What is the Skyscraper Technique in link building?

Story Based Question

Imagine you run a travel blog, and you want to rank higher for the keyword “Best Destinations for Solo Travelers.” While researching, you find an article titled “10 Solo Travel Destinations to Visit in 2023” ranking at the top. It’s decent but lacks details about safety, budgeting tips, and local insights—key information that solo travelers often need.

You think: What if I could create something much better? You decide to write a more comprehensive post, “20 Best Solo Travel Destinations in 2024 (With Safety and Budget Tips),” and use it to attract backlinks.

You’ve heard this strategy referred to as the Skyscraper Technique and wonder:

What exactly is the Skyscraper Technique in link building?

Exact Answer

The Skyscraper Technique is a link-building strategy that involves identifying high-performing content, creating a better version, and reaching out to websites linking to the original to promote your improved content. It helps earn quality backlinks and boosts rankings by leveraging existing demand.

Explanation

Think of the Skyscraper Technique like building the tallest building in a city. You start by finding the tallest building (top-performing content) and then construct something even taller (better content). Once you’ve built it, you invite people to notice it (outreach for backlinks).

Here’s how it works in three simple steps:

1. Find Content with High Backlink Volume: Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to identify popular content in your niche that has a strong backlink profile.
2. Create Superior Content: Improve upon the original by adding value. This could mean providing updated information, expanding on the topic, including visuals like infographics, or making the content more engaging and user-friendly.
3. Promote Your Content for Backlinks: Reach out to the sites linking to the original content. Let them know about your improved resource and why it’s worth linking to.

The brilliance of this technique lies in leveraging existing demand. If a piece of content is already earning backlinks, you know there’s an appetite for the topic. By providing something better, you position your content as the superior choice.

Example

Let’s return to your travel blog scenario:

1. Find the Original Content: You use Ahrefs and find that “10 Solo Travel Destinations to Visit in 2023” has 200 backlinks.
2. Create Superior Content: You write “20 Best Solo Travel Destinations in 2024,” and include:
   • Detailed safety tips for solo travelers.
   • Budget breakdowns for each destination.
   • Local attractions and hidden gems.
   • User-generated stories and testimonials.
3. Promote Your Content:
   • Use Ahrefs to identify the 200 sites linking to the original article.
   • Send them a personalized email, explaining why your guide offers more value to their readers.
   • Share the content across your social media and reach out to influencers in the travel niche.

As a result, several of these sites replace the old link with yours, and others add your guide as a new resource. This boosts your authority and rankings for keywords like “solo travel destinations.”

The Skyscraper Technique is a smart and effective way to build backlinks by creating better content and strategically promoting it. It’s about standing on the shoulders of existing successes and building something that’s impossible to ignore.