In the realm of SEO, much emphasis is placed on the acquisition of new backlinks. Yet, the practice of link reclamation, which involves identifying and rectifying broken or underperforming links directed at your website, plays an equally crucial role in maintaining and optimizing your site’s link profile. Whether these broken links are internal or external, their impact on your site’s SEO performance can be significant.
Link reclamation is a relatively recent concept in the realm of SEO strategies. It involves regaining previously acquired backlinks that may have been lost due to various factors such as spammy link building, 404 errors, or PageRank decay. This strategy has garnered increasing attention as SEO professionals and webmasters seek effective methods to counter Google’s algorithm changes, especially those that penalize websites for poor link building practices.
This comprehensive guide to link reclamation will delve into its intricacies, including its definition, examples, benefits as a backlink building strategy, comparison with building new links, and the process of finding and reclaiming lost backlinks. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how link reclamation can enhance your link building efforts and overall SEO strategy.
What is Link Reclamation?
Link reclamation involves recovering lost links. You once had a link, but it’s gone, and you want it back. To do so, you must understand why you lost it in the first place.
There are four main reasons for link losses:
1. The author removes your link from the linking page.
2. The linking page is no longer accessible (404 error).
3. The linking page is redirected (301).
4. The linking page is not indexed in Google.
The last reason is marked because although the link technically still exists, its value diminishes without indexing. Understanding these reasons is crucial for taking the right actions to reclaim your lost links.
Advantages of Link Reclamation
Many link building strategies focus on acquiring new links, but maintaining and monitoring current backlinks is equally vital. Reclaiming lost or broken backlinks offers several benefits, including gaining an edge over competitors, preserving link value, preventing Google from encountering 404 errors, and enhancing SEO and credibility.
The decision to reclaim lost links or build new ones hinges on the link’s value and the reason for its loss. Understanding why links were lost is crucial for a successful link reclamation effort. For example, attempting to reclaim links that are not indexed by Google would be fruitless and potentially harmful to your site’s ranking. Instead, prioritize reclaiming high-quality, valuable links to boost your site’s credibility and rankings.
Building new backlinks is also valuable, as it allows you to control the quality of external links pointing to your site, ensuring they are of high quality.
COMMON CHALLENGES WITH LINK RECLAMATION
Reclaiming lost backlinks can be a challenging task, especially when persuading external sites to update their content. Start by fixing internal links, which you can control. Then, consider reaching out to external sites, but keep in mind that not all will update their content to include your link. When contacting them, be respectful and ensure your link adds value to their content. Improve your own content if needed to make your link more appealing.
Bonus tip: Monitor unlinked mentions of your brand and request a backlink. Images are also a potential source of backlinks; use reverse image search to find sites using your images. Focus on reclaiming high-quality links that will benefit your SEO, as low-quality links can harm your ranking.
How to Reclaim Lost Links
Ways to Locate Broken Internal Links
Fixing internal links is a crucial part of improving your site’s user experience and marks the initial phase of link reclamation.
To identify broken links within your site, you can opt for paid tools such as Ahrefs Site Explorer and DeepCrawl, or utilize free tools like Google Analytics and Screaming Frog’s SEO Spider. The SEO Spider’s free version can crawl up to 500 URLs, but upgrading is an option for larger sites.
The link reclamation process comprises three key steps:
1. Identifying old, defunct links to your site.
2. Evaluating the quality of these lost backlinks to determine if they’re worth pursuing.
3. Contacting the website owners to request the reinstatement of your lost links.
Despite its apparent simplicity, this process can be daunting due to the sheer volume of links pointing to a website. It’s essential to target specific types of backlinks. Spammy websites, those with duplicate or syndicated content, and nofollow links are generally not worth pursuing due to their lower SEO value. Analyzing these links can be a massive undertaking, often necessitating the use of online tools.
When should you ask for a brand mention to be linked?
It’s important to remember that not every brand mention deserves a link. Journalists aren’t obligated to link to your brand, even if they cover your campaign. A link should add value by directing users to relevant information.
Let’s consider a few scenarios:
1. Your brand is mentioned in an article discussing a study you conducted, but there’s no link.
2. A journalist features your infographic but doesn’t provide a link, although they credit your brand.
3. Your brand is referenced with a quote you provided to add weight to a story.
4. Your brand is mentioned out of context, such as in a news story about a robbery near one of your stores.
In which scenario do you think a link is warranted?
A link should be included when it adds clear value to the user. This is often the case in scenario one, where the link is crucial to the article’s context. Scenarios two and three often require link reclamation efforts, as the link isn’t essential but would provide additional context or source citation.
However, in scenario four, link reclamation should be avoided, as the link adds no value to readers and doesn’t fit the article’s context.
When requesting a link, ensure it makes sense in the article’s context and consider if it adds value to the reader. Approach the right person, such as the journalist, editor, or corrections desk, to increase your chances of success.
What should you say to maximize chances of securing link reclamation?
Crafting a successful link reclamation email can be a game-changer for your SEO efforts. I’ve honed my approach over time, and it’s proven effective across various clients and campaigns.
A winning email includes:
1. A gracious thank you for featuring your campaign, brand, or client.
2. A clear reference to the article’s title containing the brand mention.
3. The article’s link.
4. The link you want added.
5. A brief explanation of why the added link benefits readers.
This straightforward, courteous approach not only respects the recipient’s time but also effectively justifies the link’s value to the article. In one instance, this method secured a link in a USA Today article within just two hours of sending the email.
Link reclamation should be an integral part of your content marketing and digital PR strategy. Once you’ve mastered the approach, spending just half an hour daily can yield significant results, maximizing the quality links earned and boosting your SEO efforts.
Some Important Things To Consider for Effective Link Reclamation
Link reclamation’s timeframe can vary widely depending on your specific situation. For instance, when launching a new website, it might take some time before other sites begin linking to yours. In this case, patience is crucial as you wait for these links to naturally appear.
However, if you’ve recently made changes to your website, such as changing URLs or removing pages, you’ll need to take proactive steps to reclaim any lost links. The sooner you start this process, the better your chances of successfully reclaiming these links.
The first step in any link reclamation process is to identify missing links. This can be done using various tools, but one of the most common methods is to use tools like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog. These tools allow you to see all the links currently pointing to your website, which you can then compare against your records to identify any missing links.
In some cases, it may not be immediately obvious which links are missing. For example, if you’ve changed the URL of a page, any links that were pointing to the old URL will no longer work. In this case, you’ll need to use a tool like Screaming Frog to crawl your website and identify any broken links.
The number of links you can expect to reclaim through link reclamation will vary depending on the size and popularity of your website. If you’re just starting, it’s unlikely that you’ll get a large number of links right away. However, as your website becomes more established, you should start to see an increase in the number of links pointing to your site.
Tools that are Necessary for Link Reclamation
There are several tools available to help with link reclamation, including Ahrefs for link analysis, Google Analytics for traffic tracking, and Screaming Frog for finding broken links. These tools can be invaluable in helping you identify and reclaim lost links.
It’s also worth noting that there’s no strict limit to the number of links you can reclaim through link reclamation. The number of links you can reclaim will depend on the number of links pointing to your site and how many of those links are no longer working. If you have a large number of broken links, you may be able to reclaim a significant number of them. However, if most of the links pointing to your site are still working, you may only be able to reclaim a few. Ultimately, the number of links you can reclaim will depend on your specific situation.
In conclusion, the success rate of link reclamation can vary depending on several factors, such as the age of the link, the authority of the website, and whether or not the website owner is willing to change the link. However, in general, the success rate of link reclamation is relatively high. If you take the time to do it correctly, you should be able to reclaim a significant number of lost links, which can have a positive impact on your website’s SEO and overall visibility.
Concluding Remarks
In wrapping up, remember that link reclamation should be a last resort. It’s usually better to focus on building new links. When you do need to reclaim a link, ensure you understand why it was lost and reach out politely to the webmaster. If all else fails, you can use Google’s Disavow Tool. Patience and professionalism are key in all your communications. Keep these tips in mind before diving into link reclamation. Best of luck with your efforts!
