Can You Create a Wikipedia Page for Your Company? [Best Practices & Guidelines to Know]

For galore Millennials and Gen-Zers, Wikipedia has go for illustration a wide encyclopedia for each sorts of things, from random animal facts, to accusation astir our favourite TV shows.

One of nan driving forces down Wikipedia‘s endless wealthiness of accusation is its organization of writers and editors each astir nan web. And, because of Wikipedia’s notoriety and traffic, you mightiness wonder, “How tin I get my marque successful connected this action?” aliases moreover inquire yourself, “Can I make a page for my business connected Wikipedia?”

Wikipedia is 1 of nan champion third-party sources for ranking connected page 1 of Google. We‘ll dive into nan ins and outs of page creation, immoderate of nan champion business pages, and nan guidelines and legalities related to publishing Wikipedia business pages that you’ll request to cognize this twelvemonth and beyond.

Can You Create a Wikipedia Page for Your Business?

While you tin create a page for Wikipedia pinch nan correct administrative privileges, you should ever beryllium cautious of Wikipedia guidelines and nonsubjective erstwhile adding accusation — and, importantly, debar advertorial contented astatine each costs.

Benefits of Having a Wikipedia Page

Wikipedia was built arsenic a community-driven, objective, non-biased encyclopedia. By quality and because of its mission, over-promotional contented and biased contented tin spell against its guidelines aliases moreover beryllium removed. Ultimately, it's somewhat discouraged to create aliases edit pages of a business you ain aliases are paid by arsenic this tin make it beautiful difficult to support your listing nonsubjective and non-promotional.

1. Brand credibility and authenticity.

Having a beingness connected Wikipedia tin heighten your brand's credibility and authenticity. Wikipedia is simply a trusted level that is utilized by millions of group arsenic a superior root of information. Having a well-written and decently originated page tin show to imaginable customers, partners, and investors that your business is morganatic and established.

2. Increased online visibility and hunt motor rankings.

Wikipedia pages often rank precocious successful hunt motor results pages (SERPs). Having a Wikipedia page tin summation your business' online visibility, making it easier for imaginable customers to find and observe your brand. This tin amended integrated hunt rankings, thrust postulation to your website, and yet lead to much conversions and business opportunities.

3. Access to a world audience.

Wikipedia is disposable successful aggregate languages and is accessed by group from each complete nan world. By having a Wikipedia page, you tin scope a immense world audience, including imaginable customers, partners, and investors who whitethorn not beryllium acquainted pinch your brand. This tin thief grow your scope and unfastened up caller business opportunities successful various markets.

Legal Disclaimer: The steps beneath will item screenshots of nan Wikipedia tract which see logos and different assets trademarked by nan Wikimedia Foundation.

Wikimedia and Wikipedia wordmarks, name, and/or logos arsenic listed here are trademarks of nan Wikimedia Foundation and are utilized pinch nan support of nan Wikimedia Foundation. HubSpot successful nary measurement is endorsed by aliases affiliated pinch nan Wikimedia Foundation.

1. Create a Wikipedia account.

Go to Wikipedia's homepage and click “Create account” successful nan apical right.

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Enter nan basal information, including username and password, past click “Create your account”.

2. Get promoted to an auto-confirmed user.

When you first subordinate Wikipedia, you'll spot a container pop-up that reads, “Help amended Wikipedia” pinch a nexus to commencement editing an article:

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Before creating your page, you'll request to go an autoconfirmed user.

These are Wikipedia's emblematic guidelines for an autoconfirmed user: “Although nan precise requirements for autoconfirmed position alteration according to circumstances, astir English Wikipedia personification accounts that are much than 4 days aged and person made astatine slightest 10 edits (including deleted ones) are considered autoconfirmed.”

Here, you‘ll request to believe patience — walk nan first mates days erstwhile you unfastened an relationship editing different people’s pages. Once you click “Edit a page”, location are links connected nan apical correct of each paragraph pinch nan connection “Edit”, truthful it shouldn't beryllium excessively time-consuming.

Once you're autoconfirmed, proceed to nan adjacent step.

3. Create nan page.

Now we've reached nan astir challenging portion — creating nan page.

First, spell to Wikipedia's “Writing an article” page. As you scroll down nan page, you‘ll spot a bluish fastener that reads, "Article wizard: an easy measurement to create articles." Click this fastener (as agelong arsenic you’re autoconfirmed):

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Next, you‘ll beryllium redirected to Wikipedia’s Article Wizard. Here, you person 2 options — instantly statesman creating your page by clicking “Next”, aliases believe editing your page successful Wikipedia's sandbox, first.

For our purposes, we'll click “Next”:

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It‘s important to statement — since there’s apt nary Wikipedia page already disposable for your company, you tin see arsenic overmuch aliases arsenic small accusation arsenic you want. Additionally, you'll want to building nan page for easy readability, featuring immoderate of nan astir important and basal accusation (like what your institution does), first.

For instance, return a look astatine really HubSpot's Wikipedia page is structured:

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The page starts pinch a two-sentence overview of what HubSpot does, followed by a array of contents connected nan left, and a “fact sheet” connected nan right. Below nan array of contents, you‘ll first find HubSpot’s history, followed by a explanation of HubSpot's package and services.

On HubSpot‘s Wikipedia page, nan above-the-fold accusation is apt astir useful for a caller visitant who hasn‘t heard of HubSpot earlier — a speedy glimpse astatine nan page tin show her, for instance, what HubSpot does, really overmuch gross HubSpot makes, what third-party sources specified arsenic Forbes opportunity astir HubSpot, and who HubSpot’s founders are.

While readers tin proceed scrolling for much product-specific information, it's captious Wikipedia is chiefly utilized arsenic a wide marque consciousness platform.

We'll look astatine much examples later on.

4. Provide citations.

Wikipedia is yet an encyclopedia, truthful to beryllium nan validity of your topic, you must see citations to various articles and third-party sources.

Before you statesman creating your page, Wikipedia warns you of this, stating — “the taxable of an article must already beryllium covered successful reliable sources that are independent of nan subject. These see journals, books, newspapers, magazines, and websites pinch a estimation for fact-checking. societal media, property releases, aliases corporate/professional profiles do not qualify”:

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Ultimately, citations springiness your business credibility and let nan scholar to spot your institution is real. Look for mag aliases newspaper articles that mention your company, different websites that backlink to your website arsenic a resource, aliases directories that nexus to your company's profile.

5. Ensure you're pursuing Creative Commons guidelines.

When utilizing imagery aliases thing pulled from Wikipedia's Creative Commons, you should besides follow Wikipedia's Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 Guidelines, which state:

• Attribution — You must springiness appropriate credit, supply a nexus to nan license, and indicate if changes were made. You whitethorn do truthful reasonably, but not successful immoderate measurement that suggests nan licensor endorses you aliases your use.
• ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, aliases build upon nan material, you must administer your contributions nether nan same license arsenic nan original.

• No further restrictions — You whitethorn not use ineligible position aliases technological measures that legally restrict others from doing thing nan licence permits.
• You do not person to comply pinch nan licence for elements of nan worldly successful nan nationalist domain aliases wherever an applicable objection aliases limitation permits your use. No warranties are given. The licence whitethorn not springiness you each nan permissions basal for your intended use. For example, different authorities specified arsenic publicity, privacy, aliases civilized rights whitethorn limit really you usage nan material."

6. Maintain and audit neutrality.

Even erstwhile you consciousness for illustration you're being arsenic nonsubjective arsenic imaginable astir your institution aliases a institution paying you, retrieve that you mightiness subconsciously beryllium adding accusation that mightiness consciousness biased aliases over-promotional.

To debar having an over-promotional page, publication nan contented you‘ve added aliases edited earlier it goes unrecorded and put yourself successful nan shoes of a scholar who’s not a personnel of nan business. If thing you've said astir your marque sounds salesy, aliases aggressively against your competition, see moving it.

When successful uncertainty — adhd citations aliases links from sources different than your company. Citing aliases linking to different Wikipedia pages, news publication articles, and trusted institution databases tin thief readers consciousness for illustration they aren't conscionable reference 1 large institution advertisement.

Lastly, for an absolute last gut-check, profoundly publication and review Wikipedia's Conflict of Interest Guidelines 1 past time to guarantee you've covered each of your needed bases.

7. Submit nan page for review.

When you're vanished pinch your page, taxable it for review. Once Wikipedia deems it a reliable source, it will beryllium uploaded arsenic an charismatic Wikipedia page.

I've personally discovered that if you heed nan Wikipedia Article Wizard Common Mistakes page, you‘ll beryllium capable to meet nan website’s guidelines during submission. Places wherever galore group get rejected, are:

• Using overpromotional connection alternatively of objective.
• Copy-pasting worldly alternatively of submitting original writing.
• Failure to see capable citations to build credibility.

8. Update it regularly.

Remember — nan difficult activity isn‘t complete conscionable yet. As your Wikipedia page originates ranking connected page 1 of Google for your institution name, it’s captious you regularly update it to guarantee it provides nan astir up-to-date accusation regarding your products aliases services.

Additionally, by updating it regularly pinch institution developments, you're maintaining transparency, which is comforting for some your customers and leads.

Best Wikipedia Page Characteristics

There are over 6.7 cardinal articles successful nan English Wikipedia. A bully chunk of those are institution pages. The champion institution pages stock nan pursuing characteristics:

• Adequately picture nan company
• Maintain a neutral constituent of view
• Include references to notable, independent sources
• Includes a nexus to nan institution website
• Ideally discloses that nan station was initially published aliases has been edited by members of nan institution aliases entities paid by nan institution and really these editors person aimed to support nan contented neutral.

Below, we'll look astatine 2 examples of institution pages that tin animate your own.

Examples of Company Pages connected Wikipedia

1. World Wide Technology

World Wide Technology's Wikipedia page is an fantabulous illustration of a institution page. First, it offers a little overview describing what type of institution it is, really overmuch gross it earns, and really galore group it employs. It past provides a timeline of notable events, starting pinch erstwhile it was founded and ending pinch its latest nickname successful TIME mag successful 2021.

The page ends pinch a broad database of independent reliable sources, which person been published astir nan organization. Such a database helps Wikipedia understand why nan statement is notable and avoids nan quality of a conflict of interest. Without specified a database of references, your institution page could beryllium deleted.

2. Urban One

Urban One‘s Wikipedia page is different fantabulous illustration of a institution page. It originates by describing what nan institution is, who its superior assemblage is, and really ample it is. While specifications for illustration nan truth that it’s nan largest African-American-owned broadcasting institution and 1 of nan highest-earning African-American-owned businesses successful nan United States are impressive, it's stated objectively and cited decently to debar nan quality of self-promotion.

Wikipedia requires important sum successful aggregate independent sources for articles connected organizations to beryllium considered noticeable — a request that Urban One has easy met. Towards nan bottommost of nan page, you'll find a references conception pinch complete 54 entries.

Getting Your Company connected Wikipedia

Nowadays, a speedy Google hunt provides america pinch an abundance of accusation — including societal media profiles, directories, and property releases — connected a fixed subject. By ensuring you person an up-to-date Wikipedia page, you're covering your bases and giving viewers a trustworthy root of accusation astir your business aliases brand.

Editor's note: This station was primitively published successful October 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.