Skyscraper Technique
Creating superior content to outperform existing popular pieces and attract their backlinks
The skyscraper technique, coined by Brian Dean, is a three-step link building method: find content that has attracted many backlinks, create something significantly better, and reach out to those who linked to the original. The approach works because people naturally prefer linking to the best available resource. Improving content can mean making it more comprehensive, more current, better designed, or more data-driven. The outreach phase involves contacting sites that linked to the inferior piece and presenting your improved version as a better resource for their audience. While effective, the technique requires substantial content creation investment and persistent outreach efforts.