Link Reclamation: How to Recover Lost Backlinks and Convert Mentions into Links
Learn how to run link reclamation campaigns to recover lost backlinks, redirect broken links and convert unlinked brand mentions into active backlinks. The link building technique with the best time ROI.
Link reclamation is the link building technique with the best effort-to-result ratio available: instead of earning brand new links from scratch, you recover links your site should already have. The two primary sources are lost backlinks (links you had that disappeared) and unlinked mentions (sites that mention your brand or content without linking to you). Converting either into active backlinks requires far less effort than earning a completely new link.
Part 1: Recovering Lost Backlinks
Backlinks are lost for several reasons: the editor updated the article and removed your link, the page that linked to you was deleted, the site redesigned and link URLs changed, or the article was simply unpublished. Ahrefs tracks all these changes in the "Lost backlinks" tab with the date the link disappeared.
The recovery process:
- Export your lost backlinks from Ahrefs: Site Explorer → Backlinks → Lost → sort by domain DR (highest to lowest). Filter the last 6–12 months.
- Diagnose the cause: Visit the URL that was linking to you. Does the article still exist? Did the link disappear from the text? Does the page return 404? Each cause has a different solution.
- Act on the diagnosis: If the article is still active but your link disappeared, contact the editor and ask if it was intentional. If the editor's page returns 404, there's no link to recover. If your destination page is the one returning 404, create the 301 redirect to recover the value.
Part 2: Converting Unlinked Mentions into Backlinks
The second pillar of link reclamation is even more valuable: finding sites that mention your brand, company, founder or product without including a link to your site. These are the most qualified link building leads that exist — the editor already knows who you are and already chose to mention you. You just need to give them the link to complete the reference.
| Tool | How to find unlinked mentions |
|---|---|
| Google Alerts | Alert for your brand name, filter sites that aren't yours |
| Ahrefs Content Explorer | Search "your brand" → filter "no linked domains" |
| SEMrush Brand Monitoring | Continuous monitoring of mentions with/without link |
| BuzzSumo | Mentions of your shared content without direct link |
Want guaranteed links while completing your link reclamation? At Esbuenisimo Links you access 1,200+ verified media to build active links in parallel. View platform →
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The link reclamation email for unlinked mentions is the easiest to write in all of link building, because you're not asking for a favor — you're completing something the editor already did halfway:
Subject: Mention of [Your Brand] in [article] Hi [name], Thanks for mentioning us in your article "[title]". We noticed the mention doesn't include a link to our site. If you'd like to add one, here's the most relevant URL: [URL] Many thanks, [Your name]
Brevity and no drama. The conversion rate on this email is 30–60% — the highest of all outreach techniques — because the editor had already made the decision to mention you. Adding the link is a 30-second change for them.
Link Reclamation as a Continuous Process
Link reclamation works best as an ongoing process rather than a one-off campaign. Set up:
- Google Alerts for your brand, main products and founder name — daily notifications
- Lost backlink alerts in Ahrefs — weekly notification of any lost DA 30+ link
- Monthly review of Ahrefs "Lost backlinks" from the past 30 days — 30 minute process
For the backlink profile of an active company, this continuous process recovers 3–10 links per month that would otherwise be permanently lost. Over a year, the cumulative impact on DA is equivalent to months of active link building campaigns.
Want a complete link building system that includes reclamation + active links? Esbuenisimo Links integrates both strategies to maximize each client's domain authority. Consult strategy →
Esbuenisimo Links includes lost backlink auditing and unlinked mention discovery as part of client onboarding, capturing the value of links the domain should "already have" before starting new link building campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I check my lost backlinks?+
For active sites with more than 100 total backlinks: weekly review in Ahrefs of links lost in the past 7 days. For less active sites: monthly review is sufficient. Urgency depends on the lost link's DA: a DA 70+ link justifies contacting the editor within 24–48 hours of detecting the loss — the more time passes, the lower the probability the editor remembers why the link existed and will be willing to restore it. Set up Ahrefs alerts for lost links from DA 30+ so you don't have to review manually.
What's the difference between link reclamation and broken link building?+
They are complementary but distinct techniques: in link reclamation, the link WAS yours (or the mention IS yours) and you're recovering something you lost or completing something that already exists. In broken link building, the link was NEVER yours — you're identifying broken links on external sites and proposing your content as a replacement. Link reclamation has higher conversion rates because there's already a prior relationship (the editor knows you, mentioned you, or had already linked to you). Broken link building has greater scale because opportunities are more numerous. The optimal strategy combines both.
What do I do when I find an unlinked mention on a highly relevant site?+
The process depends on the DA and quality of the site: For DA 50+ sites: personalize the email mentioning the specific article where your mention appears and the exact section. Editors at large sites receive many emails — specificity shows you actually read the content. For DA 30–50 sites: a standard briefly personalized email is sufficient. For DA 10–30 sites: evaluate whether it's worth the time — a DA 10 link has minimal impact. Prioritize higher DA sites for manual outreach.
Is it possible to do link reclamation without paid tools?+
Yes, with limitations. For unlinked mentions: Google Alerts (free) for your brand + manual Google searches for 'your brand' -site:yourdomain.com to find external mentions. For lost backlinks: Google Search Console only shows links Google currently knows about, not historically lost links — this is the major limitation without Ahrefs. The alternative: do a semi-annual audit comparing the GSC link list from two different periods to detect which ones disappeared. It's more manual and less precise than Ahrefs but captures the largest losses.
Can I reclaim links even if I changed my domain or page URLs?+
Yes, and it's especially valuable to do so. Two common scenarios: (1) You changed domains (from .co.uk to .com, for example): many sites that linked to the old domain didn't update their links. If you didn't set up 301 redirects from the old domain to the new one, those links are lost — recovering them through outreach is the only option. (2) You changed internal URLs in a migration: links pointing to old URLs are 'broken' from the editor's perspective even if they technically receive a redirect. Contacting sites with high-DA links to old URLs and asking them to update to the new permalink is high-value link reclamation.
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