3 tips for getting your company onto Wikipedia

Ever notice that the Wikipedia entry for a search term is usually one of the first results when using Google? It's not a coincidence - Wikipedia ranks very highly for SEO. Could your company or brand benefit from having a Wikipedia page?

Presence on Wikipedia can help build brand awareness and improve search results, but the process of getting onto Wikipedia is time-consuming and resource intensive. Many companies are not successful in their efforts, mostly because they aren’t well-established or because they use marketing and sales jargon instead of fact-based neutral language. To help you get onto Wikipedia (which in turn will help your marketing efforts), we’ve put together a list of tips to get you started.

1. Public Relations

Invest in a public relations campaign prior to your venture onto Wikipedia. Being able to verify data is critical to success, therefore you need to have external sources talking about your business. Your company website is not usually considered a verifiable source, therefore being interviewed by trade publications, magazines, newspapers, winning awards, being mentioned in social media, and having blogger coverage will all help build credibility for your company. It will also help to build the references section, a critical piece of a Wikipedia entry.

2. Unbiased Content

Make sure content is neutral. The fastest way to be removed from Wikipedia, or not accepted onto the site, is to have content that appears biased. A marketer or salesperson may not be the right person to draft your company page. We suggest you gather a few people from different groups within your organization to be part of the “Wiki” writer team and walk them through existing company entries (like competitor pages) so they have an idea as to what is acceptable. You may even consider hiring third party that is neutral and has experience working with and writing entries for Wikipedia.

3. Know the Rules Inside-out

Study the Wikipedia FAQ/Organizations page. This may in fact deter you from wanting to try because it’s so lengthy and complicated, but it’s important to understand the rules, guidelines and tips before you begin your quest to become part of Wikipedia.

We hope this provides some guidance on first steps to gain presence on Wikipedia. Good luck!