Wikipedia and Your Business
Amanda Watlington, Ph.D., A.P.R.,
Searching For Profit, Charlestown, MA
May 13, 2008, 03:15
Do you see Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org), the free online encyclopedia, appear at the top search results in Google for many keywords related to your business? Have you considered how you might be able to get exposure for your business in Wikipedia? If so, you join a large number of business marketers interested in funneling traffic from Wikipedia to their sites.
Enhanced Reputation and Traffic, not Links
Until about a year ago, search marketers eagerly sought links from Wikipedia to their client sites for the reputation value that links from this authority source provided. Responding to a perceived blizzard of poor quality entries and links, Wikipedia placed a NOFOLLOW tag on all external links, which devalues the link for link authority purposes. Today, those interested in promoting their business with Wikipedia must focus on adding value to the encyclopedia, not just using it for gaining links or getting traffic. An enhanced reputation should be the primary goal for using Wikipedia, with traffic the outgrowth of the effort.
Understanding the Wikipedia Community
Approach Wikipedia cautiously and consider the mores of the community. Wikipedia is edited by volunteers who build their reputations by making quality edits to the content. Quality edits are unbiased -- not self-serving and promotional. They add and refine the knowledge base that Wikipedia represents. If you are an expert on a topic or want to learn how Wikipedia works, consider becoming a member of the Wikipedia community, an active editor on your topic. Build a User page and engage with other members of the community through the Talk page functionality. Grow your editorial reputation first, and then you will understand how best to add information that could potentially benefit your business.
As you begin to add to the Wikipedia, some of your edits may be reverted or deleted altogether. Use the Talk pages to ask why your edit was reverted or removed and be prepared to defend or clarify any of your edits. Making sure that you contribute rock solid content makes this easier. To ensure that all of your work passes the editorial process, you will want to use quality references from top unbiased, credible media sources. Don’t add references that require logins or are from poor quality sources. They are not good sources. Avoid out of date materials. Don’t try to add your own biography. You are certainly a biased source for this.
Notability
For entries on individuals, it is particularly important that they pass the notability test. Who is notable? Being the CEO of your company is not notable in itself. Being a well-known authority or expert may qualify you. Instead of taking a direct approach, consider this strategy. If you have written a published book or have been quoted as a leading expert in a number of quality articles, find where you might be able to include a reference to the book or articles as part of the References for topical subject matter included in Wikipedia.
Your seemingly small entries can draw a substantial amount of attention and traffic, particularly if you are able to add a number of solid references. This takes time and requires a substantial commitment, but there is a payoff. You are adding to the available knowledge online and building your business’ reputation.
Amanda Watlington is a frequent speaker at Search Engine Strategies, AdTech, and other conferences. She is the principal of Searching for Profit, Charlestown, Massachusetts.
