Link Reclamation

Backlink tools record when links are found and when they disappear. Not every lost link matters: pages expire, forums archive threads and spam sites vanish. But losing a link from a valuable source, such as an association directory, a partner’s website, an industry article or a supplier page, is worth investigating. We review lost links from relevant, quality sources and check why they disappeared. Common reasons include the linking site’s redesign, a page being updated and the link removed accidentally, a change in your URL that was not redirected, or a listing that expired. Where a link was removed accidentally or your details changed, a brief, friendly message to the site owner, explaining the situation and providing the correct URL, often restores it. Where a listing expired because of a membership lapse, you can decide whether renewing is worthwhile for wider business reasons. We do not pressure sites that removed links deliberately.

Businesses that have changed domain names, moved to HTTPS, restructured URLs or rebranded often have many links pointing to old addresses. As long as redirects are in place and working, these links still pass most of their value and send visitors to the right place, so there is no need to contact every site. However, it is worth checking that old domains are still renewed and redirecting correctly, since letting an old domain expire breaks every link pointing to it and the domain may be bought by someone else. For your most valuable links, especially those passing through multiple redirects, a request to update the URL directly can be helpful, particularly when combined with other updates such as a new business name or logo. We also check that important directories and partner listings show your current brand name and details. See canonicalization.

Businesses you already work with are among the most receptive sources. Manufacturers whose products you sell, distributors, technology partners, major clients who publish partner or vendor lists, associations you belong to, event organisers whose events you attended or sponsored, and institutions you collaborate with may list your business without a link, show outdated details, or not list you at all where they list similar partners. A short message through your existing relationship, often from someone on your team who knows the contact, is usually all it takes. We prepare the list and the wording, and you or we send the requests depending on what works best for each relationship. See industry resource link building.

We record every reclamation opportunity and its outcome: broken pages redirected and the number of linking domains each recovered, lost links restored, mentions converted into links, outdated URLs updated, and image credits added. We also track referral traffic through reclaimed links and changes in 404 errors. Because redirect fixes take effect as soon as search engines recrawl the linking pages, some benefits appear relatively quickly, while outreach-based reclamation accumulates over weeks. Reports show clearly what was recovered, what is pending and what was not possible, without inflating results.

• Size of your link profile and history of URL changes.
• Number of broken pages and redirects needed.
• Volume of mentions and outreach required.
• Former domains and migrations involved.
• One-off or ongoing reclamation.

See also link profile audit, brand mention monitoring, redirect and 404 error management, off-page SEO services or contact us.