Link Reclamation: Recover Lost Backlinks & Boost Authority
You're losing valuable backlinks every month. This proven guide shows how to reclaim broken, lost, and stolen links--and recover the authority you've already earned.
TL;DR
Most websites lose 15-30% of their backlinks every year to broken links, removed content, site migrations, and content theft. Link reclamation is the process of finding and recovering these lost links--one of the highest-ROI link building tactics available.
Why it works: You've already earned these links once. Getting them back is 10x easier than building new links from scratch.
What Is Link Reclamation? (And Why It Matters)
Link reclamation is the process of finding and recovering backlinks you've lost. Unlike traditional link building (which targets new links), link reclamation focuses on links you already earned but no longer benefit from.
Why You\'re Losing Backlinks
- Broken links (404 errors): Pages get deleted, URLs change, sites shut down
- Content updates: Someone updates an article and removes your link
- Site migrations: HTTP to HTTPS, domain changes, CMS migrations
- Nofollow conversions: Links change from dofollow to nofollow (losing SEO value)
- Unlinked brand mentions: Someone mentions your brand but doesn\'t link
- Image theft: Sites use your images without attribution
The shocking truth: A study of 10,000 websites found that sites lose an average of 9.1% of their backlinks every 6 months. That\'s nearly 20% per year--and most site owners never notice.
Step 1: Find Your Lost & Broken Backlinks
You can\'t reclaim what you can\'t find. Here\'s how to uncover every lost backlink opportunity:
Method 1: Google Search Console
Google Search Console shows links pointing to broken pages on your site:
- 1. Go to Google Search Console → Links → Top linking pages
- 2. Look for pages with incoming links that now return 404 errors
- 3. Export the list of referring domains
- 4. Check which pages these links point to
Pro tip: Sort by "Linking sites" to prioritize high-authority domains.
Method 2: Ahrefs Lost Backlinks Report
Ahrefs tracks every backlink change and shows exactly which links you\'ve lost:
- 1. Open Ahrefs Site Explorer → Enter your domain
- 2. Go to Backlinks → Lost backlinks
- 3. Filter by DR (Domain Rating) 30+ to prioritize valuable links
- 4. Export the list with anchor text, referring page, and target URL
- 5. Sort by "Link type" to find dofollow links first
What to look for: Links that disappeared in the last 90 days from DR 40+ domains--these are high-priority recovery targets.
Method 3: SEMrush Backlink Audit
SEMrush\'s Backlink Analytics shows lost links and provides reclamation insights:
- Lost backlinks report: Shows links that disappeared with date ranges
- Authority Score filter: Focus on high-authority lost links (AS 50+)
- Anchor text data: See what anchor text was used (helps with outreach)
- Compare with competitors: See if competitors lost the same links
Method 4: Crawl Your Own Site for Broken Pages
Use Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to find pages returning 404/410 errors that have backlinks:
- 1. Crawl your site with Screaming Frog
- 2. Filter by Response Code → 404 errors
- 3. Export the list of broken URLs
- 4. Cross-reference with GSC or Ahrefs to see which have inbound links
Method 5: Monitor Competitor Lost Links
Your competitors are losing links too. Steal them:
- Run "Lost backlinks" report for competitors in Ahrefs/SEMrush
- Find links they lost that could also link to your content
- Reach out with better, updated content
Step 2: Find Unlinked Brand Mentions
Unlinked brand mentions are mentions of your brand, product, or content without a hyperlink--easy link reclamation wins.
Finding Unlinked Mentions
Tool 1: Ahrefs Content Explorer
Search: "your brand name" -site:yoursite.com
Filter: One article per domain, DR 30+, published in last 12 months
Export: Download list with referring domain, URL, and author info
Tool 2: Google Alerts
Setup: Create alerts for your brand name, product names, and key content titles
Frequency: Set to "As-it-happens" for real-time monitoring
Action: Check each mention to see if it includes a link--if not, reach out immediately
Tool 3: Brand24 or Mention.com
Benefit: More comprehensive than Google Alerts--catches social media, forums, blogs
Setup: Monitor brand name, common misspellings, product names, founder names
Filter: Sort by "sentiment" and "reach" to prioritize high-authority mentions
Tool 4: BuzzSumo Monitoring
Use case: Track content mentions--when someone references your blog posts, studies, or data
Alert setup: Monitor URLs of your top-performing content pieces
Priority: High-traffic sites that mention your content without linking are prime targets
Automated Brand Mention Tracking
Set up a monitoring workflow to catch mentions automatically:
- Daily check: Review Google Alerts and mention tracking tools every morning
- Spreadsheet tracking: Log each unlinked mention with domain, DR, and contact info
- Prioritization: Focus on DR 40+ sites first (highest SEO value)
- Track recency: Reach out within 48 hours--fresher content is easier to update
Step 3: Reclaim Broken Links on Your Site
If your pages return 404 errors but still have backlinks, those links are wasted. Fix them:
Strategy 1: 301 Redirects
When to use: The broken page had similar content that exists elsewhere on your site
How: Redirect the broken URL to the most relevant existing page
SEO value preserved: 301 redirects pass 90-95% of link equity
Implementation: Add redirects to .htaccess (Apache), nginx.conf (Nginx), or via plugin (WordPress)
Strategy 2: Restore the Content
If the broken page had unique, valuable content that doesn\'t exist elsewhere:
- Use Wayback Machine: Archive.org often has snapshots of deleted pages
- Recreate + improve: Restore the page with updated, better content
- Keep same URL: Maintain the original URL to preserve backlinks
- Notify linkers: Email sites linking to the page that it\'s been restored and improved
Strategy 3: Create New Content for the URL
If the old content is no longer relevant, create fresh content at the same URL:
- Topic relevance: Keep the general topic similar to maintain context for existing backlinks
- Update signal: Add publish date showing it\'s fresh, updated content
- Quality upgrade: Make it significantly better than the original (2x word count minimum)
Step 4: Outreach Email Templates That Work
Once you\'ve found lost links and unlinked mentions, you need to reach out. Here are proven email templates:
Template 1: Unlinked Brand Mention
Subject: Quick question about your [Topic] article
Hi [Name],
I came across your article "[Article Title]" and loved how you covered [specific detail]. Great work!
I noticed you mentioned [Your Brand/Content] in the piece--thank you for the reference! Would you be open to adding a link to [URL] so readers can learn more?
Either way, thanks for including us. Keep up the great content!
Best,
[Your Name]
Template 2: Broken Link on Their Site
Subject: Broken link in your [Topic] article
Hi [Name],
I was reading your article "[Article Title]" and noticed one of the links appears to be broken:
[Broken URL] → Returns 404 error
I actually have a similar resource that covers the same topic (and more): [Your URL]
Would you consider updating the link? Happy to provide any other info you need.
Thanks!
[Your Name]
Template 3: Lost Backlink (Site Removed Your Link)
Subject: Question about recent update to [Article Title]
Hi [Name],
I noticed you recently updated your article "[Article Title]"--it looks great!
I also noticed the link to [Your Content Title] ([Your URL]) was removed in the update. Was there a specific reason?
We\'ve actually updated that resource with [new data/insights/features]. Would you consider adding it back? I think your readers would find the new version even more valuable.
Let me know!
[Your Name]
Template 4: Image Used Without Attribution
Subject: Image attribution request for [Article Title]
Hi [Name],
Great article on [Topic]! I noticed you\'re using our [image/infographic] in the piece: [Image URL or description]
We\'re happy for you to use it! Would you mind adding attribution with a link back to the original source? Here\'s the attribution line:
Image source: [Your Brand] ([Your URL])
Thanks so much!
[Your Name]
Outreach Best Practices
- Personalize every email: Reference specific content from their article
- Keep it short: Under 150 words--busy editors skim quickly
- No demands: Frame as a friendly suggestion, not an expectation
- Follow up once: If no response after 5 days, send one polite follow-up
- Track responses: Log success rate to refine templates over time
Step 5: Track and Measure Reclaimed Links
You need to track which link reclamation efforts work and measure the SEO impact:
Tracking Spreadsheet Setup
Create a spreadsheet with these columns:
- • Referring Domain: Site that had/has the link
- • Domain Rating: Ahrefs DR or similar metric
- • Status: Lost / Unlinked Mention / Broken Page
- • Target URL: Your page the link should point to
- • Outreach Date: When you sent the email
- • Response Status: No Response / Declined / Agreed / Link Added
- • Link Added Date: When the link was restored
- • Follow-up Date: When to send follow-up (5 days after initial)
- • Notes: Any special context or next steps
Success Metrics to Track
- Response rate: % of outreach emails that get replies (aim for 25%+)
- Success rate: % of outreach emails that result in restored links (aim for 15%+)
- Average DR of reclaimed links: Quality matters more than quantity
- Total referring domains recovered: Overall growth in backlink profile
- Ranking improvements: Track keyword rankings for pages with reclaimed links
Monthly Link Reclamation Review
Set up a monthly process to stay on top of link losses:
- Week 1: Run lost backlink reports in Ahrefs, SEMrush, GSC
- Week 2: Check brand mention alerts and compile unlinked mentions
- Week 2: Prioritize opportunities (focus on DR 40+ sites first)
- Week 3: Send outreach emails (batch 20-30 emails)
- Week 4: Send follow-ups and track responses
- End of month: Calculate success metrics and refine approach
Advanced Link Reclamation Tactics
Tactic 1: Reclaim Competitor Mentions
Strategy: Find articles that mention competitors but not you--then get added
Process: Search Content Explorer for "competitor name" + "your topic"
Pitch: "I noticed you mentioned [Competitor] but not [Your Brand]--we have a similar solution with [unique benefit]"
Success rate: Lower than pure reclamation (5-10%) but still valuable
Tactic 2: Resource Page Link Reclamation
Resource pages often link to outdated or broken resources--replace them with yours:
- Find pages: Google "[your topic] + resources" or "inurl:resources [topic]"
- Check links: Use broken link checker to find dead links on resource pages
- Outreach: Point out broken link + suggest your resource as replacement
Tactic 3: Reclaim Links from Domain Changes
Scenario: You changed domains or restructured URLs
Problem: Old links point to old domain/URLs
Solution: Email sites linking to old URLs with new correct links
Priority: High-authority links first (DR 50+)--these are worth the manual effort
Tactic 4: Reclaim Links from Content Refreshes
When you significantly update content, email sites that linked to the old version:
- Timing: Immediately after publishing major content updates
- Message: "We updated [Content] with [new data/insights]--thought you\'d want to know since you linked to it"
- Benefit: Often prompts sites to update their article and re-share your content
Tactic 5: Automated Link Monitoring
Tools: Ahrefs Alerts, Monitor Backlinks, LinkMiner
Setup: Get notified immediately when you lose a backlink
Benefit: Catch link losses within 24 hours--much easier to reclaim fresh losses
Action: Automated emails trigger when DR 40+ backlink is lost
Common Link Reclamation Mistakes
❌ Mistake 1: Generic Outreach Emails
Problem: Sending template emails without personalization gets ignored. Solution: Reference specific content from their article, compliment something specific, and show you actually read it.
❌ Mistake 2: Chasing Low-Value Links
Problem: Spending hours reclaiming DR 10 links with no traffic. Solution: Focus on DR 40+ sites with actual organic traffic--these move the needle.
❌ Mistake 3: No Follow-up
Problem: Sending one email and giving up--people are busy and emails get buried. Solution: Always send one polite follow-up 5-7 days after initial email. Increases success rate by 40%.
❌ Mistake 4: Ignoring 301 Redirects
Problem: Leaving broken pages as 404s when you could redirect them. Solution: Always set up 301 redirects for broken pages with backlinks--captures 90-95% of link equity automatically.
❌ Mistake 5: Not Tracking Results
Problem: Can\'t improve what you don\'t measure. Solution: Track outreach response rates, success rates, and DR of reclaimed links to optimize your approach over time.
How SEOLOGY Automates Link Reclamation
SEOLOGY monitors your backlink profile 24/7 and automates link reclamation:
- Automatically detects lost backlinks within 24 hours
- Monitors brand mentions across the web and flags unlinked mentions
- Finds broken pages with backlinks and sets up 301 redirects automatically
- Generates personalized outreach emails for link reclamation
- Tracks outreach success rates and optimizes templates over time
- Prioritizes high-authority link recovery opportunities (DR 40+)
Recover Your Lost Backlinks Automatically
Join thousands of sites using SEOLOGY to monitor backlinks and reclaim lost link equity automatically.
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Tags: #LinkReclamation #LinkBuilding #Backlinks #SEO #BrokenLinks #UnlinkedMentions #LinkMonitoring
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