What Is Link Reclamation and How Does It Help in Link Building?

Link Reclamation for SEO | Recover Lost Backlinks & Boost Rankings

🔄 What is Link Reclamation in SEO?

Link Reclamation is the process of finding and recovering lost or broken backlinks that were once pointing to your website but no longer do — due to changes in URLs, site migrations, deleted content, or incorrect mentions.

Think of it as reclaiming link equity that your site already earned but is currently not benefiting from.

🔍 Why Is Link Reclamation Important in Link Building?

Backlinks are still one of the strongest ranking signals for Google. When a valuable backlink is lost, your domain loses part of its authority and trust.

By reclaiming those links, you:

• Restore SEO value and ranking signals

• Maintain referral traffic from external sources

• Improve your site’s link profile health

• Boost your domain authority without new outreach

✅ Common Scenarios for Lost or Broken Links

🔸 Broken Redirects or 404 Pages

Pages that were deleted or renamed without proper 301 redirects lose backlinks.

🔸 Brand Mentions Without Links

Websites mention your brand but don’t link to your site — a missed opportunity.

🔸 Incorrect URLs

A small typo in your domain or permalink structure can cause a link to break.

🔸 Content Syndication

Your content is republished but without linking back to your original page.

🛠️ How to Do Link Reclamation – Step by Step

🟢 1. Identify Lost or Broken Backlinks

Use tools like:

• Ahrefs → Lost Backlinks Report

• SEMrush → Backlink Audit

• Google Search Console → Links Report

These tools show lost links, referring pages, and anchor texts.

🟢 2. Fix Internal Causes

Redirect broken pages to relevant alternatives using 301 redirects.
Fix any internal URL typos or deleted content immediately.

🟢 3. Reach Out to Site Owners

For backlinks pointing to incorrect URLs or brand mentions:

• Politely request a link update or ask them to include a link if it's missing.

• Provide the correct, preferred URL to make it easier for them.

📧 Example outreach message:

“Hi [Name], I noticed you mentioned our brand in your article [URL], but the link seems broken or missing. Would you mind updating it to point to our correct page at [correct URL]?”

🚫 Don’t Confuse With Broken Link Building

While similar, broken link building involves finding dead links on other websites and offering your content as a replacement.
Link reclamation is about restoring links that already belonged to you.

📈 Benefits of Link Reclamation for SEO

• 💡 Faster Results than building new links

• 🔗 Restores lost authority and trust

• 💰 Cost-effective strategy for SEO maintenance

• 🚀 Boosts page and domain-level performance without new content

🎯 Final Thoughts

Link Reclamation is a low-hanging fruit in SEO. If your site has been around for years or has changed structure, there’s a high chance you’ve lost valuable backlinks unknowingly.

Reclaiming those links can result in quick SEO wins with minimal effort compared to acquiring new backlinks.

📌 Want to reclaim and protect your SEO authority?
Explore our Advanced Link Building Services or request a SEO Audit to identify broken links and reclaim lost value.