What Is the Skyscraper Technique?

The Skyscraper Technique is a link building strategy popularized by Brian Dean of Backlinko. The concept is simple: find content that already has lots of backlinks, create something significantly better, then reach out to the people linking to the original piece and ask them to link to yours instead.

Backlinko frames the technique as three explicit steps, "Find link-worthy content," "Make something even better," and "Reach out to the right people." In the original case study Backlinko published in 2013, the approach doubled organic search traffic to the site in 14 days (the headline figure is +110 percent), and a single round of outreach across 160 emails landed 17 links, an 11 percent success rate.

The name comes from the principle behind skyscrapers in city skylines. Nobody gets excited about building the 10th tallest building. People only care about the tallest one. The same applies to content. To attract links, you need to be the best resource available on a given topic.

The Three Steps

Step 1: Find Link-Worthy Content

Start by identifying content in your niche that has already attracted a significant number of backlinks. Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to find pages with strong backlink profiles.

How to find candidates:

• Search your target keyword in Ahrefs Content Explorer and sort by referring domains
• Analyze competitor pages that rank on page one and check their backlink counts
• Look for older content that was once the definitive resource but has become outdated
• Browse industry roundups and "best of" lists to find frequently linked resources

The ideal candidate has at least 25-50 referring domains and covers a topic you can genuinely improve upon.

Step 2: Create Something Better

This is the most critical step. Your content needs to be noticeably superior to the original. "Better" can mean several things:

More comprehensive. Cover subtopics the original missed. Add sections, examples, and edge cases that make your piece the definitive resource.

More current. Update outdated statistics, tools, strategies, and examples. Content from 2-3 years ago often references tools that no longer exist or strategies that no longer work.

Better designed. Improve the visual presentation with custom graphics, charts, tables, and screenshots. A well-designed page is more shareable and linkable.

More practical. Add actionable steps, templates, checklists, or downloadable resources that readers can immediately use.

Better structured. Use clear headings, a table of contents, jump links, and logical organization that makes the content easier to navigate.

The goal is to make your content so obviously better that anyone who sees both pieces would choose yours.

Step 3: Outreach to Linkers

Once your content is published, contact the people who link to the original piece and let them know about your improved version.

Finding link prospects:

1. Enter the original URL into Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz
2. Export the full list of referring domains
3. Filter out irrelevant sites (forums, social media, low-authority domains)
4. Find contact information for each site (editor email, contact page, or social profiles)

Outreach approach:

• Mention that you noticed they link to [original piece] on their [specific page]
• Explain that you just published an updated, more comprehensive version
• Briefly describe what makes yours better (2-3 specific improvements)
• Suggest they might want to check it out and consider updating their link
• Keep it short, specific, and genuinely helpful

Why the Skyscraper Technique Works

Proven demand. You are not guessing whether a topic will attract links. You already know it does because the original piece has backlinks. You are tapping into existing demand.

Clear value proposition. When you reach out, you are not asking for a random favor. You are offering a genuinely better resource that improves their page for their readers.

Scalable. The technique can be repeated for any topic in your niche. Each successful skyscraper piece can generate dozens or hundreds of backlinks.

Realistic Expectations

The Skyscraper Technique is not a guaranteed win. Here is what to expect:

Results vary significantly based on the quality of your content, the competitiveness of the topic, and the effectiveness of your outreach emails.

Common Pitfalls

Making it only marginally better. Adding 200 extra words to a 2,000-word article is not a skyscraper. Your improvement needs to be substantial and obvious.

Targeting content with too few links. If the original piece only has 5 referring domains, the pool of outreach targets is too small. Aim for pieces with 30+ referring domains.

Poor outreach. Generic, mass-sent emails get ignored. Personalize each message and reference the specific page where they linked to the original content.

Ignoring content promotion. Do not rely solely on outreach. Share your skyscraper content on social media, in communities, and through your email list to build initial traction.

Choosing topics outside your expertise. Your skyscraper content needs to demonstrate genuine expertise. Picking a topic you know nothing about will show in the quality.

Skyscraper Technique 2.0

Brian Dean later refined the technique with what he calls Skyscraper 2.0. The key difference is matching search intent more precisely. Backlinko frames 2.0 as its own three steps, "Figure out User Intent," "Satisfy User Intent," and "Optimize for UX Signals." Instead of just making content longer or more comprehensive, the focus shifts to understanding exactly what searchers want and delivering it better than anyone else.

This means studying the top-ranking results, understanding why they rank, and creating content that serves the searcher's actual needs more effectively, even if that means a shorter, more focused piece rather than a longer one. In Backlinko's 2.0 case study, a post that already held 200-plus backlinks was ranking poorly because it failed to match intent (searchers wanted an actual checklist, not a case study). After rebuilding the page around intent and on-page user experience, Backlinko reported a 652.1 percent organic traffic increase in 7 days and a move from position 11 to position 5 for the target keyword. The practical takeaway from Backlinko is to use both versions together. Version 1.0 earns the links that get you onto page one, and version 2.0 keeps those rankings in place by satisfying what users actually came to do.

Key Takeaways

The Skyscraper Technique is a proven link building strategy that works by creating the best content on a topic and promoting it to people who already link to inferior alternatives. Success depends on genuinely superior content, targeted outreach, and realistic expectations about conversion rates. When executed well, a single skyscraper piece can generate dozens of high-quality backlinks and establish your site as an authority on the topic.

In Practice

Say a competitor's "Email Marketing Statistics" post from 2021 has 42 referring domains, the largest backlink profile for that keyword. You build a 2026 version with fresh sourced numbers, original charts, and a downloadable dataset. You then pull the original page's referring domains in Ahrefs, filter out forums and low-authority sites, and send a short, specific outreach email to each remaining linker:

Subject: noticed your email stats link is from 2021

Hi Dana,

I was reading your guide to onboarding sequences and saw you link to
the "Email Marketing Statistics" roundup from 2021. A few of those
figures are now several years stale.

I just published a 2026 update with current numbers, sourced charts,
and a downloadable dataset: https://example.com/email-marketing-stats

If it is useful for your readers, it might be a good swap for the
older link. Either way, thanks for the original guide.

Best,
Sam

Each line maps to a step. You found link-worthy content (the 2021 roundup), you made something demonstrably better (current data plus a dataset), and you reached out to a specific person about the specific page where they linked. Following Backlinko's original numbers, expect roughly 1 link per 9 to 10 emails sent, so plan the prospect list accordingly rather than treating one email as one link.

Related Terms

• What Is Link Building?, the broader discipline the Skyscraper Technique belongs to
• What Are Backlinks?, the links you are trying to earn and reclaim through outreach
• What Are Referring Domains?, the metric you use to pick which page to outrank
• What Is Search Intent?, the core upgrade that defines Skyscraper Technique 2.0
• What Is Guest Posting?, a complementary outreach-driven link building tactic

Sources

• The Skyscraper Technique: +110% Traffic Link Building Case Study, Backlinko (checked 2026-05-30)
• Skyscraper Technique 2.0: How I Increased Organic Traffic 652.1% in 7 Days, Backlinko (checked 2026-05-30)
• What Is the Skyscraper Technique (and Does It Work)?, Semrush (checked 2026-05-30)
• How to Execute the Skyscraper Technique (And Get Results), Ahrefs (checked 2026-05-30)