The skyscraper technique is simple on paper: find a page that has already earned backlinks, create something meaningfully better, then contact the sites linking to the original.
That simplicity is also why so many campaigns fail.
Publishing a longer version of an existing article is not enough. Sending the same outreach template to hundreds of sites is not enough either. In 2026, skyscraper technique link building works best when the replacement page gives publishers a clear reason to update an existing link.
That could mean original research, better data, a useful tool, a stronger visual resource, a more actionable framework, or information the existing page no longer covers.
This guide explains how to run the process step by step, what verified campaign examples tell us, where the tactic fails, how it compares with guest posting, and how to measure whether the work produced anything beyond a bigger backlink count.
What Is the Skyscraper Technique?
The skyscraper technique is a content-led link building strategy built around three steps:
- Find content that has already attracted backlinks.
- Create a better resource on the same subject.
- Contact relevant sites linking to the original and show them your alternative.
Brian Dean popularized the method through Backlinko in 2013.
The technique is better understood as a linkable asset strategy with an outreach component. Outreach matters, but there is little to pitch if the new asset does not give publishers a legitimate reason to change an existing citation.
The links you are usually chasing are editorial, contextual types of backlinks rather than footer links, directories, or paid placements.
That distinction matters.
A publisher already has a working link. Replacing it creates work. Your page therefore needs to offer something that makes the update worthwhile for the publisher or its readers.
A strong skyscraper campaign combines three skills:
- Research: finding pages that are genuinely linkable.
- Editorial judgment: identifying what would make the existing resource more useful.
- Outreach: reaching publishers with a specific reason to consider the replacement.
Most weak campaigns focus almost entirely on the third.
Where the Skyscraper Technique Came From
Brian Dean’s original Backlinko case study followed the same three-part process still associated with the tactic today.
He published a large resource covering Google’s ranking factors, identified sites linking to similar content, qualified 160 prospects, and contacted them.
The result was 17 acquired links from 160 outreach emails, an 11% link-acquisition rate for that campaign. Dean also reported that organic traffic to his entire site doubled within 14 days after the campaign. These are historical results from one campaign, not a benchmark every skyscraper campaign should expect.
One important detail often gets rewritten in modern explanations: the original method was not only about making content longer.
Dean specifically recommended improving existing content across factors such as:
- length, when extra depth genuinely helps;
- freshness;
- design;
- thoroughness.
The useful principle is therefore not “make the article longer.”
It is make the replacement demonstrably more useful.
That distinction matters even more now.
Publishing tools have made it easy to produce polished, long-form articles quickly. A competitor can reproduce extra word count, headings, summaries, and generic graphics without much difficulty.
Original data, useful tools, specialist experience, strong examples, and genuinely better information are harder to copy.
That is where modern skyscraper campaigns have a better chance of standing out.
How to Do the Skyscraper Technique Step by Step
The original process still holds up, but each step requires more filtering than the three-line version suggests.
Step 1: Find a Target Worth Rebuilding
A page having backlinks does not automatically make it a good skyscraper target.
Start with a proper backlink gap analysis rather than choosing the first high-ranking article you find.
Pull several pages ranking for the topic and compare their backlink profiles in tools such as Ahrefs or Semrush.
Look at:
- referring domains;
- topical relevance;
- the linking pages themselves;
- anchor text;
- surrounding citation context;
- freshness of the linking pages;
- what part of the original resource people are citing.
Do not judge the opportunity from raw backlink totals alone.
A page with 15 strong niche-relevant backlinks can be a more useful target than one with 50 links from weak or irrelevant pages.
Find Out Why People Linked
This is the most important part of the research.
Open a sample of the pages linking to your potential target.
Read the paragraph containing the link.
Ask what the publisher is using the destination page for.
It may be citing:
- a statistic;
- a definition;
- a chart;
- a template;
- a calculation;
- a tool;
- a list of resources;
- original research;
- a process;
- a specific example.
That tells you what your replacement needs to improve.
If 30 sites cite one statistic from the original page, publishing a prettier 4,000-word article does not solve the real problem.
A stronger, current, properly sourced statistic might.
Compare More Than One Backlink Profile
Do not limit the analysis to the top-ranking page.
Review competing backlink profiles across several ranking URLs.
Sometimes the strongest opportunity is sitting in position four or five: a page with substantial links but obvious weaknesses such as outdated information, missing examples, poor usability, or broken resources.
Metrics such as Domain Rating and Domain Authority can help compare prospects inside third-party SEO tools, but they are not Google metrics and should not be treated as direct measures of Google’s view of a site’s authority.
Check Whether the Topic Is Linkable
Search demand and linkability are different.
A topic can receive thousands of searches while giving publishers no compelling reason to cite it.
Search Engine Journal published a useful failure case from Chanty. The team spent roughly 40 hours creating and promoting a significantly expanded article, sent more than 200 emails, and earned zero backlinks from the campaign.
One conclusion from the post was that the chosen topic did not create the same incentive to link as a subject where publishers strongly needed a reference.
Before rebuilding anything, ask:
- Do publishers already cite resources on this topic?
- What are they citing?
- Can we improve that specific element?
- Is the improvement large enough to justify changing an existing link?
If the last answer is weak, choose another target.
Step 2: Build Something Genuinely Better
This is where “skyscraper content” gets misunderstood.
Better does not automatically mean longer.
A page can be shorter than its competitor and still be substantially more linkable.
Before writing, decide what your competitive advantage will be.
Possible improvements include:
- original survey data;
- proprietary research;
- first-party campaign data;
- an interactive calculator;
- a downloadable template;
- a useful spreadsheet;
- a stronger comparison framework;
- new expert commentary;
- clearer visualizations;
- updated statistics;
- first-hand examples;
- a better-organized reference resource.
The strongest improvement is usually something a competitor cannot reproduce in an afternoon.
Add Something Original
Originality creates a reason to cite you rather than the ten pages summarizing the same public information.
Search Engine Land’s skyscraper guide gives an example of a 1,500-word article centered on an original data point from a survey of 50 professionals. According to the example, the article earned 37 backlinks during its first month despite being shorter than many “ultimate guides.”
The lesson is not that every page needs a survey.
It is that one useful piece of original information can create more link value than another 2,000 words of summary.
Use AI for Speed, Not Differentiation
AI tools can speed up:
- topic research;
- outline development;
- source organization;
- prospect categorization;
- rough drafting;
- outreach preparation.
They should not be the reason your page is supposedly better.
If AI can produce the differentiating element from a generic prompt, a competing publisher can probably reproduce it as well.
The parts most likely to justify citations still come from things such as original data, experience, analysis, tools, or specialist judgment.
Keep the Page Focused
Do not add sections simply to exceed a competitor’s word count.
A skyscraper page should be comprehensive enough to solve its intended problem, but every section should earn its place.
A 2,000-word resource with original evidence can be a stronger asset than a 6,000-word article padded with definitions and generic examples.
Comprehensive does not mean long.
It means the important questions are answered without unnecessary gaps.
Step 3: Reach the Right People
A strong asset still needs promotion.
But outreach works better when the prospect list is based on real relevance instead of raw volume.
Build the Prospect List From Multiple Pages
Start with sites linking to the resource you rebuilt.
Then expand the list using two or three other strong pages covering the same topic.
This helps you find publishers that have already demonstrated an interest in citing resources in that subject area.
Remove prospects that make no practical sense.
For example:
- spam sites;
- scraped pages;
- dead domains;
- irrelevant directories;
- pages where the existing link serves a completely different purpose;
- sites with no reasonable editorial contact route.
If acquiring followed editorial links is the main campaign goal, you can deprioritize sites that only use nofollow links, but do not treat the attribute alone as a complete measure of whether a mention has value.
Read the Page Before Emailing
Generic outreach usually gives the recipient no reason to care.
Instead of:
I noticed you linked to X. I made something better.
Identify the specific reason your resource may improve their page.
For example:
- their source uses data from 2021;
- their linked template is broken;
- the linked study no longer exists;
- your resource includes data their readers may find more useful;
- your calculator replaces a manual process;
- your visual explains something their current source only describes.
That makes the email about their page rather than your backlink target.
This is closer to proper blogger outreach than mass cold emailing.
Follow Up Without Turning It Into Spam
One email is not necessarily a complete campaign.
People miss messages.
A short, relevant follow-up can be reasonable.
That does not mean repeatedly chasing the same editor or automating endless follow-ups.
If a prospect does not respond after a sensible outreach sequence, move on.
Do Not Rely on Email Alone
The same asset can support other legitimate acquisition channels.
Depending on the topic, that may include:
- journalist-source platforms and HARO alternatives;
- digital PR;
- expert contributions;
- unlinked brand mention outreach;
- resource-page outreach;
- partnerships;
- genuine guest contributions.
The goal is not to force every opportunity through one outreach template.
Real Skyscraper Technique Examples
Campaign examples are useful, but only when the numbers are clear about what they measure.
Brian Dean: 17 Links From 160 Outreach Emails
The original Backlinko campaign remains the cleanest direct example.
Dean:
- identified content with existing demand for links;
- created a more comprehensive and current resource;
- qualified 160 relevant prospects;
- contacted them;
- acquired 17 links.
That equals an 11% link-acquisition rate for that specific campaign.
Dean also reported that organic traffic across his site doubled within 14 days. Again, that is a reported result from one 2013 campaign, not a current industry benchmark.
Chanty: More Than 200 Emails and Zero Links
The Chanty example is useful because it shows the opposite outcome.
The team spent around 40 hours creating and promoting its article and sent more than 200 outreach emails.
It received 24 replies and several promises of links, but ultimately earned zero backlinks from the campaign.
The team’s retrospective pointed to topic selection as one of the problems. The resource may have been objectively thorough, but the subject did not give publishers a strong enough reason to replace their existing links.
That is a useful warning: execution quality cannot rescue every topic.
Siege Media and Fundera: Content-Led Link Acquisition at Scale
Siege Media’s published Fundera case study provides another useful reference, although it should not be described as a pure skyscraper campaign.
Siege handled content creation and promotion for Fundera, including customized outreach to journalists and influencers.
Its published case study reports 69 links to the “Small Business Grants for Women” asset and more than 375 links across its broader work with Fundera.
The useful connection to skyscraper campaigns is the same underlying principle: create a resource publishers have a reason to reference, then deliberately promote it.
Why Most Skyscraper Campaigns Fail
Most failures can be traced to a few recurring mistakes.
Choosing Search Volume Over Linkability
A keyword being valuable for traffic does not mean publishers want to cite resources about it.
Before investing in the rebuild, confirm that comparable pages are attracting legitimate editorial links and understand why.
Confusing Longer With Better
Turning a 2,000-word article into a 5,000-word article is not an improvement if the additional 3,000 words add no new value.
Length can help when a resource is genuinely incomplete.
It is not a competitive advantage by itself.
Copying the Same Page Instead of Improving It
Rewriting every competitor heading in slightly different language produces another commodity article.
A real skyscraper asset needs a defensible difference.
Sending Generic Outreach at Scale
If the email could be sent unchanged to 500 websites, it probably does not show enough understanding of the recipient’s page.
Relevant prospecting usually matters more than simply expanding the send volume.
Ignoring Why the Original Link Exists
A publisher citing a statistic does not necessarily care that your article has better design.
A publisher linking to a template does not necessarily care that your article contains newer definitions.
Improve the thing that earned the original link.
Treating One Outreach Wave as the Whole Strategy
A campaign may need:
- prospect expansion;
- follow-ups;
- new angles;
- fresh outreach triggered by new data;
- complementary PR or contributor activity.
One batch of cold emails should not be confused with the entire promotion plan.
Offering No Practical Utility
Templates, calculators, visuals, datasets, checklists, original examples, and frameworks can give publishers something concrete to reference.
Generic information usually gives them less reason to update an existing citation.
Skyscraper Technique vs. Guest Posting
Skyscraper link building and guest posting can both earn contextual links, but the mechanics are different.
Skyscraper Technique vs. Guest Posting at a Glance
| Factor | Skyscraper Technique | Guest Posting |
| Where content lives | Your website | Publisher’s website |
| What you offer | A stronger resource than one they already reference | A new article or contribution |
| Main bottleneck | Convincing someone to update an existing citation | Getting a contribution accepted |
| Best fit | Topics with clear linkable assets and outdated or weak competing resources | Sites open to external expertise or contributor relationships |
| Primary asset | Content you own | Content published on another domain |
| Link placement | Usually an editorial update to an existing page | Usually inside newly published content |
| Control | You control your asset; publisher controls whether and how it links | Publisher retains editorial control over final copy, anchor text, and links |
The choice often resembles the guest posting vs. niche edits decision.
Use skyscraper outreach where there is a clear resource worth replacing.
Use guest contributions where the opportunity is based more on expertise, editorial relationships, or a new content angle.
They can also work together.
Where the Skyscraper Technique Fits in a Broader Link Building Strategy
Skyscraper outreach should usually be one acquisition channel rather than your entire link-building system.
Digital PR
Digital PR is better suited to stories built around:
- new research;
- timely statistics;
- newsworthy company data;
- surveys;
- strong visual stories;
- expert reaction.
A skyscraper asset with original research can sometimes become a PR asset as well.
Broken Link Building
If publishers are already linking to resources that no longer work, broken link building can create a more immediate reason to update the page.
The prospect does not need to be convinced that its existing source is imperfect. The link is already broken.
Link Reclamation
Link reclamation works when your brand, research, images, or content are already being referenced without the correct link.
That can be easier than asking someone to replace a valid third-party citation.
Resource-Page Outreach
A strong skyscraper asset can also be promoted through resource page link building.
This is still an active outreach strategy, not passive link acquisition.
However, a resource that ranks well and becomes widely referenced may later start attracting links without direct outreach.
Topical Clusters
A topical cluster solves a different problem.
Topical clusters strengthen coverage and internal relationships across multiple pages.
A skyscraper campaign focuses on attracting external citations to a specific asset.
Used together, strong internal architecture can help distribute some of the value earned by a successful linkable asset across related content.
How to Measure a Skyscraper Campaign
Do not judge the campaign only by the raw number of backlinks reported by an SEO tool.
Track Unique Referring Domains
A backlink total can be inflated when the same website links repeatedly.
Track referring domains alongside total backlinks so reporting shows how many separate sites actually linked.
Then evaluate those links by:
- relevance;
- page quality;
- placement;
- traffic potential;
- editorial context.
Use third-party authority metrics as comparative indicators, not as Google’s own scores.
Track Outreach Conversion
Record:
- prospects contacted;
- emails delivered;
- replies;
- positive replies;
- links acquired;
- links still live after 30, 90, and 180 days.
This lets you identify where the funnel breaks.
For example:
500 prospects → 420 delivered → 45 replies → 12 positive responses → 8 acquired links
If replies are low, the prospect list or pitch may be the problem.
If replies are healthy but links rarely appear, the asset or proposed replacement may not be convincing enough.
Watch the Page’s Rankings and Organic Traffic
Sitewide traffic can change for many unrelated reasons.
Track the rebuilt page separately.
Monitor:
- target keyword positions;
- secondary keyword positions;
- organic clicks;
- impressions;
- conversions;
- assisted conversions.
Do not automatically attribute every later ranking gain to backlinks.
SEO results rarely come from one isolated variable.
Calculate Campaign ROI
A proper link building ROI calculation includes more than writing cost.
Account for:
- research;
- design;
- development;
- prospecting;
- contact discovery;
- outreach;
- follow-ups;
- tools;
- management time.
Eight strong links may be a good result.
Eight links after hundreds of expensive hours may not be.
The comparison should be against what the same budget could have produced through another legitimate acquisition channel.
Check Whether Links Stay Live
Publishers redesign sites, merge articles, delete pages, and change outbound links.
Use a backlink monitoring tool to check whether important placements remain active.
Link retention is part of campaign performance.
Skyscraper Content in the Age of AI Search
Skyscraper content does not need a separate formula for Google’s AI features.
Google says its existing SEO fundamentals continue to apply to AI Overviews and AI Mode. It also says there are no special technical requirements or special optimization methods required specifically to appear in those features beyond being eligible for Search and following normal SEO best practices.
Google’s broader advice also emphasizes creating unique, valuable, non-commodity content for users.
That fits the modern skyscraper approach well.
A page that merely reorganizes information already available across dozens of competitors gives users less new value.
A page containing:
- original research;
- clear first-party examples;
- useful visualizations;
- tools;
- specialist analysis;
- current data;
creates stronger differentiation.
That does not mean adding original data guarantees inclusion in AI Overviews or citations from AI systems.
Google does not make that guarantee.
It means original, useful content aligns better with the same people-first principles Google recommends for both traditional Search and its generative AI experiences.
This is also where answer engine optimization overlaps with strong editorial SEO.
Clear headings, direct explanations, accessible data, descriptive visuals, and original evidence make a page easier for humans to use and easier for search systems to interpret.
If your broader goal includes visibility in AI chat tools, treat that as an additional distribution and measurement problem rather than assuming one skyscraper campaign automatically produces AI citations.
Should You Run a Skyscraper Campaign Yourself or Outsource It?
A proper campaign involves more than writing the page.
Someone needs to handle:
- competitor research;
- backlink analysis;
- content planning;
- original asset creation;
- prospect qualification;
- contact discovery;
- outreach;
- follow-ups;
- link monitoring;
- reporting.
A single campaign can therefore become a substantial project.
An internal team can run it effectively if it has the tools, editorial skills, and time to follow through on outreach.
If those resources are missing, outsourcing link building may make more sense.
Either way, separate the costs clearly.
When comparing link building pricing, understand what is being charged for:
- strategy;
- content;
- design;
- data collection;
- prospecting;
- outreach;
- placement;
- reporting.
A vague price per link tells you little about how the links are being earned.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Skyscraper Technique in SEO?
The skyscraper technique is a link building method where you find content that has already earned backlinks, create a meaningfully better resource on the same topic, then contact relevant sites linking to the original.
Brian Dean popularized the process through Backlinko in 2013.
Who Invented the Skyscraper Technique?
Brian Dean of Backlinko popularized the skyscraper technique.
In his original campaign, he contacted 160 qualified prospects and acquired 17 links, which he reported as an 11% success rate.
Does the Skyscraper Technique Still Work in 2026?
It can.
The basic logic still makes sense: find proven demand for a type of resource, improve that resource, then show it to publishers already interested in the topic.
What has changed is the quality bar.
Publishing something longer or rewriting existing information is rarely a strong differentiator by itself. Modern campaigns need a more defensible reason for publishers to change or add a link.
What Is a Good Skyscraper Technique Example?
Brian Dean’s original Backlinko campaign is the clearest direct example: 160 outreach emails resulted in 17 acquired links.
The Chanty campaign provides a useful counterexample: more than 200 emails and roughly 40 hours of work resulted in zero backlinks.
Together, the cases show why the tactic should not be judged from one success story alone.
What Is the Difference Between the Skyscraper Technique and Guest Posting?
With the skyscraper technique, you publish the main asset on your own site and promote it to publishers who already link to similar resources.
With guest posting, you create content for publication on another website.
Skyscraper outreach usually tries to earn a citation to an existing asset. Guest posting starts by earning the opportunity to contribute new content.
Why Do Skyscraper Campaigns Fail?
Common causes include:
- choosing a topic with weak linkability;
- mistaking extra length for improvement;
- adding nothing original;
- targeting irrelevant prospects;
- sending generic outreach;
- failing to understand why publishers linked to the original;
- stopping promotion too early.
A strong article alone does not guarantee links.
How Many Backlinks Can a Skyscraper Campaign Earn?
There is no reliable universal number.
Published examples range from zero links in the Chanty failure case to dozens of links for successful content-led campaigns.
Results depend heavily on the topic, asset quality, existing brand credibility, prospect pool, outreach execution, and competition.
Set campaign targets from your own niche and prospect data rather than using one historic case as a benchmark.
Is the Skyscraper Technique White Hat?
The core tactic can be consistent with Google’s guidelines when links are earned editorially because publishers genuinely choose to reference useful content.
Problems arise when the campaign shifts into practices designed primarily to manipulate rankings, such as paid links that pass ranking credit, automated link creation, excessive link exchanges, or other link schemes.
Google explicitly classifies links created primarily to manipulate rankings as link spam.
Should You Use the Skyscraper Technique Alone?
Usually not as your only acquisition method.
A broader link-building program can combine legitimate channels such as:
- digital PR;
- skyscraper outreach;
- broken link building;
- resource-page outreach;
- link reclamation;
- expert contributions;
- guest posting;
- organically discovered linkable assets.
Using multiple channels reduces dependence on one tactic and lets you match the acquisition method to the opportunity.
