Link reclamation is recovering link value that a site has lost or is not fully getting: fixing inbound links that point to a broken or redirected URL on your site so they resolve directly to a live page; converting unlinked brand mentions into actual links by asking the publisher; restoring links removed in a site update or migration; and updating links that point to an outdated version of your content.
Definition
Link reclamation is recovering link value that a site has lost or is not fully getting: fixing inbound links that point to a broken or redirected URL on your site so they resolve directly to a live page; converting unlinked brand mentions into actual links by asking the publisher; restoring links removed in a site update or migration; and updating links that point to an outdated version of your content. Unlike outreach for new links, reclamation works with equity that is already, in principle, yours.
It is usually higher-yield and lower-risk than cold link building because the linking sites already chose to reference the brand — the ask is small (fix or add a link to something you already mention) and the links are inherently relevant.
In context
For an iGaming affiliate, link reclamation is one of the most efficient off-site activities because the niche makes new link acquisition hard, and reclaimed links carry no manual-action risk — they are editorial links the site already earned. The recurring tasks: audit inbound links for ones hitting 404s or redirect chains (common after any URL change or migration) and fix the target so the link resolves directly; monitor for brand and author mentions in gambling, sports and marketing media that are not linked, and politely ask for a link where it would genuinely help the reader; and after publishing an updated data study or guide, ask sites linking to the old version to point at the current one.
This is also where a large glossary and original research pay back. Definitions, data studies and substantive guides accumulate references over time, and some of those references break, get lost in the other site's redesigns, or stay unlinked.
A monitoring and reclamation routine — inbound-link health checks, mention alerts, post-migration link audits — recovers that value steadily. It pairs naturally with digital PR (which generates the mentions) and broken link building (which uses others' dead links).
For affiliates, the practical framing is that reclamation is low-risk, high-return link work that should run continuously alongside content, especially after any site change, and it is one of the few link tactics in this vertical with essentially no downside.
Worked example
After a URL restructure, an affiliate audits inbound links and finds 120 pointing at redirected or 404 URLs; it repoints them to the correct live pages, recovering the direct link equity. It also runs a monthly mention alert and converts three unlinked citations of its data study into links by asking the publishers.
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