Link Reclamation: How to Find & Reclaim Lost Backlinks

Backlinks are one of the most important factors for improving your website’s authority and search engine ranking. They act as votes of confidence from other websites, signalling to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy. However, not all backlinks remain intact forever. Over time, some of your backlinks may get lost due to website changes, content removal, or even webmasters removing or changing links. This is where link reclamation becomes vital.

Link reclamation is the process of identifying lost or broken backlinks pointing to your website and taking steps to recover them. This practice can help restore your site’s link equity and maintain or improve your SEO rankings.

This article will guide you through understanding link reclamation, how to find lost backlinks, and effective methods to reclaim them.

What is Link Reclamation?

Simply put, link reclamation means finding backlinks that were once pointing to your site but are no longer active or have been removed, and then working to get those links restored. Lost backlinks can occur for many reasons, such as:

• The linking website has deleted the page linking to you.
• The URL structure of your website changed without proper redirects.
• Your content was updated or moved without updating backlinks.
• The link was removed or changed by the webmaster.
• The linking site went offline or faced issues.

Link reclamation is a proactive SEO practice. By restoring these lost links, you recover valuable traffic and SEO authority, which could otherwise be lost.

Why is Link Reclamation Important?

Backlinks contribute significantly to search engine ranking algorithms, particularly Google’s. When your website has a strong backlink profile, it signals relevance and authority in your niche. Losing backlinks may lead to:

• A drop in organic rankings.
• Reduced referral traffic.
• Lower domain authority.
• Decreased trustworthiness in the eyes of search engines.

By reclaiming lost links, you maintain your website’s SEO strength, improve user referral traffic, and ensure that your hard-earned digital presence is not wasted.

How to Find Lost Backlinks?

The first step in link reclamation is discovering which backlinks you have lost. There are multiple tools and strategies you can use to identify lost or broken backlinks:

1. Use Backlink Analysis Tools

Several SEO tools offer backlink tracking and lost link reports. Some popular tools include:

• Ahrefs: Ahrefs provides a “Lost Backlinks” report showing links that were previously pointing to your site but have disappeared.
• SEMrush: SEMrush’s backlink audit tool shows lost backlinks along with the reason for loss.
• Moz Link Explorer: Offers link tracking features and can highlight lost links.
• Majestic: Another great tool for backlink analysis.
• Google Search Console: While it doesn’t directly show lost links, you can check the “Links” report for new and existing links. If a link is missing, further investigation may be required.

Using these tools, you can generate a list of backlinks that have dropped off recently or over time.

2. Monitor Referring Traffic

If you use Google Analytics or any other web analytics platform, look for a sudden drop in referral traffic from specific sites. This can indicate that some backlinks are no longer active.

3. Check Manual Mentions

Sometimes, websites mention your brand or content without linking. Use tools like Mention, BuzzSumo, or Google Alerts to find such mentions. You can then request the website to convert that mention into a backlink.

4. Use Broken Link Checkers

Use broken link checkers like Broken Link Checker or browser extensions to find if your backlinks are broken on external sites. These tools scan pages linking to you to detect if the link is dead or redirects improperly.

Common Reasons for Lost Backlinks

Before reclaiming, it helps to understand why links get lost. Common reasons include:

• Website redesign or URL changes: Without proper 301 redirects, old URLs become broken.
• Content deletion or migration: If the page hosting your backlink is deleted or moved.
• Link removal by webmaster: Intentional removal due to content update, cleaning link profile, or change in linking strategy.
• Temporary website downtime: Sites may temporarily go down, causing links to disappear from crawlers.
• Link rot: Over time, links naturally break due to various web changes.
• Negative SEO attacks: Rarely, competitors might remove or harm your backlinks.

Knowing the reason helps decide the best approach for reclamation.

How to Reclaim Lost Backlinks?

Once you identify lost backlinks, the next step is to take action to reclaim them. Here are some effective strategies:

1. Fix Your Website Issues

If lost backlinks are caused by your website’s URL changes or content removal, fixing these can help restore links.

• 301 Redirects: If you changed the URL of a page, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. This ensures that links to old URLs still pass value and visitors land on the correct page.
• Restore Deleted Content: If important pages were deleted accidentally, consider restoring them.
• Fix Broken Pages: Resolve any 404 errors or broken links on your website.

By fixing these on your side, you increase chances that linking sites will keep or restore their links.

2. Reach Out to Webmasters

Once you have identified lost backlinks and understood the reason, contact the webmaster or site owner of the linking website politely and professionally.

• Use email or contact forms on their site.
• Introduce yourself and explain the importance of the link.
• Provide the correct URL if your URL has changed.
• Politely request them to restore the link or update it.

Personalised and respectful communication usually works best.

3. Convert Brand Mentions into Links

Sometimes websites mention your brand or content but don’t link back. Reach out to those sites and request a backlink.

This is a simple and effective way to reclaim link value without complicated work.

4. Fix Broken Backlinks on Third-Party Sites

If the backlink is broken due to a typo or outdated URL on the referring site, notify the webmaster with correct information. You can also provide evidence from your side such as screenshots or links to the correct content.

5. Offer Updated or Better Content

If your original content has been removed from the referring site, offer an updated or improved version of your content to the webmaster for linking. This can incentivise them to restore or add a backlink.

6. Use Social Media and Networking

If direct contact does not work, try reaching out through social media channels like LinkedIn or Twitter. Engaging with webmasters and bloggers in your niche can improve your chances of reclaiming lost links.

Best Practices for Link Reclamation

Here are some tips to ensure your link reclamation efforts are successful:

• Be polite and professional in all communications.
• Keep track of your outreach efforts and follow up if needed.
• Provide clear instructions and links to help webmasters fix the issue easily.
• Prioritize high-value backlinks to save effort and get better returns.
• Monitor your backlink profile regularly to detect lost links early.
• Use accurate tools for backlink checking and data analysis.
• Combine link reclamation with other link-building strategies for best results.

Tools That Make Link Reclamation Easier

Several tools help simplify the process of link reclamation:

• Ahrefs: Best for tracking lost backlinks and getting contact info of webmasters.
• SEMrush: Offers backlink audit and outreach templates.
• Google Search Console: Good for monitoring backlinks over time.
• Hunter.io or FindThatLead: To find email addresses of website owners.
• BuzzStream: For managing outreach campaigns.
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider: To crawl your site and check for broken links.

Using the right tools can make your link reclamation more efficient and organised.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Link Reclamation

• Spamming webmasters with repeated messages.
• Ignoring site relevance and focusing only on quantity.
• Forgetting to check if the link loss was intentional.
• Not setting up redirects properly on your website.
• Failing to prioritise high-value backlinks.
• Overlooking nofollow or toxic links that might not be worth reclaiming.

Avoiding these mistakes helps you focus on quality and sustainable link reclamation.

How Often Should You Perform Link Reclamation?

Backlink profiles can change frequently. It is advisable to perform link reclamation audits at least quarterly or bi-annually depending on your site’s size and SEO goals.

Regular audits help you:

• Catch lost backlinks early.
• Prevent major drops in rankings.
• Maintain healthy relationships with webmasters.

Final Thoughts

Link reclamation is an essential SEO tactic that helps protect and restore your website’s backlink profile. Finding lost backlinks and reclaiming them through website fixes, webmaster outreach, and content improvements can bring back valuable SEO authority and referral traffic.

By regularly monitoring your backlinks, using effective tools, and applying best practices, you can safeguard your website’s online presence from the negative impacts of lost backlinks.

Start your link reclamation process today and give your website the boost it deserves.