover related questions (which you can later select and include those you can answer in your content asset).

2. Ensure that there are a substantial amount of pages to link to ranking pages. 

Get an idea of the linkability of the topic by looking at the first few pages of search results. See how many linking opportunities each page obtains (with Moz, you can glance at it quickly).

3. Strategize how to outcompete link-worthy content

During this point of the process, you can choose to proceed in either of these two directions:

1. Create the content on the linkable topic and make it better than the first ranking pages for the target keyword/phrase.
2. Choose one among the ranking pages, check if you can feasibly do better than it, and produce a more comprehensive content piece.

Whether you choose option 1 or 2, the mindset should be by the original Skyscraper process: find link-worthy content, make something even better, and reach out to the right people.

For this case study, I choose option 2.

I’ve found one niche website that ranked for the key phrase, “sleep for kids,” – which is a microsite of an industry organization, the National Sleep Foundation.

When we reviewed the website, it only had 50~ indexed pages. Not all of these pages have valuable information about the main subject area (a content gap we can fill in the industry).

 

This leads us to choose this website as our starting point for creating the 10x content.

This opportunity of discovering a topic-focused site rarely happens – but if you’ve found one, it is best to consider the following things:

• How long does the site hasn’t been updated?
• How many pages does the entire website have? Are they all under the same subject area?
• Are there any important topics not yet included that you can cover on your own content asset?

Strategize how to outdo the link-worthy content by creating an outline to visualize the outcome of your own content piece.

Ensure you look for important points not mentioned in their content. You can use Quora and Reddit to spot frequently-asked questions and cross-check them with their content (to see if those topics have been integrated).

 

Increase chances of ranking your content piece in search by optimizing it for other secondary keywords that your competitors have included in their content.

You can use Cognitive Content Assistant tool to identify the exact keywords your content is missing and keywords you should use more often or less (in the case of keyword stuffing). Their Content Performance metric shows how likely your content is to be ranked higher.

 

Moreover, incorporate any of the following content formats better to enhance the utility of your own content piece:

• Visual asset (turn interesting data points into a remarkable image)
• Case studies of your own (or of other entities/personalities you’ve asked permission to share on your own website)
• Audio or videos that better explain important points of your subject
• Interactive tools or elements to improve content consumption

For example, we heavily invest in infographics for our client’s content assets only if data points are more valuable to present visually.

For example, the question found on Ahrefs’ Questions feature (how much sleep for kids) can be best answered by gathering data points and turning them into infographics.

You can easily these other content formats to other sites or leverage them as guest blogging content (see guestographics).

 

Overall, invest in making your content asset more valuable than your target link-worthy content (and other competitors’ content).

4. Pitch linkers and influencers

Start reaching out to people who’ve linked to your competitors’ content.

Invest time in crafting catchy and effective email subject lines to increase your outreach campaigns’ open rate (as well as response rate). Here are some useful tips by Giselle Navaro (from her latest outreach article on SearchEngineLand).   

1. Be specific about the format of your content

 

2. Mention the site when it matters

 

3. Convey the email’s purpose.

 

4. Pitch your content to journalists in their language

 

5. Choose a journalist’s headline as your subject line when following up

 

If it’s a resource page you’re trying to get links from. You can approach outreach by suggesting your content to reference their links page.

Another value proposition to make is to tell them about any broken links on their resource page (if you’ve found any) and propose your content piece alongside non-competitor content as replacements for their defunct links.

This outreach activity is included in another link acquisition process. Read our broken link building guide here with easy steps to follow.

Outreach Process in Action

Going back to our case study – sleep for kids guide, we’ve reached out to .edu librarians, other link curators, and webmasters who have linked to the competitor’s content.

 

 

We further looked for other industry bloggers interested in including our visual asset to compliment their existing articles’ content.

Then, acquire high-quality links:

 

Securing links from these sites is only the first step. The relationships built with these webmasters can later translate to add relevant links to your other future content assets.

Need help with your skyscraper campaigns? Check out our link building services

 

Skyscraper Technique Link Building For SEO

What is the skyscraper technique in SEO?

The Skyscraper Technique is a renowned SEO strategy that enhances high-performing content and replicates its backlinks. Brian Dean coined the term because he believed people are naturally drawn to superior quality. This technique aims to drive more organic traffic and improve search engine rankings.

Does the skyscraper technique still work?

Yes, the skyscraper technique still works well in digital marketing. However, achieving success requires more than just a simple answer. To generate results in 2023, follow the tips I shared above to explore how to implement the technique effectively and provide valuable insights into its workings.

What is the skyscraper growing method?

The Skyscraper Technique is a popular link building strategy where you improve existing high-performing content and acquire similar backlinks to boost website traffic. It involves creating exceptional content, conducting competitor analysis, and contacting relevant websites for link building opportunities. Implementing this technique can enhance your SEO efforts and attract more organic traffic to your website.

What is the skyscraper technique in content writing?

The skyscraper technique is a content writing strategy with SEO in mind that involves creating high-quality, valuable content and reaching out to websites linked to similar but less comprehensive content. Offering a better version of the content increases the likelihood of them linking to your page instead. This technique is effective for link building and boosting your website’s search engine rankings.