What is Skyscraper Technique?
Learn what Skyscraper Technique means, why it matters for search rankings, and how consistent content publishing keeps your business visible in Google.
Definition
The Skyscraper Technique is a link building strategy created by Brian Dean of Backlinko. Find content that's already earning backlinks, create a.
What is the Skyscraper Technique?
The Skyscraper Technique is a 3-step link building method: find high-performing content in your niche, create something better, then contact sites linking to the original and pitch your improved version.
Brian Dean of Backlinko coined the term in 2015. The metaphor is simple. Nobody looks at a skyline and notices the 5th tallest building. They look at the tallest one. By creating the tallest “building” for a given topic, you become the natural link target.
Dean’s original case study showed a 110% increase in organic traffic in 14 days using this approach. The technique became one of the most widely adopted link building strategies in SEO, though its effectiveness has evolved as more practitioners use it and outreach inboxes fill up.
Why Does the Skyscraper Technique Matter?
It solves the hardest problem in link building: getting people to actually link to you.
- Built-in proof of concept. You’re improving content that’s already attracting backlinks, confirming there’s demand for the topic
- Outreach is warmer. The people you’re contacting already link to similar content, so the ask is contextual rather than cold
- Creates genuinely useful content. The requirement to be “better” pushes you to create the best resource on the topic
- Earns referring domains at scale. One skyscraper piece can attract dozens of links through a single campaign
The technique is especially effective for data-driven content, definitive guides, and resource pages where being more complete and current wins.
How the Skyscraper Technique Works
Step 1: Find Link-Worthy Content
Use Ahrefs or Semrush to find pages in your niche with lots of backlinks. Search for your target keyword, check the top results, and sort by referring domains. A page with 100+ referring domains that’s outdated, incomplete, or poorly designed is your target.
Step 2: Create Something Better
“Better” means longer, more current, better designed, more comprehensive, or more actionable. Add updated statistics. Include examples the original missed. Create custom graphics. Cover angles no one else addressed. The improvement must be obvious and significant. Not just 10% better.
Step 3: Outreach
Export the list of sites linking to the original content. Email each one with a short, specific pitch: “I noticed you linked to [original]. I just published an updated version with [specific improvement]. Thought you might want to check it out.” Expect a 5-15% response rate if your content is genuinely superior.
Skyscraper Technique Examples
A marketing agency finds that the top-ranking article for “email marketing statistics” has 180 referring domains but hasn’t been updated since 2023. They create a 2026 version with 50% more stats, interactive charts, and expert quotes. After emailing 150 of the original’s linking sites, 22 update their link. The new page ranks #2 within 8 weeks.
A SaaS company using theStacc to publish 30 articles per month identifies their best-performing post (by traffic) as a candidate for skyscraper treatment. They expand it from 1,500 words to 3,200 words with original survey data. The enhanced piece earns 35 new backlinks in the first month. Without any cold outreach, just from being genuinely more useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Skyscraper Technique still work?
Yes, but the bar is higher than when it was first introduced. Sending generic “I wrote something better” emails doesn’t cut it anymore. Your content must be demonstrably superior, and your outreach must be personalized and specific about why the switch benefits them.
How much better does content need to be?
Noticeably better. Not marginally. Add sections the original skipped. Include current data where theirs is dated. Improve the visual design. Make it more actionable. If a reader wouldn’t immediately recognize your version as the superior resource, it’s not ready.
What outreach response rate should I expect?
A well-executed skyscraper campaign gets 5-15% of contacted sites to link. That’s significantly higher than cold link building outreach (1-3%) because you’re providing genuine value to someone who already links to similar content.
Want a steady stream of link-worthy content? theStacc publishes 30 SEO-optimized articles to your site every month. Automatically building your content library. Start for $1 →
Sources
- Backlinko: The Skyscraper Technique
- Ahrefs: How to Execute the Skyscraper Technique
- Moz: Advanced Link Building Strategies
- Search Engine Journal: Skyscraper Content Strategy
From understanding Skyscraper Technique to ranking for it
Understanding Skyscraper Technique is the starting point. The businesses that actually benefit from it are the ones consistently publishing SEO content. Not just understanding the concept. Most companies know what they should be doing; the bottleneck is execution. theStacc removes that bottleneck by publishing 30 keyword-optimized articles to your site every month, automatically.
See how theStacc worksRelated Terms
Backlinks are links from other websites that point to a page on your site. Google treats them as votes of confidence. The more high-quality backlinks a.
Content marketing is a strategy focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant content to attract and retain a target audience. Instead of.
Link bait is content specifically designed to attract backlinks from other websites. Such as original research, free tools, data studies, or provocative.
Link building is the practice of getting other websites to link back to your site. These backlinks act as votes of confidence that tell Google your.
A referring domain is a unique external website that contains at least one backlink pointing to your site. Counted once regardless of how many individual.
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