What is the Skyscraper Technique?
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 6:28 am
The Skyscraper Technique is a link building tactic created by Brian Dean of Backlinko as a way to create engaging content that helps earn quality editorial links.
The technique is based on 3 fundamental principles:
Find popular content that has been linked to from other sites.
Create better content on the same topic and publish it on your site.
Promote your content to the right people to let them know it exists.
The most important part: you have to create dbtodata something better than what is already available
Your goal should be to create the best content on the web for a particular topic, and that’s where the Skyscraper technique gets its name.
It's about creating the greatest content on a topic , one that stands above all others, the same way a skyscraper towers above everything else in a skyline.
Brian Dean himself comments:
When you walk past a tall building, do you think, "Wow, that's awesome! I wonder how big the eighth tallest building in the world is?" Of course not. It's human nature to be drawn to the best.
This is what sets this technique apart from others. Specifically, it gives you something you can leverage to get links for the sole reason that it adds so much value and depth to a topic that it makes sense for people on your contact list to link to your content.
The technique works so well because you take something that has already been proven to generate results and make it even better by leveraging this insight.
It’s a common misconception that everything you do has to be totally innovative.
In SEO, one of the most powerful things you can use to gain a competitive advantage is competitive intelligence. And that means using data about what your competitors are doing to identify their weaknesses and figure out what could be done better.
A content strategy shouldn’t be a guesswork, and this technique gives you a blueprint for getting results. But there’s a lot to consider when using the skyscraper technique:
Better content doesn’t necessarily mean longer content.
There are many ways to improve content.
Very few people are able to publish content and naturally earn links and traffic.
If no one knows your content, they won't get links.
Promotion is a fundamental part of content marketing and those who make an effort to distribute their content with an effective strategy are, ultimately, those who get the best results.
The technique is based on 3 fundamental principles:
Find popular content that has been linked to from other sites.
Create better content on the same topic and publish it on your site.
Promote your content to the right people to let them know it exists.
The most important part: you have to create dbtodata something better than what is already available
Your goal should be to create the best content on the web for a particular topic, and that’s where the Skyscraper technique gets its name.
It's about creating the greatest content on a topic , one that stands above all others, the same way a skyscraper towers above everything else in a skyline.
Brian Dean himself comments:
When you walk past a tall building, do you think, "Wow, that's awesome! I wonder how big the eighth tallest building in the world is?" Of course not. It's human nature to be drawn to the best.
This is what sets this technique apart from others. Specifically, it gives you something you can leverage to get links for the sole reason that it adds so much value and depth to a topic that it makes sense for people on your contact list to link to your content.
The technique works so well because you take something that has already been proven to generate results and make it even better by leveraging this insight.
It’s a common misconception that everything you do has to be totally innovative.
In SEO, one of the most powerful things you can use to gain a competitive advantage is competitive intelligence. And that means using data about what your competitors are doing to identify their weaknesses and figure out what could be done better.
A content strategy shouldn’t be a guesswork, and this technique gives you a blueprint for getting results. But there’s a lot to consider when using the skyscraper technique:
Better content doesn’t necessarily mean longer content.
There are many ways to improve content.
Very few people are able to publish content and naturally earn links and traffic.
If no one knows your content, they won't get links.
Promotion is a fundamental part of content marketing and those who make an effort to distribute their content with an effective strategy are, ultimately, those who get the best results.