Having a Wikipedia page for your company or organization is one of the finest methods to increase the credibility of your brand online. Wikipediais frequently the first resource consumers look to when conducting a Google search for a business. Making a Wikipedia page allows you to have more control over the story that is delivered to readers. Wikipedia may also point users inthe direction of external connections that will drive more customers to your establishment.
A Wikipedia article may not always be published after you submit it, but there are many things you can do to strengthen your application. Even if building a business wiki is difficult, the benefits it may provide for brand exposure make it worthwhile. Here are five guidelines to remember if you want to create a new Wikipedia article for your company.
Even though it should be evident, it's important to do your homework before beginning this demanding process. Make sure there isn't already a page for your company or brand. On Wikipedia, anyone may create and edit pages, therefore it's possible that a page already exists.
If so, you should carefully review it to look for any mistakes or potential areas for improvement. Fortunately, editing an existing Wikipedia page is far simpler than starting from scratch, so it helps if the hard work has already been done.
Create an account on Wikipedia to gain credibility.
You must first create a Wikipedia account if you're beginning from scratch, as most people do. A username and password are required. Setting up an account will also let you create a succinct profile. Youcan submit a few photographs and emphasize details about your brand in your profile.
You shouldn't start building your business's page right away after creating your account because there's a good chance it will be rejected because your user doesn't have any linked reputation. Instead, spend some time adding to multiple Wikipedia articles using your username so that the site will recognize you as a reliable source.
Finding pages about your sector and adding brief, citeable additions about your business to such pages is a great method to accomplishthis. If you work in the lumber industry, for instance, link to a news story orpress release about your company on relevant pages. Your user reputation will develop over time.
In order to establish user trust, you should begin gatheringas much digital evidence as you can that demonstrates the notability of your company or brand. This includes anything that can be cited, such as content from a study article. Press releases, media pieces that prominently promote your company, and other outside sources are crucial to the success of your citations.
If you lack this paperwork, start creating third-party resources about your organization by working with a PR firm or brand reputation management firm. Although it could take some time, having sources besides your website and social media is essential.
You can begin creating your page once you've established the legitimacy of your account and obtained a number of reputable citation sources. Make a draft in Google Docs or Microsoft Word first, and then outline the layout of your page, just like you would with a research paper. Starting with your table of contents can be useful (something every Wikipedia page has). Since Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, material should frequently be presented simply and chronologically.
When you are satisfied with your draft, you may submit it to Wikipedia's Article Wizard. Remember to include all of your citations when doing so. Make sure all of your information is true, supported by a reliable source, and original (you may not paraphrase or replicate another author's words unless you are actually quoting them).
It's time to submit the article for evaluation at the end of all this hard work, and preferably after getting many sets of eyes on it for proofreading and review. Before you get a response, it can take weeks or even months, and it's not rare to get a rejection the first time you submit an article. Don't quit up; keep contributing to sources in your industry and revise your article in response to their comments.
Your adventure on Wikipedia doesn't end when your page is eventually approved. Since anybody may edit Wikipedia, you should maintain a close eye on your page to make sure that no misleading or incorrect material is being added. You have the option to "watch" the page and receivenotifications when changes are made.
If content that is factually accurate but unfavorable isadded to your Wikipedia page. Because Wikipedia prides itself on being a neutral platform, there won't be much you can do about it. Nevertheless, having a presence for your brand on Wikipedia should be very beneficial to your company over time because it lends credibility to viewers and can increase traffic to your website.
S:entrepreneur.com