Skyscraper technique: how it works (and when it doesn't)

The skyscraper technique is a link building strategy: outbuild the top page, take its links.

You find content that already has plenty of backlinks, you build a clearly better version, and you ask the sites linking to the original to point at you instead.

The verdict: the skyscraper technique still works as a way of thinking, but as an outreach machine it delivers far less than it did ten years ago.

It was coined by Brian Dean of Backlinko. Below: how it works, why it delivers less than promised, and how a B2B company can still get something out of it.

Not familiar with the basics yet? Then start with what link building actually is.

Measure it yourself: turn your organic traffic into revenue with our SEO ROI calculator.

What exactly is the skyscraper technique?

It’s a way to earn links by building the best page on a topic that already attracts links.

The name comes from a simple idea: if there’s already a tall building, you put up a taller one next to it.

The idea behind the name

Applied to SEO, that means three moves:

• find the best-performing content on a topic
• build something demonstrably better
• take the links away from the original

Dean describes those same three moves in his own Skyscraper Technique case study. His headline result was “+110% Traffic in 14 days”.

Why sites would switch their link

Most backlinks, as research by Ahrefs also shows, don’t arrive on their own.

A site that links to an external source does so because it had no better alternative. If a stronger source now exists, chances are good it would rather point there.

So you’re filling a gap that already exists.

Why it beats publishing blindly

That makes it more attractive than publishing content and hoping. You’re aiming at proven demand. Not at a guess.

How does the skyscraper technique work in three steps?

The technique breaks down into three clear steps, and the order matters.

Here are the three steps in one picture:

Step 1: Find content with strong backlinks

Look for pages that rank well on your topic and have plenty of referring domains.

A tool like Ahrefs or SE Ranking will do it. Pick a relevant keyword, see what ranks, and sort by number of backlinks.

Lots of links is a sign that the page currently counts as the best source. A backlink gap analysis shows the same thing from your competitors’ side.

Tip: check the page’s referring domains, not its raw link count. One site can link a hundred times from its footer.

Step 2: Build a better version

Not longer for the sake of longer, but genuinely better.

Look for what the original is missing:

• absent sections or questions
• outdated figures
• broken links
• weak or generic examples

Make your version more current, more concrete and more usable. Fresh, up-to-date content is an argument you can use later in your outreach.

For example, say the top page on “B2B lead scoring” still cites a 2019 survey. A version with current data and a worked scoring model is a real upgrade.

Pages built to attract links like this are called linkable assets.

Step 3: Approach the referring sites

Pull the list of sites linking to the original and filter for dofollow links. Then throw out spammy or dead domains.

Here’s what that raw list looks like for our own site:

Referring domains for customerimpact.be in our own Ahrefs account, October 2026. Every list holds some spam, so filter before you send a single email.

Email the remaining contacts personally and ask whether they’d include your better source.

This is the hardest step. Most people get stuck here. Our link building outreach templates help with the wording.

Watch out: asking for a link is fine, paying for one isn’t. Bought links fall under Google’s link spam rules.

Why does this link building strategy work less well today?

Because every editor now gets these emails, and most recognise the template instantly.

When Brian Dean launched the technique, outreach was still reasonably fresh. By now it’s routine, and the returns have dropped.

Outreach replies are scarce

Backlinko’s own study of 12 million outreach emails found that “only 8.5% of outreach emails receive a response.”

That’s any reply, not a link.

Dean’s original campaign did better: 17 links from 160 prospects, an 11% success rate.

The same study shows what lifts replies:

So a generic “I’ve written something better” email lands in the bin. Almost every time.

More words is not more value

Google doesn’t judge on length but on whether you genuinely answer the search query.

Its guide to helpful content asks if you’re writing to a word count because Google supposedly prefers one. Its answer: “No, we don’t.”

A 5,000-word article that repeats the same things doesn’t beat a sharp 1,500-word one. More on that in our piece on content length and SEO.

Authority counts for a lot

Editors trust names they know.

A site won’t just swap an established source for your young domain.

If you have little authority, bigger sites will often ignore you, no matter how good your content is.

Honest advice: the skyscraper technique isn’t a button you press for guaranteed links. It’s hard work, it takes a lot of time, and success is never certain.

For those who know that, it can still be a useful tactic within a broader link building strategy.

How do you avoid the most common mistakes?

Three mistakes sink most skyscraper campaigns, and all three are avoidable.

Overestimating your reach

If you approach sites that link to an authoritative source while your own domain has little authority, you’ll come up empty.

Aim at sites within your range. As you earn more strong links, your authority grows and you can reach higher.

Here’s how that looks in a link tool for our own domain:

Ahrefs Site Explorer for our own domain, October 2026. A Domain Rating of 26 tells you which link targets are realistic today.

Rule of thumb: pitch sites whose authority sits near yours first, then climb.

Picking the wrong keyword

A keyword that’s too broad, like “SEO”, produces chaos: no sharp angle, no clear audience.

A specific, often long-tail keyword that fits your customer works far better. Solid keyword research the way Ahrefs describes it helps you get that right.

For B2B that means picking topics your ideal customer really searches for, not the biggest search volumes. Our guide to long-tail keywords for B2B shows how.

Not personalising

Sites link to the same source for different reasons: for a figure, a definition, an example.

If you email everyone with exactly the same template, your response rate collapses.

For example, one list can hold three groups. Segment it:

• Figure linkers: show your newer number
• Definition linkers: show your sharper definition
• Example linkers: show your better worked case

That way each group sees why your source fits their reason to link.

Does the skyscraper technique suit a B2B company?

Only as a way of thinking. And only tied to a page that converts.

This is where we look at things differently from the average SEO blog.

B2B doesn’t run on volume

The skyscraper technique was designed for sites that run on volume: lots of traffic, lots of links, lots of pages.

A B2B company is not a webshop. You don’t need ten thousand visitors a month, you need a handful of the right customers.

The maths changes

A hundred extra backlinks to a generic article are worth little if none of those visitors ever becomes a customer.

One strong page that removes exactly your buyer’s doubt and leads them to a quote is worth far more.

Links also cost real money. Ahrefs published this price comparison across Europe:

Average price of comparable links per European country (data from eVisions International, published by Ahrefs), checked 18 October 2026. No country averages below 100 euros.

At those prices, every link has to earn its place. Our breakdown of link building costs goes deeper.

Use it as a way of thinking

So don’t steer on the number of links or the number of words. Steer on leads and revenue.

Use the skyscraper idea mainly as a question: what’s the best source on this topic, and can I build it?

But always tie it to a page that also convinces the visitor. Otherwise you’re putting up a taller building that nobody walks into.

Where we start instead

Our experience: we don’t start with backlinks. We first restructure the site: internal linking, titles and descriptions, and your own data, way of working and use cases.

That makes the company’s position clear to Google before any outreach starts.

We’re a small team, and we’d rather work on a few pages that produce leads than on a mass outreach machine that mainly produces vanity numbers.

Want to know whether link building is even your weak spot? Then look at your technical SEO and your content first. The gain is often there, not in more links.

Once links do matter, digital PR and original research usually earn them more reliably than cold outreach.

Frequently asked questions about the skyscraper technique

Who invented the skyscraper technique?

The technique was devised and named by Brian Dean, founder of Backlinko. He described the idea of outdoing the best-performing content on a topic and taking over its backlinks.

Does the skyscraper technique still work in 2026?

The underlying idea still holds, but it works less easily than it used to. Outreach gets far fewer replies because everyone uses the same approach, and longer content alone no longer convinces Google. It can work, but count on a lot of effort and no guarantees.

How long before you see results?

You can expect replies to your outreach within a few days, positive or negative. But the effect of new backlinks on your rankings often takes weeks to months. SEO is a patience game, so measure your link building results over months.

Is more words always better?

No. Length is not a ranking factor. What matters is whether you answer the search query fully and clearly. A sharp, complete article beats a long article that repeats itself.

What’s a good alternative for B2B?

Focus on a small number of strong pages around the topics your ideal customer searches for, and make sure those pages convert. Combine that with targeted, personal link building instead of mass outreach.

Rather steer on customers than on link scores?

The skyscraper technique is a handy way of thinking, but no miracle cure.

That’s doubly true if your goal is leads and revenue rather than isolated numbers.

We help Belgian B2B companies deploy SEO and content that doesn’t just rank, but also brings in the right customers. Take a look at our SEO approach or take the first step right away.

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