How to Create a Wikipedia Page for Your Company

If you’re like me, you probably think Wikipedia is primarily a good source for a behind-the-scenes look at the production of game of Thrones, or a collection of random facts about zebras.

In short, you probably haven’t thought much about it as a brand awareness channel.

But if you think about it, Wikipedia is one of the best third-party sources for ranking on page one of Google. Typically, when you’re looking for an intentional keyword, there is no need to scroll far before you see its Wikipedia page:

Plus, it’s a recognizable website, so it’s often one of the first pages someone clicks when they want to learn more about your company’s activities.

If you want to increase your company’s visibility online, take a look at this quick guide so you can start creating a Wikipedia page for your business today.

1. Create an account.

Go to the Wikipedia homepage and click on “Create Account” in the upper right corner.

Enter the required information, including your username and password, then click Create Account.

2. Get promoted to an automatically verified user.

The first time you join Wikipedia, you’ll see a pop-up that says “Help me improve Wikipedia” with a link to edit an article:

Before creating your page, you must become an auto-verified user.

Here are the typical Wikipedia guidelines for an auto-verified user: “Although the exact requirements for auto-verified status vary depending on the circumstances, most English Wikipedia user accounts that are more than four days old and have at least 10 changes (including deleted) than automatically confirmed. “

This is where you need to be patient – spend the first few days after opening an account editing other people’s sites. Once you click “Edit Page” there are links in the upper right corner of each paragraph with the word “Edit” so it shouldn’t be too time consuming.

After the automatic confirmation, go to the next step.

3. Create the page.

Now we’ve reached the hardest part – creating the page.

First go to the Wikipedia page “Write an article”. If you scroll down the page, you’ll see a blue button that says “Article Wizard: An Easy Way to Create Articles”. Click this button (as long as you are automatically confirmed):

Next, you will be directed to Wikipedia’s Article Assistant. You have two options here – start creating your page right away by clicking Next, or first practice editing your page in Wikipedia’s sandbox.

For our purposes we click on “Next”:

Important Note: Since your business probably doesn’t have a Wikipedia page yet, you can add as much or as little information as you want. You should also structure the page for ease of reading and include some of the most important and basic information (e.g. your company’s activities) first.

For example, take a look at how HubSpot’s Wikipedia page is structured:

The page begins with a two-sentence overview of HubSpot’s activities, followed by a table of contents on the left and a factsheet on the right. Below the table of contents you will first find the history of HubSpot, followed by a description of the HubSpot software and services.

On the HubSpot Wikipedia page, the information shown above is probably most useful to a new visitor who has never heard of HubSpot – a quick look at the page can tell you, for example, what HubSpot is doing and how much revenue it is making which third party sources like Forbes say about HubSpot and who are the founders of HubSpot.

While readers can keep scrolling for more product-specific information, Wikipedia is primarily used as a platform for broad brand awareness.

We’ll look at more examples later.

4. Include citations.

Wikipedia is ultimately an encyclopedia. To prove the validity of your topic, you need to cite various third-party articles and sources.

Before you start creating your page, Wikipedia warns you: “The subject of an article must already be covered in reliable, non-subject-matter sources. This includes magazines, books, newspapers, magazines, and reputable websites” for fact-checking. Social media, press releases or company / professional profiles are not suitable:

Ultimately, quotes add credibility to your business and allow the reader to trust that your business is real. Look for magazine or newspaper articles that mention your company, other websites that link to your site as a resource, or directories that link to your company’s profile.

5. Submit the page for review.

When you’re done with your page, send it for review. Once Wikipedia deems it a credible source, it will be uploaded as the official Wikipedia page.

6. Update it regularly.

Remember – the hard work is not over yet. If your Wikipedia page ranks on Google for page one for your company name, it is important that you update it regularly to make sure it has the most current information about your product or service.

In addition, regular updates with company developments give you transparency, which is reassuring for both your customers and your leads.

Examples of company pages on Wikipedia

There are over 6 million articles on Wikipedia. A good part of this is company pages. The best corporate pages have the following characteristics:

• adequately describe the company
• keep a neutral point of view
• Include references to notable, independent sources
• contains a link to the company website

Below we take a look at two examples of company pages that you can inspire yourself.

Worldwide technology

World Wide Technology’s Wikipedia page is a great example of a corporate page. First, it provides a brief overview that describes what type of company it is, how much revenue it generates, and how many people it employs. It then offers a timeline of notable events, starting with its creation through to its latest award in TIME magazine in 2021.

The page ends with a comprehensive list of independent reliable sourcepublished through the organization. Such a list helps Wikipedia understand why the organization is noteworthy and avoids the appearance of a conflict of interest. Without such a reference list, your company website could be deleted.

Urban One

Urban One’s Wikipedia page is another great example of a company page. It starts by describing what the company is, who its main target audience is, and how big it is. Details such as the fact that it is the largest African-American-owned broadcaster and one of the highest-earning African-American-owned corporations in the United States, while impressive, are formulated objectively and properly cited to avoid the appearance of autonomy . Financial support.

Wikipedia requires significant coverage in multiple independent sources for articles about organizations to be considered suspicious – a requirement Urban One easily met. At the bottom of the page you will find a reference area with over 54 entries.

Get your company on Wikipedia

Nowadays, a quick Google search gives us a wealth of information – including social media profiles, directories, and press releases – on a particular topic. By making sure you have an up-to-date Wikipedia page, you cover your basics and provide viewers with a trusted source of information about your business or brand.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2019 and has been updated for completeness.