Wikipedia 101: Super Admin Reveals How To Create A Wikipedia Page
Wikipedia is the most searched online encyclopedia that has pages about every topic imaginable. Wikipedia is estimated to be viewed 8000 times a second. Yup! (That is a lot of eye balls). If a Wikipedia page exists about any topic, be assured its going to be ranking #1 or #2 on Google. This is because Wikipedia is by the far the most trusted site on the internet and especially by Google. To prove this point even further, most of the information that is presented on the Google knowledge graph is pulled from Wikipedia related databases. Whether it be an image of a person, a business, a summary or an introduction to a topic - most of the knowledge graph information is from Wikipedia and its affiliated Wiki partners.
Example of Wikipedia data used in Knowledge graph!
Pierce Brosnan Knowledge Graph
Breitling SA Knowledge Graph
Why does everyone want to be on Wikipedia?
Other than the fact that its the most trusted site on the internet with Google using it to get information. Here are a few advantages to being on Wikipedia;
- #1. It provides SEO benefits due to the Google trust factor
Yes - Its a no-follow link, so what? Just because Matt Cutts says no-follow will not add value to your SEO efforts doesn't make it true. The true point of SEO is to look natural to Google and without having a mix of do-follow and no-follow links your site will definitely not look natural.
- #2. Free Targeted Traffic
A lot of people read Wikipedia for many reasons, whether it be research, idea generation or just trying to increase their knowledge in a certain topic. Many of the reference links (whether they be citations or external links) are a great resource for them to check out.
- #3. Getting on the Knowledge Graph
As mentioned earlier, most of the information on the knowledge graph about a person or a company is pulled from Wikipedia. Off course, this doesn't apply for brand name searches as that is pulled from Local Google business pages.
- #4. Brand recognition
If a client searched your brand name and a Wikipedia page pops up. Whoa! You automatically gain their trust or at least seem like a legit business.
If you want to get on that knowledge graph, you would definitely need to get on Wikipedia first! You can read about more about getting on the knowledge graph here.
Why is it so hard to get on Wikipedia?
Every topic, article or page needs to fulfill several "notability requirements". These are a set of requirements that are crucial to your page being accepted. Wikipedia intentionally keeps these requirements vague and they apply differently to different types of pages. Not to mention that they are updated frequently to acclimate with the changing times.
Before any article or page is accepted on Wikipedia, it needs to pass by a group of moderators, who have different experiences and skill levels when it comes to judging whether a piece is notable/note worthy enough to get in.
There are different moderators for different topics/niches.
The only thing most of these moderators have in common is the fact that they have been editing Wikipedia for many years and their edits have gotten them notorious with the Wikipedia community.
If you are wondering how many edits it takes to become a moderator, I would say about 160k+ edits with most of them useful and value adding to the community (not just any edits!).
BMW Knowledge Graph
Once a page goes into the moderation que, its up to the moderators whether its accepted or not. Depending on how many other pages were submitted, it may take between 1 month to 3 months for a page to get reviewed (depends on how active the moderators are!)
Reviewing Wikipedia Content
Other than meeting the "notability requirements", the page has to be well written in an unbiased fashion, organized properly, smartly structured for better comprehension by the reader, cite reputable sources and contain accurate information backed by trusted references just to name a few. If your site doesn't meet some of those requirements you may be asked to re-submit and get back in the que (for another few months). Often times, depending on how many criteria your site meets, they will partially accept your article and ask you to complete some changes within a certain time frame.
Not just anyone can whip up a Wikipedia page and post it instantly. A lot of experience and preliminary research is needed before attempting to get into Wikipedia. Unless your Brad Pitt off-course!
Links vs. Pages
Compared to pages, links usually take much less time to get approved and require lower setup time, since there isn't that much content to organize, edit and write in a Wikipedia friendly manner. They do provide SEO value as well as targeted traffic, however no brand recognition and no help with the knowledge graph.
Don't use automated tools to get Wikipedia backlinks, because the wiki spam team will eventually catch up to that and get your site flagged and banned. There are over 40+ custom created tools to fight spam and black hat strategies. Wikipedia volunteers either build their own tools or use 3rd party tools provided by Wikipedia to accomplish this.
If a page is not possible or you are waiting to get more recognition in order to meet the notability requirements, then we highly suggest you try and get a Wikipedia link in the meantime.
What isn't allowed on Wikipedia?
Propaganda, opinion pieces, advertising, self promotion, personal essays, discussions within articles, recruiting pieces, political beliefs, social media posts or biased information just to name a few.
Weeding out Wikipedia Providers
Wikipedia Edits featured in Mr Robot
There are many so called "Wikipedia providers" promising people pages or links on Wikipedia. You should be very careful before using any Wikipedia provider for one very important reason.
That reason is, if your website is flagged due to your provider using some black hat strategy, his lack of experience (not doing in-depth research and monitoring), using automated tools or making useless edits - your website will lose trust with Wikipedia and trying to get it back on Wikipedia will become much more difficult.
Wikipedia keeps records of everything, from minor language edits to page publications and change history, so be careful who you trust with your site.
Here are some useful tips to follow when choosing a provider;
- #1. Check if they do research before accepting your order. Not every business can have a page on Wikipedia and that applies to 70% of all businesses out there. There are many requirements and criterias that needs to be met before a website can get on Wikipedia.
- #2. No guarantee or guarantee with replacement if anything happens?! Don't do it. Most providers will say their work is guaranteed, whether it be links or pages and that if anything happens to your site they will re-upload your site again, but will not issue a refund. This is not a guarantee. What is a guarantee with a no refund policy?
- #3. Check their knowledge in the subject. Ask them an unreasonable request and see how they respond. An example of an unreasonable request would be adding 5 links for your site or creating multiple pages for your business. How many non fortune 500 companies do you know that have more than 1 or 2 links from Wikipedia.
- #4. If they are using automated tools - your site will eventually get flagged so stay away from those providers or tools. Wiki spam team will get you!
- #5. Accepting your social media link, youtube, weibo or any of those sites is definitely a red flag. None of those links will last on Wikipedia and will eventually be removed.
Need some guidance?
Carter Here: "The author 'Wikipedia Super Admin' is a super admin at Wikipedia.org who prefers to stay anonymous due to the nature of their role. This article was written for SERPWoo's audience as a quick guideline on what it takes to get into Wikipedia for the masses.
If you are struggling with getting on Wikipedia and need some guidance - feel free to contact this group of Wiki Editors. They will definitely be able to help.
"Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia, written collaboratively by the people who use it. Don't be afraid to edit – anyone can edit almost every page, etc.."