In the ever-evolving world of SEO, link reclamation is a valuable strategy for boosting your website’s authority and visibility. But what exactly is it and how can you effectively reclaim lost backlinks in 2024? Let’s dive in!
Backlinks are important for two big reasons;
- They help you generate more search traffic
- They improve your website’s EAT signals (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness)
But.. making the link became very difficult. So, if you are looking for a better way to earn links, link recapture is for you.
What is Link Reclamation?
Simply put, link reclamation is the process of regaining valuable backlinks that have been lost or broken. This can happen due to various reasons, such as:
- Website changes: Page relocations, URL structure changes, or even domain name changes can break existing backlinks.
- Broken websites: Sites containing your links might go offline, leading to 404 errors and lost link juice.
- Spammy links: Links built through unethical methods might be penalized by search engines and removed.
Reclaiming these lost backlinks can significantly impact your SEO. It helps:
- Boost website authority: Backlinks are like votes of confidence, and regaining lost ones strengthens your website’s overall authority in the eyes of search engines.
- Improve search ranking: Stronger authority translates to higher rankings in search results pages (SERPs).
- Optimize link profile: Reclaiming lost links helps maintain a healthy and diverse link profile, which is crucial for good SEO.
How to Reclaim Lost Backlinks in 2024:
Here are some effective strategies for reclaiming lost backlinks in 2024:
1. Identify Lost Backlinks:
- Backlink checker tools: Utilize tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz to identify broken links, lost backlinks, and opportunities for reclamation.
- Google Search Console: Monitor the “Links to your site” report to find broken links and potential reclamation opportunities.
2. Fix Broken Links:
- Redirect: If the original page has moved, set up a 301 redirect to the new location to retain the link value.
- Contact webmaster: If the broken link is on another site, reach out to the webmaster and request a fix or replacement with a working link.
3. Replicate Valuable Content:
- Analyze lost backlinks: See what kind of content the lost links pointed to. If it was valuable, consider creating similar content and reaching out to websites with similar content for potential new links.
- Resource pages: If you have valuable resource pages, submit them to relevant directories or websites that accept such submissions.
4. Monitor and Maintain:
- Regularly check for broken links: Make link reclamation an ongoing process to avoid losing valuable backlink juice.
- Build relationships: Building strong relationships with webmasters and content creators can lead to future link opportunities and help retain existing ones.
Link reclamation vs unlinked brand mentions
Link reclamation and unlinked brand mentions are closely related, but they are not the same thing.
Link Reclamation = Recovering lost links.
Unlinked brand mentions = Mentions of your brand on a website without linking to your website.
The main difference between link recapture and claiming unlinked brand mentions is that link recapture is about reclaiming lost links, whereas claiming unlinked brand mentions means backlinking unlinked brand mentions. Have to change.
How to Find (And Reclaim) Lost Backlinks? Step-by-Step Guide
Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on finding and recovering your lost link in 2024.
Step 1: Identify the lost links
The best way to find lost backlinks to your website is to use a backlink analysis tool like SEMrush.
SEMrush offers a special tool called “Backlink Audit Tool”, which crawls your entire site to identify lost backlinks to your site.
Here’s what it looks like;
Once you click on the “Show Results” button, you’ll find all the lost links.
Have a look;
Once you click on the “Lost” button, it will show you all the referring domains that have removed links to your site.
Here’s what it looks like;
As you can see, you can set the link attribute to Follow to find all lost dofollow links.
You’ll also find backlink sources with the referring domains, along with the authority scores of those domains. Authority Score (AS) measures the reputation of a domain.
Alternatively, you can view your site’s backlink analysis report to see how your website has performed daily over the last 90 days.
Overall, SEMrush is an excellent tool for finding lost links of any domain.
Want to try it for free?
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If you want more information about this tool, read our unbiased SEMrush review.
Are there any other free tools to find lost links to your website?
Yes, you can also use a free backlink checker like Ubersuggest to find lost links for free.
To use the Ubersuggest backlink analysis tool for free, all you need to do is create a free account with Google.
Here’s what it looks like;
As you can see above, you can easily find new and lost referring domains of any website. Unlike SEMrush, Ubersuggest will only show you lost domains from the last month.
For more details, you can read our detailed comparison of Ubersuggest vs SEMrush.
Quick note: It is almost impossible to manually track all of your website links (including lost links). That’s why you should need a link analysis tool to easily keep an eye on your site’s backlink profile.
Step 2: Prioritize lost links
Not all lost links are created equal. There are dofollow links, and then there are nofollow links.
There are links to authority websites, and links to spammy sites. That’s why you should prioritize lost links to save more time on link recovery.
Here are some factors you can consider to prioritize your lost links.
- Domain Authority (DA) of the Linking Website: Always give TOP priority to backlinks from websites with high DA (preferably over 50), as these links carry more weight in search engines. Using tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Moz, you can easily find any domain’s DA.
- Relevance of the Linking Website: If you find links from two similar DA sites, prioritize links from websites that are HIGHLY relevant to your niche. These links are more valuable as they indicate that your content is authoritative in your niche.
- Context of the Lost Link: Make sure to evaluate the CONTEXT in which the link was originally placed. If the link was placed within high-quality, high-ranking content, it’s worth pursuing.
- Quality of the Lost Link: Lastly, identify the quality of the link itself (dofollow vs. nofollow). Dofollow links are 100x better than nofollow links.
Step 3: Reach out to the website owners
Personalize your email outreach messages.
Don’t send generic emails. Instead, take the time to write personal emails to each website owner.
Here is an example email outreach pitch for link recapture. You can use or change it as per your wish.
Subject: Thanks for mentioning [Your Brand Name]!
HI [Website Owner Name],
I’m writing to you today because I noticed that you mentioned our website, [Your Website Name], in your recent article, [Article Title]. Thank you for the shoutout!
I was impressed by your comprehensive coverage of [Topic].
I also noticed that you linked to our [Brand Website] in the article. However, I noticed that the link is currently broken.
For your convenience, I’ve included the updated link below:
[Updated Resource Link]
I’ve also provided a summary of the resource’s content for your reference:
[Content Summary]
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’m always happy to help.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
As you can see above, the email pitch mentioned above is simple, powerful, and engaging.
Here are some quick tips for writing personalized emails to regain lost links.
- Personalize the subject line. Your outreach email subject line is important. Keep it short and simple. Address the website owner by name and mention the lost link in the subject line. For example: “Hi [Name], can you help me restore a lost link?”
- Make sure to use the website owner’s name for personalization. It simply shows that you have taken the time to learn about their website owner and that you are not sending a generic email.
- Keep your email brief. Most website owners are busy, so get to the point quickly. Explain why you’re reaching out and what you’re asking for.
- Lastly, proofread your email carefully before sending it. Don’t make grammatical mistakes in your outreach emails. Use Grammarly for grammar correction.
Here’s a detailed SEO glossary of terms if you want to learn the basics of SEO.
Step 4: Follow up
Following up with other bloggers to reclaim lost links is the most IMPORTANT step in link reclamation.
Patience is the key.
Remember, link recapture can be a time-consuming process. Why? You have to identify lost links, reach out to blog owners and do a few more things to get those links back.
But it’s worth it in the long run. Every relevant backlink pointing to your website is worth gold!
So, don’t give up so easily. Keep trying, as it will take some time to restore all your lost links.
Here’s an example of a follow-up email pitch for link recapture;
Subject: Follow up [your website name]!
HI [website owner name],
I hope this email finds you well.
I am writing to follow up on my previous email regarding the broken link on [your website name] in your article, “[article title]”.
I am writing to remind you of the importance of updating links to provide a better experience to your website users.
If you missed my initial email, here’s the updated link: [updated link]
If you have any questions or need additional assistance please let me know.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
sincerely,
[Your name]
so there you go. Send a follow-up email pitch after a week or two for better results.
The Benefits of Link Reclamation for SEO
Should you really care about your lost links?
Short answer: Yes!
Google gives a lot of importance to websites with quality and relevant links. So, if you have already earned a backlink and lost it somehow, it is always better to regain that link.
Here are some of the key benefits of link recapture.
- Improved backlink profile: When you find and recover lost links, you recover valuable backlinks pointing to your website first. This ultimately helps in a healthy backlink profile.
- Increase in referral traffic: When you fix lost links, you actually get an additional source of referral traffic from the linked website. Whenever visitors click on these backlinks they will be directed to your website, which ultimately helps you in getting more website traffic.
- It’s cost effective: We spend a lot on link building. Building quality links takes a lot of time and money. Luckily, recovering your lost links is the simplest yet most affordable way to get links back.
- Better authority: Search engines like Google give great importance to external backlinks. Recovering lost backlinks can also improve your website’s reputation. When your website is mentioned on other websites, it sends a positive signal to search engines.
- Better Keyword Ranking: When you lose backlinks to a webpage, you are actually losing valuable link equity which can hurt your keyword rankings. When you regain those links, you can improve your website’s keyword ranking in search results.
Here is a huge list of SEO tips and tricks that you can implement to generate more search traffic.
Overall, link recapture is a relatively cost-effective link-building strategy compared to other methods such as guest blogging, buying links, influencer marketing, etc.
FAQs on earned links
Here are some frequently asked questions about link reclamation.
How do I find lost links to my website?
You can use a backlink checker tool like SEMrush to easily identify all the websites that have removed links to your website.
How do I recover a lost link?
You need a backlink audit tool like SEMrush or SE Ranking to identify lost links to your site. Then, you can use various tactics like blogger outreach to request website owners to retrieve those links.
What should I do after finding a lost link to my website?
Once you find your website’s missing links, you should contact the website owners and ask them to add the links. You can send an email or contact them on social media.
How often should I do link reclamation?
It is better to check for lost links regularly (every month or twice a month). This is especially important if you have a large website with many links to your site. You can use Backlink Checker to schedule regular checks for lost links.
What are the benefits of link reclamation?
There are many benefits to link reclamation, including:
- Regaining lost link equity
- Improving your website’s traffic and rankings
- Building a healthy backlink profile
What are some link reclamation tools?
Here are a few tools you can use for link reclamation;
- Ahrefs
- Semrush
- Wayback Machine
- Moz
Final thoughts on lost backlinks
Link reclamation is a powerful SEO strategy that can help you improve your rankings, increase referral traffic and overall links.
Instead of spending more time and money on building more links, it is always better to keep an eye on your lost links. This is the easiest way to retrieve your earned links.
So, what are your thoughts on link reclamation? Did you find this guide useful? have any questions? Tell us in the comments.
