You’ve published what you thought was a great piece of content. It’s well-researched, beautifully formatted, and covers everything your audience needs to know. Yet weeks later, it’s sitting on page three of Google with exactly zero backlinks.
Sound familiar?
Quick answer.
- The skyscraper technique is a three-step link building strategy: find content with lots of backlinks, create something better, then reach out to sites linking to the original
- It was created by Brian Dean in 2013 and helped increase his organic traffic by 110% in 14 days
- The technique still works in 2026, but requires genuine value creation rather than simply making content longer
- Success rates typically range from 2-11% on outreach emails, depending on content quality and personalisation
- Best results come from adding original research, updated statistics, and better visuals rather than just more words
The problem isn’t your writing ability. It’s your approach to earning backlinks. Most content creators operate on hope: publish something good and pray that people will find it and link to it. That’s like opening a restaurant in an alley and expecting crowds to magically appear.
The skyscraper technique flips this approach entirely. Instead of creating content and hoping for links, you start by identifying what’s already earning links in your space and then building something that deserves them even more.
What is the skyscraper technique?
The skyscraper technique is a link building strategy that involves three core steps: finding content in your niche that has attracted significant backlinks, creating a substantially improved version of that content, and then reaching out to websites that linked to the original to suggest your superior resource.
Brian Dean, the founder of Backlinko, developed this method in 2013. The name comes from a simple observation about human nature: nobody cares about the second-tallest skyscraper in a city. People only remember the tallest one. The same principle applies to content: if you want to attract links, you need to create something that stands above everything else in your space.
The original case study that launched the technique into SEO fame involved a post about Google ranking factors. After executing the skyscraper strategy, the page attracted a significant increase in backlinks and organic search traffic to Dean’s entire site doubled within two weeks. That single piece of content has since generated millions of referral visitors.
The technique works because it addresses a fundamental truth about link building: website owners who have already linked to content on a topic are pre-qualified prospects. They’ve demonstrated willingness to link to resources in that subject area. All you need to do is show them something better.
How does the skyscraper strategy work?
Think of the process as competitive intelligence meets content marketing. You’re not guessing what might earn links; you’re studying what’s already proven to work and then outperforming it.
The psychology behind this approach is straightforward. When someone links to an article, they’re essentially endorsing it as a valuable resource for their readers. If you can present them with something more valuable, more current, or more comprehensive, many will consider updating their link. They want to point their audience toward the best available resource, and if that’s now your content, it benefits everyone involved.
This differs from traditional content marketing where you might spend weeks creating something only to discover there’s no appetite for it. With skyscraper content, you already know demand exists because other pieces on the topic have accumulated substantial backlinks. You’re entering a proven market rather than testing an uncertain one.
Step one: find linkable content worth improving.
The foundation of any successful skyscraper campaign is identifying the right content to improve upon. Not all highly-linked content makes a good target. You need to find pieces where you can genuinely add value, not just add words.
Start by entering keywords related to your niche into an SEO tool. Look for content that has accumulated at least 50 referring domains. This threshold ensures there’s enough link-building potential to justify your effort. Content with fewer links might not provide enough outreach prospects to make the campaign worthwhile.
Pay attention to when the content was last updated. Older articles often present the best opportunities because they may contain outdated statistics, broken links, or information that’s no longer accurate. A comprehensive guide from 2019 might have been excellent at the time but could now be missing years of important developments.
Analyse why the existing content attracted links in the first place. Was it because of original research? Comprehensive coverage of a topic? Helpful visuals? Understanding what made the original successful helps you understand what your improved version needs to include.
Examine the top 10 results for your target keyword and note what each one covers. Your skyscraper content should address everything the top-ranking pages discuss while also filling gaps none of them mention. This ensures you’re creating something genuinely more comprehensive rather than just a reworded copy.
Competitor research tools can reveal which pages on competitor sites attract the most backlinks. Look at their best-performing content and ask whether you could create something superior. The most linkable content types tend to be original research and statistics, comprehensive guides with practical advice, tools and calculators, and visually-driven content like infographics.
Step two: create content that’s actually better.
This is where most skyscraper campaigns fail. Many marketers interpret “better” as “longer,” stuffing their articles with filler to hit an arbitrary word count. That approach worked years ago but produces diminishing returns in 2026.
Truly better content requires genuine improvement across multiple dimensions. Consider these approaches:
Add depth, not just length. If the original covers 10 tips, don’t just add 5 more mediocre ones. Instead, provide more detail, better explanations, or practical examples for each point. A focused 2,000-word guide that thoroughly explains a topic outperforms a 5,000-word article padded with fluff.
Update with current information. Statistics age quickly. Replace outdated figures with recent data. Industry practices evolve, so incorporate the latest developments. If the original references a Google algorithm from 2020, update it to reflect recent changes.
Improve visual presentation. Charts, diagrams, and custom graphics make content more shareable and more useful. A well-designed infographic summarising key points can be worth thousands of words. Screenshots with annotations help readers follow along with technical processes.
Make it more actionable. Generic advice frustrates readers. Replace “create quality content” with specific frameworks, templates, and step-by-step processes they can implement immediately.
Add original research. Survey your customers, analyse your own data, or compile industry statistics that nobody else has. Original research gives people a reason to cite your work that they can’t get anywhere else.
Include expert perspectives. Reach out to industry experts for quotes or insights. This adds credibility and gives those experts a reason to share your content with their audiences.
The test for whether your content is genuinely better is simple: would someone who read the original benefit from reading yours? If the answer isn’t a clear yes, keep improving.
If you need support creating content that stands above competitors, our premium content writing services can help you develop genuinely superior resources.
Step three: execute strategic outreach.
You’ve created exceptional content. Now you need to tell the right people about it. This is where the skyscraper technique differentiates itself from simply hoping people discover your work.
Start by extracting a list of all domains linking to the original content you improved upon. Filter this list to remove forums, article directories, and other low-quality sites. Focus on legitimate publications, blogs, and resource pages where an editorial decision was made to include that link.
Don’t limit yourself to just the sites linking to the original piece. Expand your prospect list by also examining backlinks to other top-ranking pages on the same topic. This multiplicative approach significantly increases your outreach opportunities.
Your email needs to accomplish several things quickly: establish relevance, demonstrate value, and make the ask easy. A template structure that works: briefly acknowledge their existing content, explain that you’ve created an updated resource on the same topic, highlight one or two specific improvements, and suggest your content might be worth mentioning.
Personalisation matters enormously. Reference something specific from their site. Mention a recent article they published. Demonstrate that you’re not sending the same generic pitch to everyone on a list. Busy editors can spot template emails instantly, and they get deleted just as fast.
The timing of your follow-up matters too. Wait seven to ten days before sending a polite follow-up to non-responders. Many legitimate opportunities come from follow-ups rather than initial emails. People are busy, emails get buried, and a gentle reminder often prompts action.
Expect conversion rates between 2-11% depending on your content quality, outreach personalisation, and niche competitiveness. Dean achieved 11% in his original campaign, but most practitioners see results closer to 3-5%. Plan your prospect list accordingly: if you need 20 backlinks and expect a 5% success rate, you’ll need approximately 400 quality prospects to contact.
Common mistakes that kill skyscraper campaigns.
The skyscraper method has become well-known since 2013, which means recipients have seen countless poorly-executed versions. Avoiding common pitfalls significantly improves your chances.
Focusing on length over value. Readers want answers, not word count. A 3,000-word article that directly addresses their questions outperforms a 7,000-word article that buries useful information in padding. Google’s algorithms have become sophisticated at evaluating content quality, and users quickly bounce from unhelpful pages regardless of length.
Using generic outreach templates. Brian Dean’s original email template has been copied so many times that it now triggers immediate deletion from many editors. Develop your own voice and personalise every message. The extra five minutes spent researching each prospect pays dividends in response rates.
Targeting content you can’t actually improve. Some existing content is genuinely excellent. If you can’t identify specific ways to add meaningful value, choose a different target. Publishing something marginally different doesn’t give anyone a compelling reason to link to it.
Neglecting domain authority. Creating the best content in the world won’t help if your website has no established authority. If you’re starting from zero, consider building foundational authority through other methods first, such as guest posting for backlinks or digital PR link building tactics.
Failing to promote beyond outreach. Email outreach shouldn’t be your only promotion channel. Share the content across social media, send it to your email list, pitch it to journalists if it contains newsworthy data. Multi-channel promotion increases visibility and can attract organic links beyond your outreach efforts.
Expecting overnight results. Link building takes time. Emails need to be sent, opened, considered, and acted upon. Pages need to be indexed and rankings need to stabilise. A realistic timeline is three to six months before seeing significant ranking improvements from a skyscraper campaign.
Does the skyscraper technique still work in 2026?
Yes, but the bar for success has risen substantially. The fundamental principle remains sound: creating exceptional content and telling the right people about it is an effective way to earn backlinks. What’s changed is the definition of “exceptional” and the sophistication required in outreach.
In the early days, simply making content longer or adding more list items could differentiate your piece. Today, with content saturation at all-time highs and AI making content creation easier than ever, you need genuine differentiation. Original research, proprietary data, unique expert insights, or truly novel approaches now separate successful skyscraper content from the noise.
Outreach has similarly evolved. Webmasters and editors receive more link requests than ever, making their inboxes crowded with pitches. Generic templates that worked in 2015 now get ignored or marked as spam. Modern success requires relationship building, genuine value propositions, and highly personalised communication.
The technique also works best as part of a broader link building strategy rather than a standalone approach. Combining skyscraper campaigns with broken link building strategy, digital PR, and organic link attraction from consistently publishing quality content produces more sustainable results than relying on any single method.
For a deeper understanding of how link building fits into your overall SEO strategy, see our complete guide to link building.
Tools you need for skyscraper link building.
Executing the skyscraper strategy efficiently requires the right toolkit. While the technique can technically be done with just Google and a spreadsheet, specialised tools dramatically improve your results and reduce time investment.
For finding linkable content: SEO platforms with backlink databases allow you to identify content in your niche that has accumulated significant links. They show you which specific pages link to any URL, helping you build your outreach prospect list. Features like Content Explorer let you search for topics and sort by referring domains or social shares.
For analysing competitors: The same platforms typically offer site explorer functionality that reveals your competitors’ most-linked pages. This competitive intelligence helps you identify proven content types and topics in your space.
For finding contact information: Once you have your list of target websites, you need email addresses. Email finder tools can extract contact details from websites. Always verify emails before sending to maintain deliverability.
For managing outreach: Spreadsheets work for small campaigns, but dedicated outreach platforms become essential at scale. They help you track who you’ve contacted, manage follow-ups, and measure response rates. Some integrate directly with backlink databases for streamlined workflows.
For content creation: Content optimisation tools analyse top-ranking pages and suggest topics and terms to cover. They can help ensure your skyscraper content comprehensively addresses the subject matter. For proper anchor text optimisation guide principles, ensure your internal links use natural, varied anchor text.
How to measure skyscraper technique success.
Track these metrics to evaluate your campaign performance:
Outreach metrics include emails sent, open rates, response rates (both positive and negative), and conversion rate (links acquired divided by emails sent). Document these for each campaign to identify what messaging resonates with your audience.
Link metrics encompass total new backlinks, referring domains gained, domain authority of linking sites, and whether links are dofollow or nofollow. Quality matters more than quantity: ten links from authoritative sites outweigh a hundred from low-quality directories.
Ranking metrics involve tracking your target keyword positions before, during, and after the campaign. Note that rankings can fluctuate, so focus on trends over weeks and months rather than daily changes.
Traffic metrics measure organic traffic to your skyscraper content and referral traffic from acquired backlinks. Ultimately, traffic is what translates link building effort into business results.
Set realistic benchmarks based on your campaign size. A small campaign targeting 100 prospects might yield 3-5 backlinks. A larger campaign with 500 prospects and excellent content might generate 20-50 backlinks. Compare your results against industry averages and your own historical performance.
Skyscraper technique vs other link building methods.
The skyscraper strategy represents one approach within a broader link building toolkit. Understanding how it compares helps you allocate resources effectively.
Compared to guest posting, skyscraper content lives on your own site, building your domain’s authority directly. Guest posts build relationships and drive referral traffic but scatter your best content across other domains. Many successful link builders combine both approaches.
Compared to digital PR, skyscraper campaigns typically target more niche publications rather than mainstream media. Digital PR can generate links from high-authority news sites but requires newsworthy angles. Skyscraper content works well for educational and informational topics that might not have news hooks.
Compared to broken link building, skyscraper outreach asks people to add a new link rather than replace a broken one. Broken link building can have higher conversion rates because you’re solving a problem (a 404 page) rather than asking for an addition. However, finding relevant broken links can be time-consuming.
For a complete understanding of ethical link building practices, our guide on white hat vs black hat link building explains the differences and why sustainable approaches matter.
A real example of the skyscraper method in action.
To illustrate how this works in practice, consider a hypothetical campaign in the digital marketing space.
A marketing agency notices that a competitor’s post ranking for “email marketing statistics” has accumulated over 200 referring domains. The post was last updated two years ago and contains statistics that are now outdated.
The agency creates a new statistics page incorporating recent studies, adding interactive data visualisations, including statistics the original missed, and providing downloadable resources marketers can use. The new page is more comprehensive, more current, and more useful than anything else ranking for that term.
They extract all domains linking to the original post and several other top-ranking statistics pages, producing a list of 500 potential outreach targets. After filtering for quality and relevance, they have 350 viable prospects.
Over three weeks, they send personalised outreach emails highlighting the updated statistics and improved visuals. Follow-ups go out to non-responders after ten days. The campaign generates a 4% conversion rate: 14 new backlinks from quality sites.
Within four months, the new statistics page begins ranking on page one for the target keyword. The backlinks also improve the overall domain authority, benefiting other pages across the site.
If you’re looking to implement these SEO strategies but don’t have the time or team bandwidth, our link building services in Australia can help you execute them effectively while you focus on running your business.
Tips for 2026 and beyond.
The skyscraper technique continues to evolve. Here’s what’s working now:
Prioritise E-E-A-T signals. Google’s emphasis on Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness means your content needs credible sourcing and demonstrable expertise. Include author bios, cite primary sources, and showcase relevant experience.
Build relationships before outreach. Cold emails work, but warm outreach works better. Engage with potential link targets on social media, comment thoughtfully on their content, and establish familiarity before making your ask.
Create multi-format content. Supplement your written skyscraper with video summaries, podcast episodes, infographics, and social media threads. Different formats appeal to different audiences and create additional linking opportunities.
Optimise for AI visibility. As AI-powered search features become more prevalent, content that clearly answers questions and provides citable information gains importance. Structure your content to be easily parsed and quoted.
Focus on genuine value creation. The best defence against algorithm changes and competitive pressure is creating content so useful that people seek it out and share it naturally. Techniques and tactics matter, but substance matters more.
For more on how content quality affects your overall search performance, see our piece on content marketing and SEO and writing copy that converts.
Key takeaways.
The skyscraper technique transforms link building from a numbers game into a strategic discipline. By identifying proven content, improving upon it meaningfully, and reaching out to pre-qualified prospects, you maximise the return on your content investment.
Success requires more effort than it did a decade ago, but the fundamentals remain unchanged: people link to the best resources they can find. Create something genuinely superior, and you give others a compelling reason to reference your work.
Start by auditing your niche for improvement opportunities. Look for high-link content that’s outdated, incomplete, or poorly presented. Build something better. Tell the right people about it. Measure your results and refine your approach.
The technique isn’t a shortcut. It requires significant investment in research, content creation, and outreach. But for those willing to do the work, it remains one of the most reliable methods for earning quality backlinks that actually improve rankings.
Understanding the benefits of link building explained in greater depth will help you appreciate why this effort pays dividends for your business over time.