How to monitor and recover lost backlinks using Ahrefs tools

Backlinks matter—a lot. And if you’re in charge of SEO, it stings to see hard-won links slip away. But most folks just shrug and move on, assuming there’s nothing they can do. That’s not true. With the right tools and a bit of detective work, you can spot lost backlinks, figure out which ones are worth chasing, and sometimes even get them back.

This guide is for anyone who handles SEO or content for their site and wants a no-nonsense way to keep their link profile healthy. We’ll be using Ahrefs because, honestly, it’s one of the few tools that makes this process straightforward and reliable.

Let’s get into it.

Why Lost Backlinks Matter (and When You Should Care)

Not every backlink is worth your time. Some are spammy or just not valuable. But if you lose a link from a respected site—or one that drove real traffic—you’ll probably feel it. Here’s why you should care about lost backlinks:

  • Lost authority: Backlinks from reputable sites signal to Google that your content is worth ranking.
  • Missed traffic: Some links send visitors your way. When they vanish, so does the traffic.
  • Potential red flags: A sudden drop in backlinks can look unnatural to search engines.

But here’s the honest truth: Chasing every lost link is a waste of time. Focus on the ones that actually moved the needle.

Step 1: Set Up Backlink Monitoring in Ahrefs

Before you can recover anything, you need to know what you’re losing. Ahrefs makes this easy, but you have to set it up right.

Add Your Domain to Ahrefs

  1. Log in to Ahrefs.
  2. Add your website as a project. Use the “Site Explorer” if you just want a quick check, but a full project lets you get alerts and track changes over time.

Set Up Alerts

  • Go to “Alerts” and create a new alert for “New & Lost Backlinks.”
  • Choose how often you want to get emails—weekly is a good starting point.
  • Enter your email address. Now you’ll get notified when backlinks disappear.

Pro tip: If you’re managing multiple sites, set up separate alerts for each. Otherwise, things get messy fast.

Step 2: Find Your Lost Backlinks

Now for the detective work.

Use the Lost Backlinks Report

  1. In Ahrefs, head to “Site Explorer.”
  2. Enter your domain.
  3. Click on “Backlink profile” > “Backlinks.”
  4. Use the “Lost” filter at the top.

You’ll see a table of backlinks that were removed or are no longer found. Pay attention to these columns:

  • Lost date: When Ahrefs noticed the link was gone.
  • URL from: The page that linked to you.
  • URL to: The page on your site that was linked.
  • Anchor text: What the link actually said.

Be skeptical: Ahrefs refreshes its index frequently, but not every “lost” link is really gone. Sometimes it’s a crawling hiccup, or the site was temporarily down.

Double-Check Before You Panic

  • Click through to the referring page.
  • Use CTRL+F to search for your URL or brand.
  • Sometimes the page still exists, but the link was changed or moved.

If it’s really gone, move to the next step.

Step 3: Figure Out Why the Backlink Was Lost

Not every lost backlink is worth chasing. Here’s how to figure out what happened:

Common Reasons Backlinks Disappear

  • Page was deleted: The linking page is 404 or gone.
  • Content was updated: The page exists, but your link got cut in a rewrite.
  • URL changed: The linking site changed their URLs and didn’t redirect.
  • Manual removal: Someone decided to delete your link (maybe it looked spammy or irrelevant).
  • Site is down: Sometimes it’s just temporary.

How to Diagnose

  • Visit the referring page. Is it still live?
  • Use the Wayback Machine (archive.org) to see what the page used to look like.
  • If it was a guest post or partnership, check your emails—did you have any communication about this link?

Don’t waste time on links from spammy directories, scraper sites, or anything that looks like junk. Focus on links that actually mattered.

Step 4: Decide Which Lost Backlinks Are Worth Recovering

Here’s a simple filter to help you decide:

  • Was the linking site legitimate? (Not a spam farm or scraper)
  • Did it have decent authority? (Ahrefs’ Domain Rating can help here)
  • Did it drive traffic? (Check Google Analytics or Ahrefs’ “Traffic” column)
  • Was the anchor/context relevant?

If the answer to most of these is “yes,” it’s probably worth trying to get the link back.

Skip links that: - Are from low-quality sites - Don’t fit your niche - Weren’t sending you any traffic

Step 5: Take Action to Recover Valuable Lost Backlinks

Here’s the part most people overcomplicate. Keep it simple.

If the Page Was Deleted

  • Use the Wayback Machine to confirm the page is really gone.
  • If it’s a big site (news, blogs), search for similar articles. Maybe your link was moved to a new post.
  • If the site moved content, politely ask if they can reinstate the link in the new version.

If the Link Was Removed in an Update

  • Reach out to the site owner or editor.
  • Be polite and brief. Something like:

“Hey, I noticed my link to [your page] was recently removed from your article on [their page]. If the update was intentional, no worries! But if it was accidental, I’d really appreciate if you could restore it.”

  • Don’t nag. If they don’t respond, move on.

If the Page Still Exists and the Link Is Gone

  • Sometimes links break due to site redesigns or CMS issues.
  • Point out the broken/missing link and offer a gentle reminder of the value your content adds.
  • If it was a broken link, you can offer your page as a replacement (classic broken link building).

If the Whole Site Is Gone

  • There’s nothing you can do. Mark it as lost and move on.

Pro Tips

  • Personalize your outreach: Don’t send the same template to everyone. A specific, honest note works better.
  • Don’t offer money: It’s against Google’s guidelines and rarely worth it.
  • Track your attempts: Keep a spreadsheet of who you’ve reached out to, when, and what happened.

Step 6: Prevent Future Lost Backlinks

You can’t stop every lost link, but you can avoid some common causes:

  • Keep your own URLs stable: If you change URLs, set up 301 redirects.
  • Build relationships: Links from people who know you are less likely to disappear.
  • Don’t rely on low-quality guest posts or link schemes: These vanish the fastest.
  • Check your backlink alerts regularly: The sooner you notice, the better your odds of recovery.

What Doesn’t Work (And What to Ignore)

  • Mass emailing everyone who ever linked to you: It’s spammy and gets ignored.
  • Chasing every single lost link: Not worth your time. Quality over quantity.
  • Automated link reclamation tools: They rarely work as advertised.
  • Fretting about every drop in backlink count: Some churn is normal.

Keep It Simple and Iterate

Lost backlinks are a fact of life. The trick isn’t to panic or waste hours chasing every single one—it’s to set up smart monitoring, focus on the links that matter, and have a straightforward plan for recovery. Use tools like Ahrefs to keep tabs, but always bring your own judgment to the process.

Don’t overthink it. Check in regularly, reach out where it makes sense, and move on. Your time’s better spent building new, better links than mourning the ones you can’t get back.