If used correctly, the benefits of Wikipedia can be huge. It can be one of the most powerful marketing tools to build business credibility and convert customers too.
#1. Gives you traffic – Use it for SEO purpose
First and the most important thing to know here is that all links on Wikipedia are ‘nofollow links’. A nofollow link is a backlink that tells the search engine not to go any further and doesn’t count in the eyes of the Googlebot. Secondly, Wikipedia can add your website to the spam list if it’s proved that your website is being added to a lot of Wikipedia articles. Microsoft was admonished for its recent attempt to pay a blogger to make edits to the entry on the subject of Open XML. With such strict rules, how can one get the SEO juice out of Wikipedia?
Here’s the trick: Be an active contributor on Wikipedia and start improving the existing articles. You can start with making a short list of Wikipedia pages relevant to your audience and topic and start by improving content on those pages. Look for articles with broken or dead links and where citations are needed (see screenshot below) and then update them with a link to your own site. If you’re a newbie, start by editing a few broken links and replacing them with legitimate sources. Once you add some credibility to your account, you can edit the broken link of your choice and replace it with your own. This helps your edits stay longer.
You can try WikiGrabber (free tool) that helps you give a list of related pages on Wikipedia (search for the term that is closest to your business) that either need a reference or have a dead link. So, get going!
Adding your business references on the right spot will get relevant backlinks and decent traffic to your website.
#2. Builds credibility for your company
A Wikipedia page can establish your business credibility. Customers wary of scams but when they see a Wikipedia page, it somehow assures them that they are looking at a legitimate company. A Wikipedia presence depicts your business with integrity and raises your status on the web.
#3. Boosts your organic search results
Wikipedia page helps you grab more eyeballs as it is often rank on the first page of almost all search engines. It is a kind of SEO that is free of cost!
#4. Increases your sales
It can produce a significant positive increase in sales. This can boost your business and your reputation in the market.
With all those benefits, the link on Wikipedia is definitely worth the effort. Does your marketing strategy include Wikipedia? If not, then you may have to rethink your game plan. A Wikipedia page can be a great way of converting visitors into customers, but make sure, your page is fully aligned with Wikipedia’s editorial guidelines.
