Growing your organic traffic with skyscraper campaigns

Ah, the elusive quest for more organic traffic – it’s the Holy Grail of digital marketing, isn’t it? As an SEO expert based in Manchester, I’ve seen businesses of all shapes and sizes struggle to crack the code and get those precious eyeballs on their website. But fear not, my friends, for I have a secret weapon in my arsenal: the skyscraper technique.

Now, I know what you’re thinking – isn’t that just another one of those “get-rich-quick” schemes that promise the world and deliver nothing? Well, let me tell you, the skyscraper technique is anything but a gimmick. In fact, it’s a tried and true method that’s been used by some of the biggest names in the industry to drive serious traffic to their sites.

The birth of the skyscraper technique

Back in 2015, a guy named Brian Dean of Backlinko developed this ingenious strategy, and it’s been causing a stir in the SEO world ever since. The premise is simple: you find a piece of content that’s already performing well, then you create something even better and reach out to the people who linked to the original piece to try and get them to link to your new and improved version.

Sounds easy, right? Well, as with most things in life, the devil’s in the details. And that’s where I come in.

The three-step process

The skyscraper technique is all about following a specific three-step process:

1. Identify Linkable Assets: First, you need to find a piece of content that’s already performing well in your niche. This could be a blog post, an infographic, or even a video – as long as it’s got a ton of backlinks, it’s fair game.

2. Make it Better: Once you’ve identified your target, it’s time to put your creative juices to work. Your goal is to create something that’s even more comprehensive, more useful, and more visually appealing than the original. Think of it as building a skyscraper – you want to make it taller, shinier, and more eye-catching than the competition.

3. Outreach and Promotion: Finally, it’s time to let the world know about your shiny new piece of content. This is where the real magic happens. You’ll need to reach out to the people who linked to the original piece and pitch them on why they should link to your version instead.

Sounds simple, right? Well, as I mentioned, there’s a bit more to it than that. Let’s dive a little deeper into each step.

Step 1: Identifying Linkable Assets

The first step in the skyscraper technique is to find a piece of content that’s already performing well in your niche. This is where tools like Ahrefs and Moz can be your best friends.

Using these tools, you can identify the pages on your competitors’ sites that are attracting the most backlinks. These are the ones you’ll want to target for your skyscraper campaign.

One of the key things to keep in mind here is that you don’t want to focus on homepages or landing pages. Those are typically optimized for conversions, not for attracting backlinks. Instead, you’ll want to look for informational content – things like blog posts, resource pages, and tutorials.

Once you’ve identified a few potential targets, it’s time to dig a little deeper. Take a look at the types of backlinks the page is getting – are they high-quality, relevant links, or are they just spammy directory submissions? You’ll want to focus on the former, as those are the ones that will really move the needle for your site.

Step 2: Making it Better

Okay, so you’ve found your target – now what? It’s time to put your creative hat on and start thinking about how you can make your version of the content even better.

Now, when I say “better,” I don’t just mean longer or more comprehensive. That’s certainly part of it, but there’s a lot more to it than that. You’ll also want to consider things like:

• Visual Appeal: Is the original content visually appealing? If not, how can you make yours even more eye-catching with high-quality images, infographics, or videos?

• Readability: Is the original content easy to read and digest? If not, how can you improve the structure, formatting, and overall user experience?

• Depth of Coverage: Does the original content cover the topic thoroughly, or are there gaps that you can fill? Think about how you can take a deeper dive and provide even more value to your readers.

• Timeliness: Is the original content up-to-date, or is it starting to feel a bit stale? If it’s the latter, how can you incorporate the latest trends, research, and best practices?

The key here is to really put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and think about what they’re looking for. What pain points are they trying to solve? What information are they craving? Once you’ve answered those questions, you can start to craft your skyscraper content.

Step 3: Outreach and Promotion

Okay, so you’ve created your masterpiece – now it’s time to get the word out. This is where the “outreach” part of the skyscraper technique comes into play.

Your goal here is to reach out to the people who linked to the original piece of content and try to get them to link to your new and improved version instead. This might sound like a daunting task, but there are a few things you can do to make it a little easier:

1. Find the right contact information: Using tools like Hunter.io, you can quickly and easily find the email addresses of the people you want to reach out to. This will make the outreach process much more efficient.

2. Craft a compelling pitch: Your outreach email needs to be more than just a “hey, check out my new content.” You need to really sell the value of your piece and explain why it’s better than the original. Think about what’s in it for them – why should they link to your content instead of the competition’s?

3. Follow up, follow up, follow up: Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get an immediate response. People are busy, and your email might have gotten lost in the shuffle. Follow up a few times to increase your chances of getting a response.

And remember, the key to successful outreach is to be genuinely helpful and add value. Don’t just pitch your own content – offer to share their content on your own channels, or suggest other ways you can collaborate. Building genuine relationships is the key to long-term success.

Putting it all together

Okay, so there you have it – the skyscraper technique in a nutshell. It might seem like a lot of work, but trust me, the payoff is more than worth it.

Just think about it – by creating content that’s truly better than anything else out there, you’re positioning yourself as an authority in your industry. And by reaching out to the people who are already linking to your competitors, you’re opening up a whole new world of potential backlinks and referral traffic.

Now, I know what you’re thinking – “But what if it doesn’t work? What if I put in all this effort and no one links to my content?” Well, I’ll be honest with you – the skyscraper technique isn’t a silver bullet, and it’s not going to work for every single piece of content you create.

But you know what they say – nothing ventured, nothing gained. And with the potential upside of this strategy, it’s definitely worth giving it a shot. Who knows – it might just be the key to unlocking your organic traffic potential and taking your business to new heights.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there, start identifying those linkable assets, and let’s get to work on creating some truly killer content. The sky’s the limit, my friends!

And remember, if you ever need any help or advice along the way, you know where to find me. I’m always happy to lend a hand or share a few of my own personal skyscraper success stories. After all, as an SEO expert in Manchester, it’s my mission to help businesses like yours grow their online presence and dominate the search results.

So let’s do this – let’s take your organic traffic to new heights with the skyscraper technique. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!