While you can handle the technical and content aspects of SEO yourself, there are external links that you cannot manage on your own.

External links affect site power, so acquiring external links is often a major challenge for many media outlets, most of which are not effectively addressing this issue.

Tokyo SEO Maker will explain a well-known link-building acquisition method called the Skyscraper Technique, which is popular among SEO consultants abroad.

What is the Skyscraper Technique?

The Skyscraper Technique involves finding articles that have attracted inbound links, creating superior content to surpass them, and declaring an intention to obtain links back to your own content.

‘Skyscraper’ is an English term that refers to a skyscraper. In other words, the concept is to attract attention from various media outlets by creating content that is of higher quality than the currently linked content (building).

For example, if asked, ‘What is the tallest mountain in Japan?’ most people would answer ‘Mount Fuji,’ but very few would answer ‘Kitadake’ to the question ‘What is the second tallest mountain in Japan?’ 

This illustrates that being the first garners attention. Similarly, the Skyscraper Technique involves obtaining links by creating content that is superior to existing high-quality content.

*The Skyscraper Technique, when translated into Japanese, is sometimes referred to as the Skyscraper Method or Skyscraper Method, but they all refer to the same technique.

The Skyscraper Technique Approach

As mentioned earlier, the Skyscraper Technique consists of three stages.

POINT

1. Finding content that is accumulating backlinks

2. Creating superior content

3. Contacting various media to request linking

This method has been used overseas since around 2016, but it is rarely implemented in Japan. However, it has been proven effective when actually put into practice.

Find content that is attracting backlinks

The first thing to do is to find content that has accumulated a large number of backlinks. By analyzing competitor sites using SEO tools, you can determine which pages are receiving backlinks and what anchor texts are being used.

The methods of investigation may vary depending on the tools used, but the following four methods are commonly used when examining content that is attracting backlinks.

-Ahrefs 

-SEMrush 

-Link Explorer 

-Google Search

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is one of the most widely used backlink analysis tools in Japan. Its popularity means that it is easy to learn how to use the tool and that there are many reference sites available.

Due to its ease of use in investigating backlinks and its versatility in other aspects of SEO analysis, it is recommended as one of the tools to consider.

SEMrush

SEMrush is an SEO tool that has been available in Japan since 2018. It has a wide range of features and is known for its user-friendly interface, not only for investigating backlinks but also for other purposes.

With relatively low monthly costs compared to other SEO tools, it is a tool worth considering if you have not yet implemented an SEO tool.

Link Explorer

Link Explorer, provided by Moz, is also a very powerful tool. While it’s not widely used by companies in Japan, it’s a well-known tool overseas for examining domain authority and backlinks.

Google Search

Even if you can’t invest in SEO tools, you can still make some predictions by using Google Search. Generally, ranking high in search results implies that a significant number of backlinks have been acquired. By combining this with free tools like the Moz bar (a Chrome add-on), you can investigate how many backlinks a piece of content has received.

Create Better Content Than What You Found

As the name suggests, the Skyscraper technique involves building a taller building than the current one. While content that attracts backlinks is assumed to be of high quality, it’s important to create content with the intention of acquiring links, rather than simply satisfying search intent for ranking purposes.

[Digression] Content for Ranking vs. Content for Backlinks

When considering web content for advanced SEO, it’s essential to distinguish between content designed to rank and content intended to attract backlinks. While typical content should adequately address the search intent of users, in SEO, content may also be created specifically to strengthen the site’s authority by attracting external links. Ideally, content should both satisfy search intent and attract backlinks, but this isn’t always feasible. As long as external links impact site authority, it’s necessary to continually consider how to acquire them.

Enhance Content Elements

When striving to create excellent content, the first thing to consider is enhancing the elements of the content. For instance, if existing content provides ’10 ways to do something,’ consider if your company can offer 15 or 20 methods. Similarly, if it’s ’10 selected methods for something,’ you might expand upon it. By adding elements to articles already acquiring links, or by including related content even if it’s somewhat distant, you can create more substantial content.

While excessively expanding content may obscure search intent and hinder ranking, the focus here is on acquiring links. Therefore, think about what requirements you need to fulfill for the media willing to provide backlinks.

Correcting Information

Surprisingly, it’s quite common for content to contain inaccuracies.

Usually, media outlets verify the accuracy of information before publishing, but it’s not always a guarantee that the information is correct.

You might assume that since it’s written by a major or well-known site, it must be accurate. However, major sites often outsource content creation, leading to instances of poor-quality content.

When you come across situations where a publicly traded company is sharing questionable content or a niche site has inaccuracies, it presents an opportunity for link acquisition.

Updating Outdated Information

A common issue on major sites is the presence of outdated content that hasn’t been revised.

Even if the information was up-to-date when initially published, it can become outdated over time or new information may emerge.

If you find content that was published two or three years ago and hasn’t been updated since, it is likely that this is outdated information.

Simply updating outdated information can be appreciated by the linking media.

Rewriting for Clarity

Even when information is current and accurate, its readability and clarity for users can still be problematic.

Especially in fields like law, regulations, and healthcare, official websites and experts often use complex language, leaving general users behind.

In Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) genres, it’s challenging to rank without being an expert or an official site, but even top-ranking content isn’t always easy to understand.

From the perspective of linking sites, what matters more than being official or prominent is whether the content is beneficial to their users. So, rewriting for the general user audience can be an effective strategy.

Improving UI/UX

Even if the article itself is easy to understand, if the website is difficult for users to navigate, it becomes challenging for the linking media to endorse it.

Conversely, if you enhance the UI/UX and make the site user-friendly, it becomes easier for media outlets to endorse it. By making the article easy to understand, the content more detailed, and the site more user-friendly, the likelihood of acquiring links increases.

Contacting Discovered Linking Sites to Acquire Backlinks

By now, you should have created excellent content for link acquisition. The final step is to approach the sites that are currently linking to similar content.

Ideally, you’d want them to replace existing links with yours, but if that’s not possible, adding new links is also acceptable.

The key is to communicate the significant benefits to the media outlet of linking to your content.

Simply sending an email saying, ‘Please link to my fantastic article,’ won’t get you the link. They need a reason to link. However, if you say, ‘We created this article because of X reason, and we thought it might be of interest to you,’ a reputable media operator is likely to take notice.

Not all media operators will read your article, and the success rate of acquiring external links might not be high. However, this meticulous approach gradually yields results in acquiring links, which is the essence of the skyscraper technique.

Considerations for the Skyscraper Technique

As explained in the previous section, the skyscraper technique is not easy. Convincing media outlets to act, especially when they see no immediate benefit, is challenging.

While many SEO companies suggest that creating excellent content will automatically lead to link acquisition, the reality is more complex. To aim for high search rankings, proactive efforts are necessary.

However, due to the specific characteristics of the skyscraper technique, there are certain precautions to keep in mind, which we will explain together.

Must Avoid Copying Content

One thing you absolutely must avoid is becoming a copycat with your content.

When you reverse engineer content creation by considering why existing articles are linked to, there’s a high chance your new content will end up resembling what’s already out there.

If your ultimate goal is to get existing links redirected to your content, simply creating similar content won’t suffice. However, due to the difficulty level of content creation, it’s easy to veer into copying.

Similar content isn’t desirable in itself, and even without that, copying content can lower your site’s credibility, so it’s essential to be cautious.

Difficulty in Finding Link-Concentrated Articles

While tools can help with backlink analysis, it’s often challenging to find articles with concentrated links.

This is natural because it’s rare for in-house personnel to fully master SEO tools.

In-house personnel often have too many tasks related to content, such as planning, production, posting instructions, publication verification, and post-publication access analysis. Consequently, when chasing immediate goals like traffic, they might not allocate time to find linked articles.

In the long run, external links are effective, so if necessary, it’s vital to seek help from external sources like Tokyo SEO Maker.

Creating Excellent Content is Challenging

Even if you manage to find existing excellent content, surpassing it with your own isn’t easy.

Sometimes, the challenge lies not in the quality of the content itself but in establishing a framework for content creation. High-quality content often requires input from various departments, such as sales and management, not just the web team.

Difficulty in Acquiring Backlinks

Even if you can identify content with concentrated backlinks and create high-quality content, acquiring backlinks can still pose a challenge.

There are few media outlets that will simply accept a sudden email requesting a backlink, so you have to consider the media’s intentions and benefits and conduct sales accordingly.

Especially in Japan, outreach emails for external links are not widely accepted. While there are services for external link acquisition in overseas markets, it’s quite rare in Japan and often raises suspicions.

Acquiring backlinks through outreach emails requires expertise, but many companies lack this expertise, which adds to the difficulty.

Other Methods for Acquiring Backlinks Besides Skyscraper Technique

Up until now, we’ve been explaining the Skyscraper Technique itself, but the goal is to acquire backlinks, so there are methods that can be used without analyzing competitor sites or creating high-quality content.

You should consider which method is most cost-effective for your company and implement it.

Creating Satellite Sites

A satellite site is a separate site from your main site, dedicated to showcasing products or services.

Although it requires separate hosting and domain management, it allows you to increase visibility for searched keywords and shift user focus while utilizing it as an external link.

Creating Infographics

Infographics are visual representations that effectively summarize complex information using illustrations, graphs, tables, and more, making it easier to understand than just numbers or text.

Creating infographics can be time-consuming and challenging, which often leads to avoidance, but it can be a highly effective method in some cases.

Regular releases such as ‘Industry Chaos Map 2021’ are typical examples of this strategy.

Publicizing Primary Information

Though it’s obvious but crucial, information needs to be supported by evidence. However, finding evidence-based information can be challenging, leading writing companies and media outlets to struggle.

Articles without evidence are less trusted by readers, and without evidence, they often end up resembling other companies’ articles.

However, by publishing primary information such as your own service data or survey results, you can make it easier for others in the industry to reference your content, thus creating opportunities to secure backlinks.

Backlink Acquisition Services

While not widely adopted in Japan, there are a few backlink acquisition services available as of 2021.

These services negotiate with relevant media outlets on your behalf to secure backlinks, allowing you to acquire backlinks without direct involvement.

The fees are often based on performance, so the cost is not usually high. However, outsourcing this service may pose the risk of not fully understanding the negotiations conducted under your company’s name.

Consulting with Tokyo SEO Maker

Though it may sound like self-promotion, Tokyo SEO Maker offers more than just SEO consulting and content creation services. We also provide clients with backlink acquisition services. In terms of external strategies, we offer various methods of acquiring penalty-free backlinks, including natural link acquisition through skyscraper content, building owned media, and obtaining backlinks from various types of curation sites.

Summary 

In serious SEO strategies, both the quality and quantity of external links play a significant role in search rankings, just like internal content. Especially for new sites or sites with low domain authority, ranking improvement is challenging without external links. If you’re struggling with acquiring external links or improving your search ranking, please feel free to consult with Tokyo SEO Maker.

Author Profile

International Web Consultant Paveena Suphawet

A trilingual professional in English, Thai, and Japanese, she has numerous achievements in international SEO. She studied the latest IT technologies at Assumption International University, Thailand, and majored in International Business at the University of Greenwich, UK. Following her tenure at ExxonMobil’s Thai branch, she became a key member of Admano from its establishment.

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