Everyone knows about Wikipedia. You probably visit it at least once a week, while searching for information. Although Wikipedia has articles with inaccurate information, the overall accuracy rate for the website is 80%. So, you may be wondering about how to create a Wikipedia page for your company and benefit from it.
Well, you can use Wikipedia not only as a source of information, but also as a way to boost the online visibility of your business, and to grab another place in the SERPs.
Today, we’ll find out how to create a Wikipedia page for your company in 7 easy steps.
But wait, before we begin, let’s take a look at some essential Wikipedia statistics that will help us understand why it’s important to create a company Wikipedia page.
Wikipedia Statistics 2022
- In February 2022, Wikipedia had 4.9 billion unique visitors worldwide.
- 590 new articles are added to Wikipedia every day.
- Wikipedia entered the Guinness World Records in 2021 for being the largest online encyclopedia with over 55,632,716 articles.
- In terms of traffic and engagement, Wikipedia is 8th in the US, and 13th in the world.
- On a daily basis, Wikipedia is accessed from 67 million devices – 22 million on desktop, and 45 million on mobile.
How to Create a Wikipedia Page For Your Company
Follow these seven easy steps:
- Create an account.
- Contribute to existing pages.
- Research and gather sources.
- Develop an outline.
- Create your draft.
- Submit the page for review.
- Update over time.
1. Create an Account
Naturally, the first step is to create a Wikipedia account. You can do so from the “Create an account” button in the top right corner. Enter your information – username, password, and active email address.
2. Contribute to Existing Pages
Before diving into creating your company’s Wikipedia page, it’s crucial to establish credibility on the platform. Engaging in editing existing Wikipedia articles not only helps in becoming an autoconfirmed user but also demonstrates your understanding of Wikipedia’s editing standards and practices. This step is vital in building a reputation as a knowledgeable and trustworthy contributor, which can significantly impact the acceptance of your page.
It’s a good idea to edit some existing articles before you create a company Wikipedia page. This way, you will prove yourself worthy. You will eventually get promoted to an autoconfirmed user, and will therefore have the benefit of editing pages, without waiting for a review or approval.
The exact requirements to gain approval vary, however, “most English Wikipedia user accounts that are more than four days old and have made at least 10 edits (including deleted edits) are considered autoconfirmed.”
It’s very beneficial to contribute to existing pages, before you submit your own company page, as this will eliminate the need to wait months for a manual review of your Wiki article.
So, be patient, contribute to the Wikipedia knowledge base and once you reach the wanted status, continue with the next step.
3. Research and Gather Sources
When preparing to create a page for а company, one must ensure that the information is backed by references from reliable, independent third-party sources like newspapers, academic journals, or books.
In order to create a company Wikipedia page, you need to have at least a few external sources talking about your business.
Do your research and gather articles where your company has been mentioned since Wikipedia doesn’t look too kindly on companies that cite loads of information from their website.
Instead, the best practice is to use citations from reputable websites, known for their fact-checking. Citing social media accounts or press releases will not do you any good for Wikipedia.
In case your company doesn’t have any mentions from third-party sources, it’s advisable to do some outreach and get included, before you make your company page.
The best sources to quote include newspapers, magazines, and books. Failing to cite enough reliable sources will lead to a message, like this, appearing on your company Wiki page:
4. Structure an Outline
Once you’ve gathered enough external information about your company, you should structure the outline of your text.
For starters, you want to provide general information about the history of your company, as well as a general overview of the products/services your company offers.
Then, start writing about your products/services with more depth, and try to be extensive and informative, all while keeping a neutral tone of voice. Your company’s Wikipedia page is not the place to advertise yourself.
It’s highly recommended to use the AfC submission template, as it will make it a lot easier for you to format and submit your page.
5. Create Your Draft
It’s finally time to upload your draft to the Wikipedia Article Wizard.
Make sure to get familiar with and follow the Wikipedia guidelines for companies. Otherwise, you risk your article being rejected, and would therefore need to review and apply changes to it, ultimately losing valuable time.
Hence, why it’s a good idea to ask someone to review your article before you submit it.
6. Submit the Page
After successfully completing all the previous steps, the time has come for you to submit the Wikipedia page of your company. All you can do after your submission is to wait for Wikipedia to review it.
Keep in mind that the process can take a few months to complete, especially if the Articles for Creation procedure takes place.
7. Update Over Time
So, you have finally created the Wikipedia article for your business, and it has been reviewed, approved and finally live.
Still, don’t think everything is done for good. Do update your company page whenever something important happens. It could be a new product launch, developing a strategic partnership, or going through a company rebrand.
Engaging with the Wikipedia community, responding to comments on your page, and contributing to related articles can further establish your company’s presence on this highly influential platform.
This ongoing maintenance not only keeps your page relevant but also enhances its credibility and usefulness to readers.
What Are the Benefits of Creating a Wikipedia Page For Your Business?
Having a Wikipedia page dedicated to your business is a big advantage, as it can add credibility to your brand and boost your online visibility. A Wiki page can also bring more traffic to your website and increase your sales, not to mention it’s of no cost to your business.
Here are all the main benefits:
Company Wikipedia Pages: Good Examples
Wikipedia has millions of pages, thousands of which are company pages. There are a few common characteristics the best Wikipedia pages share. They all:
- Keep a neutral point of view.
- Cite reputable, independent sources.
- Properly describe the company.
Let’s take a look at some notable examples of how it’s done right.
Asana
Take a minute to see Asana’s Wikipedia page. In their case, both the company and their software have the same name. They’ve dealt with the situation very cleverly, though, explicitly stating that in the second sentence.
The article starts with a brief, yet sufficiently informative description of what the company (and the product) does, and a short overview of the company’s history.
On the right side, there’s a convenient summary of their main specifics: founders, headquarters, revenue, etc.
If you go all the way down the page, you will see their references list, which amounts to 53 sources, including names like the New York Times, Tech Radar, and Business Insider – all trustworthy, reputable sources.
Zoom
Zoom shows another great example of how to create a Wikipedia page for your business. They’ve included a to-the-point description of what their company produces, and how their software is used.
Also, you can see a historic milestone paragraph about how they started and became a “unicorn” company.
The last section of the introduction was updated recently, describing the increase in usage of their software after the global pandemic started.
Once again, at the bottom of the page, you can see that Zoom has listed more than 100 reputable sources they cited to create this article.
Semrush
Semrush applies a more modest approach to their Wiki page. They still include all the essential information in their article, but it’s a lot shorter compared to our other examples.
This comes to show you don’t necessarily need to write a couple of thousands of words to create a nice Wikipedia page for your business.
Of course, the article has 21 references, coming from reputable sources like the book “The SEO Battlefield” by Anne Ahola Ward, and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
In Conclusion
Creating a Wikipedia page for your business is not rocket science, however, you need to properly prepare yourself and research the specifics of the format. Failing to do so will result in a lot of headaches.
That’s about it for this article. Hopefully, you now know how to create a Wikipedia page for your company.
Let us know in the comments below should you have any questions or comments.
Team DevriX
This article is crafted by DevriX's seasoned marketing team, boasting over four decades of collective expertise in crafting sophisticated marketing funnels, devising comprehensive content frameworks and pillars, implementing engaging email campaigns, and creating impactful social media content designed for scalability.
Our marketing experts specialize in the complete spectrum of inbound marketing strategies. As an accredited HubSpot Agency Partner and a Semrush Partner, we engage in meticulous research, blending our extensive experience with the unique insights of our highly skilled team.
We set benchmarks in content creation by incorporating cutting-edge marketing trends, leveraging in-depth industry research, and utilizing state-of-the-art AI tools for data segmentation and captivating content hooks. Our proficiency extends across a diverse range of sectors, including working with SMEs, Fortune 1000 companies, global B2B brands, major publishing entities, WooCommerce platforms, business directories, and affiliate networks.
