Link Repossession: Claiming Quality Links that are Rightfully Yours
Since the introduction of Google Penguin, there really is no quick fire way to build high quality links to your site. The best way to achieve a link profile that Google would be proud of is to develop a high quality site that people naturally want to link to.
However, link repossession is a fast way to gain high quality, natural links that you are entitled to. If someone has referenced your brand, posted an image that belongs to your company or copied and pasted portions of text from your site without attributing it to you, it isn’t necessarily time to get the book on copyright law out.
Going in with all guns blazing, threatening legal action or insisting the removal of your work is a sure fire way to stop people feeling comfortable sharing your content. It is only by encouraging the sharing of your content that you will gain the kind of links that will help your site perform well in the search rankings.
Instead of seeing it as a theft of your hard work, see it as an opportunity to repossess links from people that are recommending your site. These sites are likely to be relevant to your niche and could potentially link back to you with a little encouragement. Compile a list of potential contacts where you could have your work attributed with a back link and start building a rapport with relevant webmasters.
How to Get More from Link Repossession
Images
Search for unattributed images using the Google Similar Image search. Whether your company purchased the image, took it yourselves or created a graph showing the results of your research, you can ask the webmaster to identify your site as the source.
Content
Identify any content that belongs to you that has been replicated elsewhere without attribution. Copyscape is quick and easy way to find the location of this duplicate content. Where a site has blatantly copied your content for its own purposes, you will most likely wish this to be removed. However, if the site is simply referencing your work without credit, it is a great opportunity to gain a link that acknowledges your content.
Mentions
Even if a site has only mentioned you in passing, it is a good opportunity to create some branded links to your site. Check regularly to see if your brand has been mentioned. The fresher the content, the more likely you will be to drive a little extra traffic to your site through the link.