Story Based Question
Imagine you’re running a tech blog and want to drive more traffic by targeting the keyword “Best Productivity Tools for Remote Work.” You notice that a popular article ranking high on Google lists 15 tools but lacks detailed descriptions, recent updates, and user reviews.
You think: What if I could create something better? You aim to write a comprehensive guide with 30 tools, detailed comparisons, expert opinions, and downloadable templates.
You’ve heard about the Skyscraper Technique and wonder:
How can you apply it to improve your Off-Page SEO strategy?
Exact Answer
The Skyscraper Technique involves finding high-performing content in your niche, creating a better version, and promoting it to earn quality backlinks. It boosts off-page SEO by attracting links from authoritative sites, increasing traffic, and improving your site’s rankings.
Explanation
The Skyscraper Technique is a strategic approach to off-page SEO. It’s all about building something taller and better than what’s already out there. By creating superior content and promoting it effectively, you naturally attract backlinks, which improve your site’s authority and rankings.
Here’s how to apply the technique in three steps:
- Find Top-Performing Content: Identify content in your niche that already ranks well and has numerous backlinks. Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush can help you find these articles. For your tech blog, search for “Best Productivity Tools for Remote Work” and analyze the top-ranking pages.
- Create Better Content: Improve on the existing content by adding more value. Focus on making your content more detailed, visually appealing, up-to-date, and user-friendly. Include features like in-depth reviews, expert insights, videos, and downloadable guides.
- Promote Your Content: Reach out to websites that linked to the original content and pitch your improved version. Highlight why your content is more valuable and how it could benefit their audience. Share your content on social media and with influencers in your niche.
The key to success is creating content so good that people naturally want to share and link to it. This strategy not only builds backlinks but also enhances your brand’s reputation and drives referral traffic.
Example
Let’s go back to your tech blog. You find an article ranking for “Best Productivity Tools for Remote Work” that lists 15 tools. Using the Skyscraper Technique, you:
- Analyze the Competition: Discover the article has 150 backlinks but lacks depth. The tools are only briefly described, and the content hasn’t been updated for two years.
- Create Superior Content: Write a new guide titled “30 Must-Have Productivity Tools for Remote Workers in 2024.” Include:
- Detailed reviews of each tool.
- Screenshots and video tutorials.
- A downloadable comparison chart.
- Input from remote work experts.
- Promote Your Content:
- Use Ahrefs to find the 150 sites linking to the original article. Email them with a polite pitch explaining why your guide is a better resource.
- Share your guide on LinkedIn, tagging remote work influencers.
- Submit the content to productivity-focused communities on Reddit and Quora.
Within weeks, your improved guide earns backlinks from several reputable blogs and websites. You see a steady increase in rankings and traffic for your target keyword, as well as additional branded search queries.
The Skyscraper Technique is a proven way to improve off-page SEO. By creating and promoting superior content, you can earn high-quality backlinks, build authority, and drive traffic to your site.