Seo skyscraper technique: Content optimized for search engines is king in the world of digital marketing. Knowing this will give you an advantage over your competition, right? Well, what if everyone else already knows this too and the fight for those desirable spots on the first page of Google results is already fierce? Marketers aren’t slacking. In an attempt to keep up with the rapid algorithm changes and the growing demands of both internet users and search engines, they are getting more and more creative with their content. It needs to satisfy certain criteria to win over the search engine robots, and one of those criteria is high-quality backlinks.
Backlinks occupy a notable position on Google’s list of ranking factors. It shouldn’t come as a surprise; a good number of backlinks coming from reputable sources indicate that your content is worth visitors’ time and that you have authority in the given topic. Naturally, backlinks that are rightfully earned will always be more valuable than artificially placed ones. And this is all about the Skyscraper technique. Read on to learn more about it.
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What exactly is the Skyscraper technique and how does it work?
What we call the “Skyscraper” technique appeared a few years ago on the SEO scene. Created by Brian Dean, it’s a 3-step tactic that has shown great results. Over the years, many success stories have been popping up on the internet testifying to its effectiveness—although, not in 100% of the cases.
In any case, the Skyscraper technique is a link building strategy that involves producing high-quality content with the goal of “replacing” already existing popular articles and replicating the backlinks to that piece of content. It’s all about making something better than what’s already there.
Why is the Skyscraper technique so effective?
It is not backlinks in themselves that magically improve your ranking. The complex effects of quality link building are what’s going to show results. We’re talking about editorial backlinks here that are not so easy to get. A backlink from a highly esteemed site is like a badge of approval. The more of these you can collect, the more confident Google will be that placing you on top of the results pages is a solid decision.
Besides the obvious benefits of quality backlinks, there are a few other reasons that make the Skyscraper technique particularly effective, if executed right. One of them is the fact that you’re not stumbling in the dark. Your goal is to replace another popular piece of content, so you know exactly what you need to focus on and don’t have to worry about whether people will be interested since they clearly already are. The demand is there; you just need to satisfy it. In addition, the audience is already “primed.” You don’t have to start building something from its very foundations, which gives you a great head start. Therefore, publishing your piece of content at the right time can garner considerable publicity.
How to do it yourself?
As mentioned earlier, there are three main steps to the Skyscraper technique. The thought process is quite simple, but that does not mean that you won’t have to put in the elbow grease. Here’s a short guide for making it work for your page.
Start with research
Just like in many other cases, the first step towards success is thorough research. You really cannot skip this step, but doing it inadequately is often what causes lackluster results. First, you need to look for opportunities. These are pages that already have plenty of backlinks. However, how to identify these pages in the sea of content?
First of all, get your keywords straight. One of the most common mistakes one can make when trying the Skyscraper technique is failing to conduct keyword research. However, you don’t want your subsequent efforts to be for nothing. Determine what keywords you will focus on and set up keyword alerts to observe sites that are already using these keywords. Identify pieces of content that performed particularly well and have been shared all around the web.
You can use a tool to check backlinks and find the content that has the most. However, be cautious. A large number is not everything, since some of those backlinks may as well be low-quality ones. Stay critical in your research. When you find popular content that looks like a good candidate, analyze it. You need to understand why a piece of content was particularly successful or else you may end up downgrading it.
Do it better
The next key step will be coming up with a piece of content that is of stellar quality. Keep both search engines and your human audience in mind when working on your piece.
If there were any aspects of the content you have selected that were lacking in some respect, yours is the chance to correct those mistakes. Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all solution that applies to all content, so you’ll need to determine yourself how you can improve what’s in front of you. If we’re talking about a blog post, for instance, you can consider making a more engaging version of it with the addition of visual media like infographics or even video.
If it’s a little outdated, it won’t be difficult to make yours up-to-date. If the piece of content is just a tad too short, consider writing something longer. For example, if you want to improve an article that lists a certain number of items, listing more is a solid strategy. Search engines generally prefer long-form content to short-form, however, you also need to keep in mind that longer does not equal better if you cannot maintain the quality throughout.
At this step, you’ll need all the SEO knowledge you can possibly gather. A lot goes into creating SEO-friendly content, so creating something even more superior can easily fall outside of the bounds of one’s knowledge. If you want to be sure, consult an SEO agency and let experts handle this delicate task.
Find your prospects
Finally, once you’ve got your winning piece of content, it is time to find prospects and reach out to them.
The most logical course of action is first contacting those who have previously linked to the piece of content you were looking to replace. If you managed to outperform it, there is no reason why websites would be reluctant to change their links for a better option. However, this is not where it all ends. You should also browse industry-relevant sites and try to identify other potential distribution partners. Start with sites you have already worked with and then make your way to relevant influencers and brands with popular blogs.
This step will involve a lot of emails; write a compelling copy and list the reasons why the site would benefit from switching to your content. Continue working your way through your list and try to gather as many backlinks as you can. If everything goes according to plan, you will soon see an upwards curve in your website traffic.
Finally, even when all is said and done, you shouldn’t just sit back. Continue tracking how effective your efforts were and send out more emails if necessary. In addition, remember that times are changing fast. If you don’t want someone else to do the same thing to your content as you just did, be sure to keep your content updated and relevant to maintain your position.
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