The Skyscraper Technique: What Is It? Does It Work in 2024?

Ever wondered if the famed skyscraper stopped working? Maybe it stopped working like everything in SEO when a new strategy came into play.

Let’s find out!

What Is the Meaning of Skyscraper Technique?

Brian Dean of Backlinko coined the term and used the technique to rank an article in 2013.

And obviously, the technique has been the rave since then.

But what is so special about this technique? Is it really the deal?

Looking at how the whole thing panned out, there is only one conclusion:

The skyscraper technique revolves around creating outstanding content. That’s likely why it works so well.

Like skyscrapers, the idea is to attract traffic and links by being the shiniest edifice. In other words, your content must stand out. This way, you have more chances to rank high on the SERPs.

But what will make [and how will] your content stand out?

Is it by writing more words like what several marketers suggest?

For example, if the top-ranking content for my keyword has 3000 words, I’ll write 3200 words. Then, I’ll outrank the former. Is this it?

NO!

In Brian’s words, “create something better,” not write more words.

Better content = valuable content

That said, let’s define the technique CORRECTLY…

The skyscraper technique is a content-based link building strategy. It involves improving existing content, exploiting its popularity, and replicating its backlinks.

How Does Skyscraper Link Building Work?

The skyscraper technique is a 3-step funnel:

1. Find crazy good content, perfect if it has many quality backlinks
2. Write similar content, but make yours better
3. Reach out to referring domains of the content for backlinks

This picture from Ahrefs gives the perfect summary:

Step 1

The “crazy good” content is what I call linkable assets. They are too wonderful not to link to even for competitors. Think of reports, surveys, unicorn tools, etc.

Imagine Ahrefs linking to Semrush or Moz. That’s what linkable assets can do.

So, the first step of skyscraper link building is to find such assets. But that’s not all. Search rankings also count.

This technique looks beyond the content with the most backlinks. It also considers Google’s perception of the content. Where does it rank on the SERPs?

This point is where the quality of backlinks comes into play.

Pro tip: content with thousands of spammy links shouldn’t be your target.

Step 2

Once you decide on your ideal linkable asset, the next step is to create a better version. And while you’re at it, please avoid these common pitfalls:

• Content spinning
• Focusing too much on word count
• Overlooking search intent

The way to create better content lies in what I call the DUD.

D – Design

U – Update

D – Depth

Check through the structure of your competitor’s content. Then, make yours more interactive. One way to achieve this is by using pop-ups and content outlines.

About the “update” part, check the statistics and examples in your competitor’s content. Is any of the data outdated?

Regardless of the answer, add fresh perspectives. You could even make the content engaging with polls and first-hand stories.

Lastly, on depth, do more than list ideas. Fill in the gaps. Add depth. Use unique examples.

If you can relate your idea to trending issues, do that. In all, focus on educating your readers.

Pro tip: when you apply the DUD, you won’t worry about the length of your content. That’ll sort itself out.

Step 3

The skyscraper technique is a link building strategy at the end of the day. As a result, outreach is a crucial step.

While you can wait to rank and get links, that will take time.

Besides, that’s not the skyscraper method. It is active and involves seeking out link building prospects. And luckily, it comes with a shortcut.

You only need to start with the referring domains linking to the article or asset you modeled.

What Are the Benefits of the Skyscraper Technique?

1. Huge ranking potential
2. Improved content quality
3. Ready demand for your content
4. Natural backlinks
5. Site authority

Huge Ranking Potential

You already know how the skyscraper strategy works. It’s about making existing top-ranking articles even better.

In other words, the technique is a chance to outrank existing top-ranking content by writing something better.

Doing this will increase your website ranking in search engine result pages.

When your site ranks higher, more people notice it when they search online.

It shows users that your content is valuable and trusted by search engines. 

Hence, you get more traffic to your website when more people visit your website, both old and new visitors.

Bottom line:

When you leverage the Skyscraper Technique, you can get more links pointing to your site.

Additionally, you will get more people interested in what you share.

All these are vital in boosting your website’s search engine rankings.

Improved Content Quality

When you analyze why your target keyword content ranks, you can learn how to write even better content.

For example, maybe they used videos, pictures, and relevant facts in their article. You can adopt this when you write yours.

So, as you try to outrank the content, you become a better writer.

How?

You will learn new things to add to your writing. With this, you can offer more exciting and helpful stuff to readers.

This means writing stuff that’s more interesting, fun to read, and looks good on the page.

Ready Demand for Your Content

Many people will want to read your content When you use the Skyscraper Technique.

Why?

Because you’re making something better than what’s already popular and searched for.

This means more people will come to your website to read what you’ve written.

Other websites will also want to link to your content because it’s like the best stuff out there.

So, as long as you write something new that’s even better than what’s already online, you’re all set to get more readers and backlinks to your website.

Natural Backlinks

Another great thing about the Skyscraper technique is that it helps many website owners see your content.

Once you finish your article, there are lots of websites that are ready to link to it!

So, if your content is unique and better than what’s already out there, you’ll have a better chance of getting more links to your page.

Another thing is that you can get natural backlinks.

Here’s how it works:

When you write content better than what’s already out there, other websites might link to your page without asking.

So, besides getting websites that already link to similar content to link to you, you can also earn links naturally.

It’s like getting a thumbs-up from other websites that think your work is superb.

They link to your content because they find it valuable, not because you asked them to.

Additionally, you can build a relationship with these sites for future partnerships.

Improved Site Authority

Becoming well-known in your niche can be challenging. But with the Skyscraper Technique, you can do it.

When you write valuable content that stands out, it shows you are an expert. 

This helps you get noticed and trusted by search engines and people. 

Additionally, using the Skyscraper Technique often makes people see you as a reliable source of information. 

This will make you more respected and, as a result, solidify your authority in your niche. 

This way, you can become more visible, have a better reputation, and get more business opportunities.

How Does the Skyscraper Technique Compare With Content-Related Strategies?

1. Topical cluster
2. Cornerstone pages
3. 10x Content

Topical Cluster

A topical cluster has pillar content, which is a long, detailed article on a website. This article is the main topic and explains what your page is about.

These articles are long and give lots of details. This shows that you know much about the topic and help visitors learn about it.

You can write smaller, related articles around it, all connected to the main idea, like branches on a tree.

In contrast, the skyscraper technique builds all articles to be the pillar content.

Cornerstone Pages

Your customers need to learn a few basic things to work with you. That is what cornerstone pages are for.

They help visitors find all the information about one topic in one place.

For example, let us say you are selling toys for kids. The person who wants to buy from you needs some knowledge.

They have questions like: is the toy safe? Is it easy to use? What age group can use a particular toy?

So, when you answer these questions, you will also add internal links to all related posts.

Bottom line:

A cornerstone post is not about how long your writing is. It is about what people can learn from it. This is similar to skyscraper technique. But the latter is better version with depth.

10X Content

This content strategy is quite similar to skyscraper content. It is about making an existing top-ranking article even better.

You can think of 10X content as super skyscraper posts. This means the articles are ten times better than anything else you can find.

The big difference is that 10x content does not have to be a written article.

10x content can be a YouTube video, a social media post, an infographic, a podcast, or any other type of content you share.

The idea is to make something so great and helpful that your competitors can’t compete. Because you have put too much time and effort into it.

Does It Work?

Let’s look at a few case studies to answer the question:

70K Page Views + Outranking Higher DR Competitor

In 2015, Ryan Robinson of CreativeLive used the skyscraper technique to outrank FastCompany. And to appreciate this feat, CreativeLive is 11 marks away from FastCompany’s 91 DR.

In essence, you can outrank higher DR competitors using the skyscraper method.

So, what did Ryan do?

• First, Ryan picked the content that was getting lots of rave at the time – about freelancers’ rates. It works well since CreativeLive covers that niche.
• Second, Ryan engaged his team to design an infographic. Within it, he included other online tools freelancers should have.
• Third, Ryan published the content and contacted the tools included in the infographic. Then, he pitched to other articles about freelancers’ rates.

The result:

CreativeLive’s content got 8.2K shares, 72K page views, and 3.6K new email subscribers. More importantly, the content outranked FastCompany.

2X Organic Search Traffic in 2 Weeks

Our argument would be incomplete if we didn’t add Brian Dean’s OG case study.

In 2013, Brian published an article and applied the famous skyscraper. In two weeks, he got this:

The post has since increased Brian’s page views by at least 2M.

In summary:

We can say that skyscraper link building works.

However, I noticed the timeframe of most case studies is 2013-15. This was when the technique was less saturated. What about now?

With more players in the SEO and SaaS scene in 2024, does skyscraper link building still work?

Does Skyscraper Link Building Work in 2024?

There are a few instances where the skyscraper didn’t work. This is one of them:

You can find the full story on Search Engine Journal. There, the skyscraper technique failed. 40 hours spent and no backlinks to show for the effort.

The odd thing is when the story happened. It was 2017 when the technique was relatively in top form.

Then, fast forward to 2022, Debbie Chew from Dialpad maintained the same stance as the 2017 story:

Looking at these reactions, maybe the skyscraper technique stopped working post-2015. Did it?

NO…

In 2023, Ahrefs did a poll on the effectiveness of skyscraper link building. These are the findings:

Overall, Ahrefs received 1242 votes. And according to the poll, skyscraper link building worked [61%] in 2023.

What about in 2024?

I went on X to gauge SEOs’ recent opinions on skyscraper link building in 2024. These two posts stand out:

• Ricky from Weare backed the skyscraper technique. He even suggested it as an affordable alternative to PR link building.

• Arif Hassan from RankSpeedy ranked the skyscraper technique as no. 2 on a 7-point list of link building strategies that work for his agency.

Verdict:

The skyscraper technique is an evergreen link building strategy. When done correctly, it works.

Otherwise, you will spend 40 hours [or more] like Olga.

Below are more instances when skyscraper link building won’t work.

When Does Skyscraper Link Building Not Work?

1. When you discard keyword research
2. When you dismiss search intent
3. When you limit outreach to backlinks of the original content
4. When you send the same outreach pitch to your prospects
5. When you think Google cares more about the longest posts

When You Discard Keyword Research

At a glance, the skyscraper technique seems like you only need to find link-worthy content to build on. While quality content is vital, you must do keyword research.

Keyword research will help you focus on what is working. It will guide you on the content to create and any existing content that requires optimizing.

Furthermore, keyword research reveals the articles people are interested in. With the right SEO tool, you can gauge the popularity of several topics.

With that, your content will be laser-focused and generate desired traffic.

Do you know?

Your content can be number 1 on SERPs and still have low traffic compared to a lower-ranking page.

See this:

With keyword research, you can avoid such situations. Make it the foundation of your link building strategies.

When You Dismiss Search Intent

Analyze the search intent of your existing target content before building on it. 

Do not write because you want to outrank your competitors or gain backlinks. You have to think outside the box and consider what the person who entered a term into Google hoped to find. 

Note: The top priority for Google is content that satisfies search intent.

So, do not waste your time writing great content that will not help users answer the right questions.

Consider this scenario:

Let us imagine that a user is looking for how to make money online, but at that moment, this user is very broke. So, he is looking for the quickest way to make money online. 

This user will choose the content with a sense of urgency in their keyword.

See this:

Despite the 2000+ backlinks on the second article, it has less organic traffic than the first. Funnily enough, the latter only has 172 links and a lower DR.

Why is this?

Search intent!

In short, your skyscraper strategy must solve searchers’ problems. Otherwise, you won’t displace your competitors, let alone replicate their backlinks.

When You Limit Outreach to Backlinks of the Original Content

Say the top-ranking content for your target keyword has 5000 backlinks. The idea will be to reach out to those referring domains. Right?

But trust me, that’s a limiting strategy for two reasons. How so?

• First, you will be lucky to replicate 10% of the 5000 backlinks.
• Second, the chances are that other websites will link to it. Some of these sites might even have higher DR.

So what’s the way forward?

Make a broader list of link prospects. Don’t replicate just the original content’s backlinks. Target the referring domains of other top-ranking pages on the same topic.

You can use keywords and content explorer on SEO tools like Ahrefs and Semrush to achieve this.

When You Send the Same Outreach Pitch to Your Prospects

You shouldn’t send the same pitch to all your prospects. That’s being lazy. Plus, I bet that your target referring domains have seen the template. Do better.

Besides, websites link to other websites for different reasons. So, templates won’t always work.

So, what can you do?

Create a STRONG first impression. Explain the strong points of your content. Why is it better than what they are linking to?

Lastly, focus your outreach email on what matters to each prospect. Be specific and strategic when writing your pitches.

When You Think Google Cares More About the Longest Posts

Ask yourself this question when doing a skyscraper link building strategy:

Will your content give more value to readers?

If not, whether you write 5000 words more ahead of the existing content will not matter.

Why?

Google quality outweighs word count.

Say the title of a top-ranking content is about “5 ways to make money online.” Then, you make it 10. Another website makes theirs 20. Then, the cycle will keep going.

To what end?

The searcher is probably out to learn how to make money fast online. The longer the list, the longer the impatience for something new.

Nobody wants to read a very long post to find what they need. People appreciate posts that are straight to the point yet valuable.

In reality, shorter content often gives better value to readers in less time.

So, increasing the checklist points won’t necessarily help you rank better. Even if your content ranked for a while, you’d soon lose as users. If users don’t see value in your content, they’ll bounce off. Google will bank on that to de-rank your content.

In summary, don’t focus on writing the newest or longest content but the most valuable.

That said, let’s discuss the right way to do skyscraper link building in 2024 and beyond.

The Correct & Effective Way to Use Skyscraper Link Building

• Explore and dig up linkable assets
• Create content around your target keyword
• Outreach

Explore and Dig up Relevant Content

There are 3 different ways to find linkable assets or widely linked resource.

1. Competitor analysis
2. Exploding topics
3. Keyword research

Note: while I arranged the methods by effectiveness, feel free to switch or mix things up.

Competitor Analysis

You might never need extensive keyword research if you’re in a populated niche like B2B SaaS. In your case, there’s a shortcut:

Adopt what’s working for your competitors.

By doing so, you can cut down on time spent on research. Then, focus your free time on content and outreach.

So, how do you do a competitor analysis?

You can either use established or organic competitors. Either way, you’ll need an SEO tool like Ahrefs or Semrush. I’ll use the former.

For starters, you must identify your organic competitors

• Go to Site Explorer > Input your URL
• Look through the tabs on the left > Organic search > Organic Competitors

Next, analyze competitors’ content. If you have already established your competitors beforehand, start from this step.

• Go to Site Explorer > Input your competitor’s URL
• Look through the tabs on the left > Pages > Best by links

Pro tip: if you’re targeting blog posts, add a search filter for “blog.”

Pick any of the target pages with at least 50 referring domains. That’s the perfect candidate for your skyscraper content.

Learn how to do advanced competitor analysis

Exploding Topics

Building your content around exploding topics is the most beginner-friendly skyscraper link building strategy. You don’t need to do competitor analysis or keyword research.

All you need to use this strategy is the seed term of your business and a content explorer tool. And you’re good to go.

For my example:

• Seed term = SEO tool
• Content explorer tool = Ahrefs

Let’s dive into the practical steps.

• Head over to Ahrefs > Content Explorer > Input a seed term
• Apply the filters as seen in the image below:

The first result is your target content.

Keyword Research

This method works like with exploding topics. The only difference is you get to pick different options. More importantly, you can choose easy-to-rank keywords and rank on SERPs ASAP.

Despite the flexibility of keyword research, it has its baggage. For starters, the entire process is time-consuming. Also, it can be challenging for beginners.

But not to worry. I’ll simplify what you need to do.

• Revisit your Ahrefs dashboard > Keyword Explorer > Input a seed term

At 95% KD, the content will require several backlinks to break into the top spot. In other words, you’ll spend a lot of money.

Thankfully, we can tweak the seed term for a keyword with a lesser KD.

• Look at the options in the top left corner > Keyword ideas > Matching terms
• Apply the filters as seen in the image below:

Pick one of the relevant keywords > Scroll down to SERP Overview and pick the best content fitting for your aim

In the case of our example, I picked a listicle where I can feature several tools. Why? I can contact the owners of the tools later for more backlinks.

Pro tip: watch out for listicle, how-to, comparison, review, and checklist content. These content types are perfect for skyscraper link building.

Create Skyscraper Content Around Your Target Keyword

Now, you’ve nailed down the target content for the skyscraper technique. It is time to take a deeper dive into the structure of the content.

• What are the core questions answered?
• What statistics are in the content? Are they outdated? Are there newer stats with even deeper insights?
• Are their expert quotes? Can you add newer quotes from authoritative figures?

These are some starter questions you can begin with. But you’ll need more. This is where DUD comes in.

Remember DUD – Design, Update, and Depth. Now, I’ll add O [On-page optimization] to it.

Let me give you an example of how DUDO works.

Design

If the target article has no outline, add it to yours. And while you are at it, make the outline interactive like we do here at SERPReach. This will help readers know where they are and can toggle between sections.

Part of the design is also adding audiovisuals to your content. Limit the pop-ups, but use as many screenshots as possible. Also, add YouTube videos where and when possible.

Update

This is 2024; stop quoting research findings from 2015 to 2020. Unless you are comparing progress, the findings are old. Don’t quote them. Look for insights that up to date.

Use search terms like “state of [your keyword], 20xx” for fresh industry insights. Also, ask thought leaders on LinkedIn or Slack communities.

Statistics aside, use recent pictures and screenshots as well. For example, the UI of Ahrefs in 2024 has improved since 2015. Let these changes reflect in your images, especially in SaaS how-to articles.

Depth

Like I said earlier, add new perspectives to your articles. This will add depth to it. Otherwise, your content won’t be any better than AI articles. So, do better.

In addition to new perspectives, add arguments too. How so?

For example, if you say a link building tactic doesn’t work, provide examples of when it didn’t. But don’t stop there. Include cases where it worked. Even better, investigate why it worked or not.

Only after those steps should you conclude. This is how you add depth to your content and make it better.

Bonus: in-depth articles don’t need to have a target word count. You’ll have lots to say without worrying about some benchmark word count.

On-page Optimization

Lastly, ensure your content fulfills the standard on-page SEO practices. Please note that this is not the same as keyword stuffing.

At the same time, go beyond placing keywords in h1, introduction, and h2. There is more to on-page SEO than all that.

So, what can you do?

Use an on-page content optimization tool like Surfer.

Outreach

This stage is more complex than the earlier two. So, to get results, you must be systematic. Otherwise, you’d be another Olga.

So, what can you do?

Use this 4-step system below

1. Find the referring domains of the relevant content
2. Look out for author bylines on the article
3. Get your hands on the author’s email address
4. Send in your pitch

Find the Referring Domains of the Relevant Content

Let’s continue from the linkable asset we dug up. It’s time to do another exploration.

Now check for the tab tagged “links to page” > click on it

Open the link on a new tab.

Look out for Author Bylines on the Article

Once you open the target content, check the header or footer of the page for the author’s byline. In the case of our example, the name is in the former.

Get the Author’s Email Address

Click on the author’s name to see her bio. There, you’ll find a link to their LinkedIn profile like this:

Once on the page > Open the GetProspect extension on your Chrome > Sign in with your Google account.

Then click save & show email > wait for the extension to validate the email address.

Send in Your Pitch

Check our article on how to craft the perfect pitch. Follow the tips there to get a backlink to your content.

Now, replicate the process for all the pages in the “link to page.”

Verdict

To answer the question, yes, the SEO skyscraper technique still works. And IMO, it’ll continue to do so. But for the best result, always use DUDO.

• D – user-friendly designs
• U – update your content with fresh perspectives
• D – add depth
• O – apply on-page optimization