Link reclamation is an often overlooked yet effective strategy for improving website authority and search engine rankings.
Many businesses invest heavily in link building efforts but fail to maintain their existing links.
This is where link reclamation comes in.
It involves finding and fixing broken, lost, or uncredited backlinks, ensuring that valuable links continue to drive traffic and contribute to SEO performance.
In this guide, we’ll explore what link reclamation is, why it matters, how to implement it, and the benefits it can bring.
What Is Link Reclamation?
Link reclamation refers to the process of identifying and recovering lost backlinks that once pointed to your website. These lost links may occur due to various reasons, including:
- Pages being moved, deleted, or renamed without proper redirects.
- Websites linking to your content but removing or modifying the link.
- Mentions of your brand without an actual hyperlink (unlinked mentions).
By reclaiming these links, you restore valuable link equity, which helps maintain and improve your website’s search rankings.
Why Link Reclamation Matters
Many website owners focus on acquiring new links, but failing to retain existing ones can weaken their SEO performance. Here’s why link reclamation is beneficial:
1. Preserving SEO Value
Backlinks play a major role in search engine rankings, as they signal trust and authority. When a reputable website links to your content, it strengthens your website’s credibility and boosts its visibility in search results.
However, losing that link means missing out on these benefits, potentially causing a drop in rankings. Search engines view lost links as a sign that your content may no longer be relevant or valuable, which can affect your overall SEO performance.
By reclaiming lost backlinks, you restore the authority and ranking potential they originally provided. Instead of constantly seeking new links, fixing broken or lost ones helps maintain the SEO strength you’ve already built.
2. Boosting Organic Traffic
Every backlink serves as a potential entry point for visitors to discover your website. When links are lost, so are the opportunities for users to find and engage with your content.
Reclaiming these links means recovering lost traffic, as reinstated backlinks continue to drive visitors to your site. More traffic can lead to better engagement, increased time spent on your pages, and even higher conversion rates.
Since these links were once relevant to your content, they are more likely to attract an interested audience. Instead of losing out on valuable website visits, taking steps to reclaim these backlinks can bring a steady stream of organic traffic back to your site.
3. A Cost-Effective SEO Strategy
Building new backlinks can be time-consuming and expensive, requiring outreach efforts, relationship-building, and sometimes financial investment in PR or collaborations.
Link reclamation, on the other hand, focuses on restoring links that were already earned, making it a more efficient and budget-friendly alternative. Since these links existed before, the process of reclaiming them is often easier than persuading a new site to link to you.
With minimal effort, you can restore valuable links without needing to launch an extensive link building campaign. This makes link reclamation an attractive option for businesses looking to strengthen their SEO without significantly increasing their marketing spend.
4. Improving Brand Credibility
When reputable websites mention your brand or reference your content, it enhances your credibility and positions you as a trusted source in your industry.
However, if these mentions do not include a working link, they do little to support your online presence. Reclaiming unlinked mentions by requesting a proper hyperlink helps reinforce your brand’s authority while ensuring that users can easily access your website.
Additionally, broken or missing links may create a poor user experience, leading to frustration when visitors encounter dead ends. Fixing these links helps maintain a smooth browsing experience and upholds your brand’s reliability in the eyes of both users and search engines.
5. Maximising Existing SEO Efforts
Many businesses invest heavily in SEO strategies, from content creation to technical optimisation, with the goal of improving search rankings.
Losing backlinks means losing some of the benefits of these efforts. Link reclamation helps maximise the results of your existing SEO work by ensuring that valuable links continue contributing to your site’s authority.
Rather than constantly striving for new links, reclaiming old ones allows you to sustain the progress you have already made. Making link reclamation a routine part of your SEO strategy creates a more stable and long-term foundation for search engine success.
How To Identify Lost Or Broken Links
Before recovering lost backlinks, you must first determine which ones have disappeared and why. Links can go missing for various reasons, so keeping track of your backlinks is an ongoing process.
By monitoring link activity, spotting errors, and identifying unlinked mentions, you’ll be better positioned to reclaim valuable backlinks that contribute to your website’s authority and search visibility. Here are some of the most effective ways to track down lost or broken links.
Use SEO Tools To Track Lost Links
SEO tools are crucial for identifying missing or broken backlinks. Platforms like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Google Search Console offer reports that show when a previously acquired link is no longer active.
Ahrefs, for example, provides a “Lost Backlinks” report, which highlights links that have been removed or broken. SEMrush has a backlink audit feature that tracks lost or broken backlinks over time, helping you spot issues before they start to impact your rankings.
Google Search Console is another free tool that allows you to monitor your site’s backlink performance and detect missing links. By regularly using these tools, you can quickly identify problem areas and take action before lost links start affecting your SEO.
Find 404 Error Pages
One of the most common reasons for lost backlinks is that a page on your website has been deleted, moved, or renamed without a proper redirect.
When this happens, visitors clicking on the link will land on a 404 error page, which not only disrupts user experience but also prevents search engines from passing link value to your site.
To locate these errors, you can use tools like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or Ahrefs’ Site Audit feature. These tools scan your website and report any broken pages.
Once you identify the problematic URLs, you can set up 301 redirects to direct traffic to a relevant working page.
This way, you can recover the link value that would otherwise be lost and prevent visitors from encountering dead-end pages.
Search For Unlinked Brand Mentions
Sometimes, other websites may mention your brand, product, or content but fail to include an actual hyperlink to your site.
These unlinked mentions are a missed opportunity, as they already indicate interest in your brand but don’t provide the full benefit of a backlink.
Tools like Google Alerts, Mention, and BuzzSumo can help track these brand mentions across the web, allowing you to find websites that reference your content but haven’t linked back to you.
Once you identify these mentions, a simple outreach email to the website owner or editor can often result in them adding a proper hyperlink. Since they are already talking about your brand, they may be more willing to include a link, making this one of the easiest ways to reclaim lost link value.
How To Reclaim Lost Links
Once you’ve identified lost or broken backlinks, the next step is to recover them effectively. Some links may have disappeared due to simple oversights, while others may require more effort to restore.
The key is to approach each case strategically—whether through direct communication, technical fixes, or leveraging uncredited brand mentions.
1. Contact Webmasters To Reinstate Removed Links
If a backlink has been removed or altered, the first step is to contact the webmaster of the linking site. Websites update their content frequently, and sometimes, links get removed unintentionally or during a site refresh.
A polite, professional email requesting the reinstatement of the link can often resolve the issue. When reaching out, explain why the link was valuable and how it benefits their audience, and offer an alternative page to link to if needed.
Keep your email short, friendly, and to the point—many webmasters receive multiple outreach requests daily, so making yours easy to act on will increase the chances of success.
If you don’t receive a response, a gentle follow-up after a week or two may help.
2. Fix Broken Internal Links And Redirect Missing Pages
If your own website has broken internal links—where pages have been deleted, renamed, or moved—setting up 301 redirects is the best way to recover their value.
A 301 redirect automatically directs both users and search engines to a relevant, functional page, preventing them from landing on a 404 error.
Redirecting broken pages prevents link equity from being lost and improves the overall user experience.
It’s also important to audit your internal links regularly to check for any broken URLs within your own site. Tools like Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, or Ahrefs can help identify these issues so you can fix them promptly.
3. Request Credit For Unlinked Brand Mentions
Unlinked brand mentions occur when another website mentions your brand, content, or product but does not include an actual hyperlink to your site.
Since they have already referenced your business, they may be open to adding a link upon request. Tools like Google Alerts, BuzzSumo, and Mention can help track brand mentions across the web so you can find opportunities to turn these into backlinks.
When reaching out to the website owner or author, express appreciation for the mention and politely request that they add a link to your website.
If they see value in linking to your content, they are more likely to oblige, making this one of the easiest ways to reclaim backlinks.
4. Recover Links From Expired Domains
If you previously owned a domain that expired or changed, backlinks pointing to the old domain may still exist. This means that valuable links are leading to a dead website instead of yours.
If possible, reclaim the expired domain and set up redirects to your current site to recover lost traffic.
If another party now owns the expired domain, you can contact the webmasters of the site and request that they redirect the link to your active website.
While this may require more effort, the payoff can be significant, especially if the lost domain has high-quality backlinks.
5. Monitor Competitor Lost Links For New Opportunities
Beyond reclaiming your own lost backlinks, you can also monitor competitors’ lost links to identify potential link-building opportunities.
If a website has removed a competitor’s backlink or is linking to a broken page, you can reach out to suggest your content as an alternative. SEO tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush provide reports on lost backlinks for any domain, allowing you to track when competitors lose links and position your content as a replacement.
This strategy not only helps you reclaim valuable link placements but also strengthens your link profile by gaining new high-quality links.
6. Check For Outdated Content Or Broken Embedded Links
Sometimes, backlinks are lost because the referring website has linked to outdated content, moved their own pages, or embedded broken links.
If a website once linked to your article but the link is no longer working, it may be due to an outdated URL structure or a content refresh on their side.
Contacting the site owner and offering a working, updated link is a straightforward way to reclaim the lost connection. Providing value, such as a more relevant or recently updated resource, can make them more inclined to restore the link.
7. Strengthen Relationships To Prevent Future Link Loss
While recovering lost links is important, preventing them from disappearing in the first place is equally beneficial.
Building relationships with website owners, bloggers, and journalists who link to your content increases the likelihood that they will maintain those links over time.
Make an effort to engage with them on social media, share their content, or offer updated resources, as this can encourage them to keep linking to your website.
If they know you as a trusted and responsive content provider, they will be less likely to remove your links when updating their pages.
Common Challenges in Link Reclamation
While link reclamation is a highly effective way to restore lost backlinks and improve SEO, it comes with its own challenges.
Webmasters Ignoring Link Requests
One of the biggest hurdles in link reclamation is getting a response from webmasters. Many website owners receive numerous emails requesting link additions, removals, or modifications, making it easy for your request to be overlooked.
Some may simply not prioritise fixing broken or missing links, while others might be hesitant to reinstate a link if they don’t see a direct benefit.
Pages Being Permanently Removed
Sometimes, lost links cannot be reclaimed because the referring website has removed or changed the page where the link once appeared. If the original page no longer exists, the link is effectively lost unless a suitable replacement exists on their site.
In these situations, providing a relevant alternative piece of content that fits their updated page may be necessary.
Redirecting To Irrelevant Pages
If a backlink is lost due to a page on your website being removed or moved, setting up 301 redirects is a common solution. However, redirecting old pages to irrelevant or unrelated pages can reduce the link’s effectiveness.
Search engines may not pass the full SEO value if the redirected content does not align with the original topic. To retain as much link equity as possible, always redirect users to the most relevant page.
Website Owners Changing Their Policies
Some websites have strict editorial policies that prevent them from modifying or reinstating links once they have been removed.
This is particularly common with high-authority news sites, government pages, and large publishers that have internal guidelines against altering old content. In such cases, recovering the lost link may be difficult or even impossible.
Websites Going Offline Or Becoming Inactive
Not all lost links can be reclaimed, particularly if the website that originally linked to you has gone offline or become inactive.
This can happen if the site owner discontinues their website, fails to renew their domain, or removes old content entirely. If a lost link comes from a site that no longer exists, there is no way to recover it.
However, if the site has moved to a new domain or been rebranded, you may be able to track down the new contact details and request an updated link.
Conclusion On What Is Link Reclamation
You can restore valuable link equity and maintain your SEO strength by identifying and reclaiming lost links.
Unlike traditional link-building, which requires ongoing outreach and negotiation, link reclamation is about maximising what you already have, making it a cost-effective and efficient way to boost search visibility.
While not every lost link can be recovered, a proactive and strategic approach can help you regain many valuable backlinks over time.
However, link reclamation is just one part of a comprehensive SEO strategy. Businesses need a well-rounded SEO approach to consistently rank higher, attract the right audience, and outshine competitors.
That’s where Best SEO comes in.
Best SEO provides specialised SEO solutions designed to meet your business needs, helping your website regain lost backlinks while achieving sustainable ranking improvements.
With our proven SEO strategies and tactics, we guarantee Page 1 rankings on Google search within 90 days.
Sounds good to be true?
Claim your FREE 30-minute strategy session today, and let us show you how we can transform your online presence and drive real results!
Frequently Asked Questions About What Is Link Reclamation
Is Link Reclamation The Same As Link Building?
No. Link building involves acquiring new links, whereas link reclamation focuses on recovering lost or uncredited links.
Should I Prioritise Link Reclamation Over Link Building?
It depends on your SEO strategy. If you have many lost links, reclaiming them can be a quick and effective way to regain authority.
What Are Common Reasons For Losing Backlinks?
Common reasons include deleted pages, modified content, broken URLs, or manual link removals by webmasters.
How Can I Find Unlinked Brand Mentions?
Use tools like Google Alerts, Mention, or BuzzSumo to track brand mentions and request backlinks.
Should I Follow Up If A Webmaster Doesn’t Respond?
Yes, sending a follow-up email after a few days can improve the likelihood of getting a reply. However, it’s best to remain polite and not come across as too persistent.
How Long Does Link Reclamation Take To Show SEO Results?
It varies, but once the links are reinstated or redirected, SEO improvements can be seen within weeks.
