You certainly must remember last year’s tragedy involving the OceanGate submersible’s descent to the Titanic. Five people perished in that incident, including the company’s owner and several billionaires.
Do you know how many views the OceanGate Wikipedia page had in 2023 before the catastrophe? Zero!
Within days of thousands of news articles being published on this topic, traffic to the company’s wiki article exceeded 1 million views. Everyone wanted to learn more about OceanGate.
So it doesn’t matter how you personally perceive Wikipedia. There is one undeniable fact — people use it as a source of information. Therefore, you or your company should have a presence on it with high-quality material.
This example powerfully illustrates the significance of having a well-crafted Wikipedia presence, especially in times of increased public interest or crisis. It underscores how quickly Wikipedia can become a primary source of information for millions of people seeking to understand a suddenly prominent topic or entity.
Why Add an Article About You or Your Business on Wikipedia
Creating a Wikipedia article about yourself or your business can be a powerful tool for visibility and credibility. Here’s why it’s worth considering:
Media-Driven Traffic
According to research by the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia’s parent organization, media coverage is the second-largest source of traffic to the site. This means that when a brand or person appears in the news, people are likely to seek additional information on Wikipedia. Having a well-crafted article ensures that accurate information is available when public interest peaks.
AI Integration
Artificial Intelligence systems like ChatGPT and Google Bard heavily rely on Wikipedia data. ChatGPT’s developers have confirmed that it was trained on Wikipedia content, while Google Bard directly quotes Wikipedia in its responses. When users ask AI about a brand, company, person, or event, there’s a high probability that some of the information will be sourced from Wikipedia. A presence on the platform helps shape the narrative in these AI-driven interactions.
Voice Assistant Reliance
Voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Voice frequently read answers directly from Wikipedia. According to a Voicebot report, these voice assistants rely on Wikipedia for 99% of correct answers to brand-related queries. This makes Wikipedia a crucial source for information dissemination through voice technology.
Search Engine Visibility
Wikipedia has a strong connection with search engines. In 2018, museum consultant Andrew Lee conducted an experiment to determine how quickly Wikipedia content appears in Google search results. He found that it took only about 15 minutes from the publication of an article for it to show up organically in Google search. This rapid indexing can significantly boost your online visibility.
Credibility and Perception
The mere presence of consolidated information about you or your business on Wikipedia can subconsciously influence readers. It creates an impression of notability and significance – “This person/company is known enough to have a whole article dedicated to them.” Conversely, the absence of a Wikipedia article might lead to questions about your relevance or importance in your field.
Information Control
While Wikipedia maintains strict neutrality policies, having an article allows you to ensure that basic facts about you or your business are correctly represented. It provides a platform to highlight notable achievements, history, and significant contributions in an encyclopedic format.
Global Reach
Wikipedia’s multilingual nature means your article can potentially reach a global audience. This is particularly valuable for businesses looking to expand internationally or individuals seeking to build a global reputation.
Educational Resource
For businesses or individuals involved in complex or niche fields, a Wikipedia article can serve as an educational resource for the public, journalists, and researchers. It can help clarify your role or your company’s position within your industry.
Remember, creating a Wikipedia article must be done in compliance with Wikipedia’s guidelines. The content should be notable, verifiable, and written from a neutral point of view. While the benefits can be significant, it’s crucial to approach Wikipedia contribution ethically and in line with the platform’s policies.
Understanding Wikipedia’s Ecosystem
Before diving into the process, it’s crucial to understand that Wikipedia is more than just an encyclopedia. It’s a vibrant community of editors, each playing a role in maintaining the quality and integrity of the platform. With over 42 million registered users and 280,000 active editors, Wikipedia has developed a complex system of rules and guidelines that govern content creation and maintenance.
At the heart of Wikipedia’s inclusion criteria lies the concept of notability. Not every topic, regardless of personal importance, merits a Wikipedia page. The platform looks for subjects that have made a significant impact in their field or have garnered substantial attention from reliable, independent sources.
For companies and individuals, this means having a strong presence in reputable media outlets. Ideally, you should aim for 20-30 independent sources discussing your subject in depth. These sources should be in the language of the Wikipedia version you’re targeting. For instance, if you’re a Ukrainian company looking to enter the English Wikipedia, Ukrainian language sources won’t suffice – you’ll need coverage in English-language international media.
Building Your Case
Before even thinking about creating a Wikipedia page, focus on building your public profile. This might involve:
- Gaining media coverage in respected publications
- Achieving significant milestones (e.g., major funding rounds for startups, groundbreaking research for academics)
- Collaborating with well-known entities in your field
- Making notable contributions to your industry or community
Remember, Wikipedia values sustained importance over fleeting fame. A single viral moment is less likely to warrant inclusion than consistent, impactful work over time.
Once you believe you’ve met the notability criteria, it’s time to familiarize yourself with Wikipedia’s extensive rulebook. Pay special attention to guidelines on reliable sources, neutral point of view, and conflict of interest.
It’s worth noting that Wikipedia strongly discourages individuals from creating or editing pages about themselves or their organizations. Instead, consider using the Articles for Creation process or requesting edits through the Talk pages associated with each article.
When preparing your Wikipedia entry, structure and style are paramount. Study existing pages in your field to understand the expected format. Your article should be:
- Well-sourced, with each claim backed by reliable references
- Neutral in tone, avoiding promotional language
- Comprehensive yet concise, covering key aspects of the subject
- Properly formatted using Wikipedia’s markup language
Remember, your initial draft is just the beginning. Wikipedia’s collaborative nature means that other editors will likely modify and expand upon your work over time.
Once you’ve submitted your entry, prepare for scrutiny. Wikipedia’s editors are vigilant in maintaining the platform’s standards. They may question your sources, challenge the notability of your subject, or suggest significant revisions.
Engage in these discussions respectfully and constructively. The Wikipedia community values collegiality and adherence to its established norms. Argumentative or promotional behavior can lead to your edits being reversed or, in extreme cases, account suspension.
Successfully getting an entry into Wikipedia isn’t the end of the journey. The dynamic nature of the platform means that your page will require ongoing attention. Stay abreast of developments in your field and be prepared to update your entry accordingly – always following Wikipedia’s guidelines.
Competition and Content Management
When establishing a Wikipedia presence, be aware that competitors might add unfavorable information to your page, such as details about controversies or legal issues. If this information comes from reliable sources, it cannot be removed. There have been cases where competitors challenged the notability of company pages or even vandalized them after failed removal attempts. These situations can escalate into editing conflicts, requiring Wikipedia administrator intervention. Consequences may include restricted editing privileges or user bans.
Creating Personal Pages
Business leaders often seek personal Wikipedia pages after creating one for their company. However, if you’re primarily known for a single venture, your personal page might be merged with the company’s. To warrant a separate page, you typically need multiple significant achievements or projects. Wikipedia generally considers individuals with five or more diverse projects as deserving of standalone entries.
It’s crucial to understand that inclusion in prestigious rankings, like Forbes 30 Under 30, doesn’t guarantee Wikipedia eligibility. Such recognitions can contribute, but additional evidence of your achievements is necessary.
Essential Criteria for Wikipedia Inclusion To successfully create a Wikipedia page for your company or yourself:
- Compile information from at least 20 credible sources
- Showcase significant accomplishments or societal value
- Satisfy Wikipedia’s notability guidelines
- Provide content in the language of your target audience
- Maintain a neutral, non-promotional tone
- Focus on substantive, verifiable facts
- Demonstrate connections with established entities or figures
Securing reputable media coverage is vital for establishing notability and credibility for a Wikipedia page. At PRNEWS.IO, we specialize in helping individuals and businesses gain exposure in respected media outlets. Our services can help you publish articles that highlight your expertise and significance, providing the third-party validation required by Wikipedia’s guidelines. By strategically placing your stories in relevant publications, we assist in building a robust foundation of sources that demonstrate your notability and enhance your chances of establishing a Wikipedia presence.
While media coverage is crucial, it’s important to remember that it’s just one aspect of the process. The content must still align with Wikipedia’s standards for neutrality and relevance. Our team at PRNEWS.IO can guide you through this journey, helping you develop a media portfolio that not only elevates your public profile but also meets Wikipedia’s stringent criteria for inclusion.
Remember, Wikipedia’s content should be factual and unbiased, not promotional. The goal is to provide reliable, noteworthy information about yourself or your organization that serves the public interest. By doing so, you ensure that when people inevitably turn to Wikipedia for information — whether during normal times or in moments of heightened attention — they find accurate, well-sourced content.
Is AI killing Wikipedia?
Over the past 3 years, Wikipedia’s traffic has been steadily declining 📉.
84% of Wikipedia’s traffic comes from organic sources (Google), and this figure is falling.
Is it because more people are using ChatGPT to get answers?
Not exactly (for now).
The traffic decline began even before ChatGPT was launched.
Instead, it’s the result of two structural changes:
1. Forums and social networks are replacing dictionaries and encyclopedias in search results.
Google searches for “Reddit” have increased 90-fold since 2010.
2. The number of “Wikipedia” searches on Google has decreased by more than 80% since 2010 (12 million → 2 million).
We’re seeing a shift away from dictionary-like sources such as Wikipedia towards less edited answers on forums.
