Link Reclamation

Link reclamation is the process of finding backlinks your site has lost, or links that point to broken pages, and getting them working again. It also covers turning brand mentions without a link into proper links. Because the links were already earned, reclamation is often quicker than building new ones.

Written by Paul Hoda, SEO consultant since 2005. Last updated 8 November 2026.

Types of link reclamation

  • Links to broken pages: other sites link to pages on your site that now return a 404 error, so the link passes no value.
  • Lost links: a link that used to exist has been removed or changed, perhaps during a site redesign.
  • Incorrect links: a typo in the URL, a link to an old staging site or a link to the wrong version of your domain.
  • Unlinked mentions: articles that name your brand, product or research without linking. These are covered in more detail under unlinked brand mentions.
  • Image use without credit: sites using your photos or graphics without a source link.

Why it matters for SEO

Every link pointing to a broken page wastes link equity and sends visitors to a dead end. Recovering these links restores value you have already earned. Link reclamation matters most after a website migration, rebrand or URL change, when large numbers of links can break at once.

How to do it

  1. Find broken pages with links: in a backlink tool, look for pages on your site that have links but return errors. Google Search Console also reports pages that are not found.
  2. Redirect or restore: set up a 301 redirect from each broken URL to the most relevant live page, or restore the content if it is still useful.
  3. Check lost links: review recently lost referring domains and see why each link disappeared.
  4. Contact site owners: where a link was removed by mistake or points to the wrong URL, send a short, polite email with the correct link.
  5. Monitor mentions: set up brand alerts and ask writers who mention you without a link whether they would add one.
  6. Repeat regularly: make reclamation a routine check, not a one-off task.

Example

A company changes its blog URLs from /blog/2019/post-name/ to /insights/post-name/ without redirects. Dozens of sites still link to the old URLs, which now show 404 pages. Adding 301 redirects from each old URL to its new location recovers almost all of those links without contacting anyone.

Common mistakes

  • Redirecting every broken URL to the homepage instead of the most relevant page. Google may treat irrelevant redirects like soft 404s.
  • Creating redirect chains by redirecting to URLs that redirect again.
  • Sending pushy emails when a writer chose not to link: one polite request is enough.
  • Forgetting to check links after every migration or major content change.

Key Takeaways

  • Link reclamation recovers backlinks that were lost, broken or never added.
  • Links pointing to 404 pages waste value you have already earned.
  • A relevant 301 redirect often fixes broken links without any outreach.
  • Unlinked brand mentions can be turned into links with a polite request.
  • Check for broken links after every migration or URL change.
  • Make reclamation a regular task rather than a one-off.

Related Terms

Want to know where your site stands? Book a free SEO health check, or keep learning in the SEO Encyclopedia.