Link Reclamation

What Is Link Reclamation?

Link Reclamation scans competitor websites for broken outbound links (404 errors). When a site links to a dead page, you can contact the site owner and suggest your content as a replacement. This is one of the highest-conversion link building tactics because the site owner already wants a working link there.

URL: /pr/link-reclamation/

Available on: Starter, Professional, and Enterprise plans.

How It Works

Automated Scanning

ILLIXIS scans your competitors' backlink profiles weekly using the Backlinks API:

1. Identifies referring domains for each competitor
2. Checks for broken links (HTTP 404, 410, or timeout)
3. Scores each opportunity by domain authority, dofollow status, and content relevance
4. Surfaces actionable results on your Link Reclamation page

Opportunity Details

Each broken link opportunity shows:

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| Source URL | The page containing the broken link |
| Broken URL | The dead page it links to |
| Domain Authority | Authority score of the linking domain |
| Dofollow | Whether the link passes ranking signals |
| Quality Score | Combined score (0-100) based on all factors |
| Anchor Text | The text used in the broken link |

Taking Action

For each opportunity:

1. Review the opportunity to confirm relevance
2. Click "Generate Outreach" to create a personalized email
3. Review and edit the draft (addresses the site owner, explains the broken link, suggests your content)
4. Send the email to the site contact
5. Track status (Pending, Contacted, Won, Lost)

Triggering Manual Scans

Click "Run Scan" on the Link Reclamation page to trigger an immediate scan. The scan runs in the background and typically completes in 1-2 minutes.

Best Practices

Do:

• Focus on high domain authority opportunities (DA 30+) first
• Ensure you have relevant content to suggest before reaching out
• Personalize outreach drafts with specific details about the broken link
• Follow up once if no response after 7 days

Don't:

• Pitch irrelevant content (damages your reputation)
• Mass-email without personalization
• Contact the same site owner repeatedly for different broken links

Troubleshooting

Scan Shows No Results

• Competitors may have very few broken inbound links
• Try adding more competitors in Settings
• Some niches simply have fewer broken link opportunities

Low Quality Scores

• Low domain authority sites produce lower scores
• Nofollow links score lower (they don't pass ranking signals)
• Low content relevance reduces the score

Related Features

• PR Intelligence Hub - Overview of all PR features
• Brand Mentions - Another high-conversion outreach tactic
• Media Intelligence - Competitor backlink gap analysis

Need help? Contact support or check the ILLIXIS Help Center.