What Is The Skyscraper Technique? | A Link Building Guide

I get it. We’ve all been there. You pour weeks into a single post. You research, write, make a cool graphic, and finally hit publish.

Then you wait.

And… nothing. Crickets. Maybe your mom shares it. But no real traffic. No links. Zero authority for all that work.

It’s the worst feeling. Trust me, I’ve been there. It feels like shouting into a void.

Sound familiar? Stick around. You’re not missing a “hack.” You’re missing a strategy.

I want to show you one of the most powerful, white-hat link-building strategies I know. We’re going to break down what is the skyscraper technique? This isn’t just another buzzword. It’s a real system for earning backlinks and traffic. It’s what took me from hoping for links to knowing how to earn them.

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Key Takeaways

We’re about to dive deep. In a hurry? Here’s the 30,000-foot view. Get this, and you’re already ahead of the game.

• The Gist: The “Skyscraper Technique” just means you find popular content in your niche—stuff that already has a bunch of backlinks.
• The 3 Steps: It’s a simple process. 1) Find that link-worthy content. 2) Make something way better. 3) Email everyone who linked to the original and show them your new version.
• Why It Works: It’s not a scam. You’re not tricking anyone. You’re just offering a direct upgrade, helping them make their own site better by giving them a superior resource to link to.
• “Better” Isn’t “Longer”: Please, don’t just write more words. That’s the biggest mistake. “Better” means it’s more up-to-date, designed better, more thorough, and adds something new (like data or expert quotes) the first one missed.
• Outreach is King: Making the content is just half the battle. The real magic is in the email. Build it and don’t tell anyone? You just wasted your time.

So, What Is the Skyscraper Technique, Really?

Boil it down, and this technique is just smart reverse engineering.

Think about how most of us create content. (Yeah, I did this for years, too.)

1. Brainstorm something we think is cool.
2. Write from our own perspective.
3. Publish. Pray.

It’s a total crapshoot.

The Skyscraper Technique, which Brian Dean first gave a name to, flips that script. No more guessing. You find a proven winner—a post that’s already soaked up a ton of backlinks—and then you blow it out of the water.

The name? It’s perfect. Think about a city skyline. You could build a solid 10-story building and hope someone notices. Or… you could find the tallest building and build one 10 stories taller right next to it. With a rooftop bar. Which one gets all the attention?

You’re not starting from scratch. You’re taking a proven blueprint and just… making it better. You’re just finding the 100-story building and adding the glass elevator.

Best part? No more guesswork. You know the topic is a hit. You know people are willing to link to it. The proof is right there. Your job is to create the undisputed best version. Period.

Why Does This Link Building Method Even Work?

Fair question. Why would a busy blogger edit an old post just for you?

It’s human nature. We’re drawn to the best.

Nobody wants to link to an ugly, outdated guide. When you pop into their inbox, you’re not asking. You’re offering. You’re giving them a simple way to improve their own stuff.

Think: they swap the old link for your new one. Their post is instantly more valuable. More current. More helpful. You’re giving them a free “upgrade.”

It also works because it’s laser-focused. You aren’t just spray-and-praying emails to every “marketing blogger” you can find. You’re only talking to people who’ve already shown they care about this exact topic. They’re pre-qualified.

It’s not a cold pitch. It’s a warm notification.

The value prop is simple: “Hey, saw you link to that old post. I made a more thorough, up-to-date version. Thought you might want to see it.”

Simple. Direct. It works.

Is It Just About Creating Longer Content?

This is the absolute biggest, most expensive mistake you can make.

A lot of people hear “taller” and “skyscraper” and think the job is to just pump up the word count. Find a 2,000-word article, write 4,000. Right?

Wrong. That’s a recipe for failure.

Length is just a byproduct of being thorough. It’s not the goal. If you just add 2,000 words of rambling fluff, you haven’t made it “better.” You’ve just made it “longer.” And nobody wants that.

“Better” is a mix of things. You have to beat the original on multiple fronts:

• Depth and Thoroughness: Okay, this often means more words. Did their post list “10 Tips”? Yours should have “25 Tips,” each with real, actionable examples. You have to cover the angles they completely missed.
• Freshness and Accuracy: Their article from 2021? Your content needs 2025 data. New screenshots. You have to remove strategies that don’t work anymore. This is a huge selling point.
• Design and User Experience: Seriously underrated. If the original is a giant wall of text, you can win on design alone. Use custom graphics. Make an infographic. Use a clean, readable layout.
• Unique Value: This is your knockout punch. What can you add that the original doesn’t have? Expert quotes? A personal case study? A video summary? A downloadable checklist? This one unique thing is often what gets them to say yes.

Just being “longer” is lazy. Being “better” is a real strategy.

How Does This Fit with Google’s E-E-A-T?

This is where the technique really shines today, especially with Google’s focus on “helpful content.”

Google’s whole jam is rewarding content that shows Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). They want to send users to pages that are genuinely helpful, written by people who know their stuff.

The Skyscraper Technique is basically E-E-A-T in practice.

You’re not looking for loopholes. You are, by design, creating the single most helpful, expert, and authoritative resource on a topic.

• Experience: You get to weave in your own stories, case studies, and mistakes (like the ones I’m sharing). It shows you’ve done the thing.
• Expertise: By gathering new data, interviewing other experts, or just providing deeper insights, you’re proving your expertise.
• Authoritativeness: The goal is to build authority. As you earn high-quality links from other respected sites, Google’s algorithm sees your page as a go-to resource. It’s a feedback loop.
• Trustworthiness: You’re citing sources. You’re using accurate data. You’re presenting it on a professional, well-designed page. That builds trust.

Instead of being some “SEO trick,” this is a framework for aligning perfectly with what Google wants. You’re making a resource that genuinely deserves to be #1.

That’s why this strategy has lasted.

So, How Do I Find the Right Content to “Skyscraper”?

This is Step 1. Get this wrong, and you’ll do a ton of work for zero reward.

Your mission is to find the “sweet spot”: a piece of content with a good number of backlinks, but that is just screaming to be updated.

What does “beatable” mean?

• It’s visibly outdated (old stats, old screenshots, bad advice).
• It’s thin (a 700-word post that just scratches the surface).
• It’s ugly (a wall of text, terrible formatting, loads slowly).
• It’s shallow (it lists the “what” but never explains the “how”).

You’re looking for the “King of the Hill” who’s gotten a bit old and lazy.

A common rookie mistake? Trying to take on a behemoth. Don’t try to “skyscraper” a page from HubSpot or Wikipedia that has 10,000 links. That’s not a skyscraper; that’s Mount Everest.

Instead, look for content from a blog that’s maybe one or two steps ahead of you. A page with a solid 30-100 referring domains that’s ranking pretty well.

What Tools Make Finding Link-Worthy Content Easier?

You can’t do this just by Googling. You need an SEO tool to look under the hood and see the backlink data. Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz are the standards.

Here’s my simple process using Ahrefs’ “Content Explorer”:

1. Put in a broad keyword for your niche. Let’s say, “how to brew beer.”
2. Filter the results. You want to find articles with a decent number of “Referring Domains” (unique websites linking to it). I like to set a minimum of 25.
3. Now, the manual part. Open those articles in new tabs.
4. Ask yourself those “beatable” questions. Is this from 2018? Is it only 1,000 words? Is it just plain ugly?

Bingo.

You’ll quickly spot a few perfect targets. You’ll find a “10 Tips for Beginner Brewers” post that has 40 links, but it’s just a simple, un-styled list.

That’s your target.

Now you can go and create “The Ultimate Guide to Homebrewing: From Beginner to Pro,” with 30 detailed steps, an infographic, and a video.

Am I Looking for High Links or High Traffic?

Great question. Target links or traffic?

Ideally, both.

But, if you have to choose, for the Skyscraper Technique, links are the priority.

Remember the goal: this is a link-building strategy. The traffic comes after you get the links. The entire point is to find a built-in list of people to email. That list is the backlink profile of the original article.

An article with 100,000 monthly visitors but only 3 backlinks? Terrible target. You only have 3 people to email!

An article with 500 monthly visitors but 50 backlinks? Perfect target. You have a ready-made list of 50 prospects. Once you get even a few of those links, your authority will climb, and your own traffic will follow.

Prioritize the backlink profile. That’s your fuel.

I Found My Target… Now What?

You’ve found your 100-story building. Time to build your 110-story version. This is Step 2: making something demonstrably better.

This isn’t just about word count. This is where you put on your critical editor’s hat and just tear the target article apart (constructively, of course).

I literally open the target article on one side of my screen and a blank document on the other. I go through the original and ask:

• What did they miss?
• What questions does this leave me with?
• What data is ancient?
• Where are they just plain wrong?
• What practical steps are missing?
• Are there any “what if” scenarios they don’t cover?
• Could this be 10x more appealing to look at?

Your new outline is built from the gaps in the original.

Here’s a quick-hit list of ways to make your content indisputably better:

• Add a “Results” or “Case Study” Section: The original explains “how.” Your article shows you doing it and what happened. That’s pure E-E-A-T.
• Embed Original Video: A 5-minute video summary at the top makes it a “multimedia asset,” not just an “article.”
• Create High-Quality Custom Graphics: Stop using the same 10 cheesy stock photos. Create custom diagrams, charts, or infographics that actually explain your points.
• Get Quotes from Other Experts: A power move. Email 5-10 other experts and ask for a 50-word quote. This adds instant authority (and gives them a reason to share).
• Make it “Skimmable”: Use a clear Table of Contents, bold text, short paragraphs, and lots of subheadings. Make your 4,000-word beast easier to read than their 1,000-word mess.

Your goal is to make the original article look lazy.

Can I Tell You About My First Failure?

I have to share this, because it’s the exact mistake I’m warning you about.

My first real swing at this was years ago. Found a perfect target: a 1,500-word post on “email marketing tips” with about 60 backlinks. Old, thin, perfect.

I spent weeks writing a 5,000-word “ultimate guide.” This thing had everything. I hit publish, so proud I could burst.

And then… nothing.

Not a single link. I was crushed. I thought the technique was a lie.

Here’s what I missed: I was so exhausted from writing the article that I skipped the most important step.

I never did the outreach.

I didn’t email a single one of those 60 websites. I just put my “better” article out there and assumed the world would just… find it. And magically swap out their old links.

Here’s the hard truth: Nobody is looking for your content.

You can build the tallest, most beautiful skyscraper in the world, but if you don’t send out invitations to the grand opening, it’s going to stay empty.

Creating the content is just the price of admission. The real work—the part that gets you the links—is the outreach.

This Feels Like a Ton of Work. Is the Final Step Just as Hard?

Yep. In many ways, it’s harder.

This is Step 3: strategic, personalized outreach. This is where 90% of people give up. They get shy. They get lazy. Or they do it completely wrong.

Doing it wrong is sending a generic, spammy, “Hey, look at my post!” email to 100 people. That gets you ignored, marked as spam, and just burns bridges.

Doing it right is treating every single email as a personal, one-to-one conversation.

First, your prospect list. Go back to your SEO tool and export the entire list of websites linking to the original article. This is your starting point.

Now, you have to clean that list. This is critical. You’ve got to delete:

• Forum links
• Blog comments
• Spammy directories
• Any site that’s clearly low-quality or not in English

You’ll be left with a clean list of real blogs, company sites, and publications. Now the detective work begins. You need to find the person behind that post. Don’t email info@company.com. Use a tool like Hunter.io or just some smart searching to find the author’s name or the editor’s name.

You’re looking for jane.doe@company.com, not a generic inbox.

What’s the Secret to an Email That Doesn’t Get Ignored?

The secret? It shouldn’t feel like a mass email. It has to be short, direct, and genuinely helpful.

Here’s a simple framework that just works:

1. A Quick, Personal Compliment: Start with something specific. “Hi Jane, I was just reading your excellent article on [Their Article Topic].” This shows you’re not a robot.
2. The “Why”: Get straight to the point. “I noticed you linked to [Original, Outdated Article]…”
3. The Pivot (The “Upgrade”): Introduce your piece. “…I actually just published a much more in-depth and current guide on that topic. It’s [Your Main Differentiator, e.g., ‘updated for 2025 with 15 new strategies’].”
4. The “Ask” (The Soft-Sell): Don’t be demanding. Be helpful. “I thought it might be a great replacement for that old link. Would you be open to taking a look?”
5. The Sign-off: “Either way, love what you’re doing!”

It’s polite. It’s professional. It respects their time. And it’s a crystal-clear value prop: “I have something that makes your site better.”

Can I Share the Email That Finally Worked?

Of course. After that first “crickets” failure, I had to learn outreach the hard way. I sent so many emails that just went into the void.

Then, I landed one. The whole thing clicked.

I had targeted an article about “social media analytics.” My piece was a huge guide with video tutorials. I found a post on a big-time marketing blog that linked to a 5-year-old, 800-word post on the same topic.

I found the marketing manager on LinkedIn, figured out her email, and sent this (names changed, obviously):

Subject: Quick question about your marketing article

Hi Sarah,

I’m a long-time reader of the [Their Blog Name] blog—seriously loved your last piece on community building.

I was just re-reading your older article, “The 5 Marketing Metrics That Matter,” and saw you linked to that short post on social analytics from [Competitor Blog].

I actually just published a full, 2025-ready guide on that exact topic. It includes video walkthroughs for setting up new analytics dashboards, which I haven’t seen anywhere else.

It’s at: [link to my new article]

Might be a solid, more current resource for your readers.

Keep up the amazing work!

Best, [My Name]

She replied in two hours.

Her email said: “This is amazing, 10x better than the one we were linking to. You’re right, those videos are fantastic. I’ve already swapped the link. Consider it done. Great stuff.”

I just stared at the screen. That one “yes” from a DR 70+ site was worth 100 rejections.

That is when it all made sense. I wasn’t a spammer. I was a problem-solver. I found a broken, old part of her website and handed her a brand-new, shiny replacement. For free.

What if the Original Article Is Already a Masterpiece?

This is a common, advanced-level problem. You find an article with 200 links, but it’s… really good. 5,000 words, well-designed, written by a top expert.

You can’t “skyscraper” this in the traditional way. You can’t just make it “longer.”

So, you pivot. You can’t build taller, so you must build different. Some people call this the “Skyscraper 2.0” or “Angle” technique.

Instead of a 1-to-1 replacement, you create a new resource that attacks the topic from a completely new angle.

• Is the original a “Complete Guide”? You create a “Common Mistakes” post, or a “Data-Backed Case Study.”
• Is the original a list of “100 Tips”? You create an “Interactive Tool” or calculator that does the same job.
• Is the original an industry “Survey”? You create a “Beginner’s Guide” that’s less about data and more about taking action.

Your outreach email has to change, too. You email the same 200 people, but your message is different:

“Hi, I saw you linked to that giant industry survey. It’s great for data, but I found my readers were getting overwhelmed. So, I created a simple, actionable checklist based on that data. It might be a great resource to add alongside the survey for your readers who want to take action.”

See the difference? You’re not asking for a replacement. You’re asking for an addition.

Can I “Skyscraper” a Different Format?

Yes! This is one of my all-time favorite advanced moves.

Content isn’t just text. Find a super popular blog post. How can you translate that into a new medium?

• Blog Post to Video: Create a high-quality, 10-minute animated explainer or a “talking head” tutorial that covers all the main points (and more).
• Blog Post to Infographic: Is the original a data-heavy post? Hire a designer and turn all that data into a stunning, long-form infographic.
• Blog Post to Interactive Tool: Is the original an article on “How to Calculate Your Marketing Budget”? Build a simple web calculator that does it for them.

This gives you an incredibly powerful reason to email people. You can now contact everyone who linked to the original post and everyone who shared it on social media.

Your email: “Hey, I loved that post on marketing budgets you shared. I’m a visual learner, so I went ahead and built a simple calculator that does all the math. Feel free to check it out.”

This is how you get links from people who never link to “just another blog post.”

What Are the Biggest Mistakes People Make with This?

We’ve covered the big ones (skipping outreach, just focusing on length), but a few other traps can completely kill your campaign.

The first is just being a copycat.

Is It Bad to Just Copy Their Headings?

Yes. It’s bad. It’s very bad.

Don’t “skyscraper” an article by just using their H2s and H3s as your outline and just adding more words to each section. That’s lazy, it’s borderline plagiarism, and it adds no new value.

You’re creating a new, better asset, not just a “director’s cut” of their old one.

Your article structure needs to be fundamentally better. More logical. It should cover more ground. It should introduce new concepts. If their article is “10 Tips,” yours isn’t “10 Better Tips.” It’s “The Ultimate A-to-Z Guide,” which is structured completely differently.

Why Did My Outreach Emails All Fail?

Let’s say you’re doing the outreach. You’re sending the emails. Why is no one replying? It’s almost always one of these four things:

1. Your Email is Too Long: Your email needs to be 3-5 sentences. Tops. Editors and webmasters are busy. They don’t have time to read your life story. Get to the point.
2. You’re Not Personalizing: Are you using their name? Did you mention their specific article? If your email could be sent to 1,000 people without changing a single word, it’s spam.
3. Your Content Isn’t Actually Better: This is the hard truth you have to face. Is your new piece unarguably superior? Or is it just… kind of different? If it’s not a clear 10x upgrade, they have zero incentive to switch.
4. You’re Too Demanding: Avoid bossy phrases like “Please add my link” or “You should update your post.” Use collaborative, soft language: “Thought this might be a good fit,” or “Wondered if you’d be open to checking it out.”

One more tip: Your subject line is 90% of the battle. “Quick question about your [Topic] post” is infinitely better than “Link Request” or “New Article.”

How Has the Skyscraper Technique Changed Over the Years?

The core idea is as powerful as ever. But the way you do it has definitely had to evolve.

Back in 2015, you could find a 1,000-word post, write a 2,500-word post, and you were golden.

Not anymore.

The general quality of content on the web has exploded. “Average” is now 2,000 words with custom images. The bar is just so much higher. That means your “skyscraper” has to be that much more impressive.

The bar for outreach is higher, too. Every blogger gets 10 of these “I wrote a better post” emails a day. This is why personalization, E-E-A-T, and building a truly unique asset (like a tool or video) are no longer optional. They’re the only way to cut through all that noise.

Does AI Make This Easier or Harder?

It’s both.

AI tools can make the research and drafting parts of this way faster. You can use AI to:

• Summarize your target article.
• Brainstorm 20 new subtopics they missed.
• Find new, up-to-date statistics.
• Help you draft a “first-pass” of a section.

But that also makes it harder because it raises the bar for everyone. Your competitors are also using AI to make “longer” content, faster.

Your new competitive edge can’t be speed or length. It has to be authenticity.

AI can’t fake your personal experience (E-E-A-T). It can’t run an original case study for you. It can’t interview your expert friends. It can’t record a video of you explaining the concept.

AI makes the “fluff” part easy, which just means you have to double down on the real, human, experience-driven value that AI can’t touch.

How Do I Even Know if This Is Working?

You’ve done all the work. The content is live. The emails are out. What now?

You have to track your results.

1. Outreach Response Rate: This is your first check. What percentage of people are even replying? If it’s super low (like, under 2-3%), your email template or your prospect list needs work. If it’s higher (5-10%+), you know your pitch is landing.
2. Link Acquisition Rate: Of the people who reply, how many actually add the link? This tells you if your content is good enough. A high reply rate but low acquisition rate means your email is great, but your content isn’t sealing the deal.
3. New Referring Domains: This is your main KPI. Use your SEO tool. Is the number of new, unique websites linking to you going up?
4. Keyword Rankings: As those links come in, keep an eye on your target keywords. You should see your article start to climb. Page 10… page 3… page 1.
5. Organic Traffic: This is the ultimate goal. As your rankings climb, your organic traffic will follow.

How Long Should I Wait for Results?

This is not an overnight fix.

You might get your first link the same day you send your emails. But the real SEO impact—the ranking and traffic boost—takes time. Google needs to find those new links, process them, and re-evaluate how authoritative your page is.

You should plan to be in “outreach mode” for at least a few weeks. The real ranking benefits can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months to fully kick in.

This is a long-term, foundational play. It’s not a temporary traffic spike.

Is the Skyscraper Technique Dead in 2025?

You’ll see this headline every year. “The Skyscraper Technique is DEAD!”

It’s just clickbait.

The lazy version of this technique is dead. The “write 1,000 more words and send 100 spam emails” version died a long, long time ago.

But the philosophy? The core idea of finding what’s already working, creating the undisputed best resource on that topic, and then telling the right people about it?

That will never be dead.

That is, quite simply, what good marketing is. It is the literal definition of aligning with Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines. You are creating the most authoritative and trustworthy content you possibly can.

The Skyscraper Technique isn’t a hack. It’s a blueprint for creating content that deserves to win.

What’s the Alternative if This Just Isn’t for Me?

This strategy is a ton of work. I’m not going to lie about that. It’s not for everyone.

If you’re just not in a position to create massive, 10x content right now, other link-building strategies might be a better fit:

• Digital PR / HARO: This is all about responding to journalist queries on services like Help a Reporter Out (HARO). You give them an expert quote, they (often) give you a backlink. It’s more reactive, but you can land some huge links.
• Guest Posting: You write a new, original article for someone else’s blog. This is great for building relationships and getting a link, but you’re building assets for other people’s sites, not your own.
• Relationship-Based Link Building: This is the slow-and-steady game. You just become an active, helpful member of your community. You share other people’s work, you comment thoughtfully, and you build real friendships… which naturally leads to links over time.

However, for a direct, repeatable, content-focused strategy, nothing I’ve found beats the Skyscraper Technique.

So, What’s the One Thing to Remember?

If you forget everything else in this guide, remember this:

The Skyscraper Technique is not really about content. And it’s not really about outreach.

It’s about value.

It’s a system for finding where value is lacking on the web and then injecting a massive dose of it. You find an old, crusty article that people are still linking to (for some reason), and you replace it with something 10x more valuable.

This is why you have to understand the difference between clear writing and just “good” writing. Being clear and providing value is everything. In fact, resources like the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) emphasize that clarity is the most important part of getting your point across—whether in an academic paper or an outreach email.

Your content is the value. Your outreach is just the delivery system.

It’s hard work. It’s a long game. But it’s one of the only strategies that puts you in control. You are no longer “hoping” for links. You are engineering them.

FAQ