Most Wikipedia articles are not created equally. A mix of onsite and offsite factors can essentially render two articles that cover similar topics (or similar brands) effectively impossible to assess against one another.

Wikipedia has an outsized presence in Google search results, as information from the digital encyclopedia is perfectly structured to answer user search queries. This post explores exactly how and why Google utilizes Wikipedia in order to improve search results.

With Wikipedia appearing so prominently in Google search results, brands have a clear incentive to harness that reach by optimizing their profile there. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, though, not a promotional website, and editors maintain strict guidelines as to what kind of content can stay on the site.

Wikipedia has an outsized presence in Google search results, as information from the digital encyclopedia is perfectly structured to answer user search queries. This post explores exactly how and why Google utilizes Wikipedia in order to improve search results.

Wikipedia’s editors are just like you and me, and understanding their motivations and the rules they follow is a crucial component to successful engagement on the site.

At Lumino, we help large organizations improve and manage their presence on Wikipedia. I'm not one to brag, but we're the best in the business at this type of engagement. We strictly follow Wikipedia's rule for conflict-of-interest editing, work constructively with the site's community to implement changes, and ultimately improve the accuracy and reliability of the encyclopedia's entries by adding factual, up-to-date, and reliably sourced information.

Flags basically mean that one or more Wikipedia editors have decided the article’s content doesn’t align with the site’s guidelines. This can be because of several specific problems. Flags immediately signal to readers that content in the article can’t be trusted.

For an entity (person, place, thing, etc.) to be eligible for a Wikipedia article, Wikipedia editors need to see clear proof that it's notable—or "worthy of notice" to use the parlance of the site—and more specifically, that it meets Wikipedia's specific Notability guidelines. Learn more.

Want to learn how to edit Wikipedia? Several official Wikipedia Help pages and resources offer tutorial-style introductions to contributing to the site and engaging with other editors. Try these and other resources.

Brand managers and communications professionals should definitely care about Wikipedia!

If you want to make sure clear, accurate information about your brand appears in search, Wikipedia is key to that.

Simply put, search engine algorithms just love Wikipedia.

Are you considering hiring a consultant, agency, or freelancer to help you with Wikipedia?

There’s nothing worse than shopping for something when you don’t know how to judge a good actor from a bad one.

Welcome to the Wikipedia Buyer’s Guide. With the pointers below, you won’t have to just take their word for it. You’ll know with confidence how to parse the right way from the wrong way.

When there’s an error or other problem with your Wikipedia article, the natural impulse is to want to fix it—right away.

The good news is the article can be edited.

The bad news is that there are a lot of rules about who can edit and how to do it.

Sourcing is crucial for Wikipedia. It forms the backbone of the site’s content. Sourcing can also be the trickiest aspect for anyone looking to update their organization’s Wikipedia article.

All content within any article should be able to be verified by a “reliable source”. Ideally, every piece of information should have a citation that provides the details of the source.

The best sources for Wikipedia are secondary and tertiary sources.

Although Wikipedia is known as the “encyclopedia anyone can edit,” there are special considerations for those editing on behalf of organizations and for good reason.

Wikipedia endeavors to remain unbiased and present neutral encyclopedic content. If you’re contributing on behalf of an employer or client it is very hard to be completely unbiased and present a “warts and all” summary of sources in the way Wikipedia’s guidelines lay out. Due to this, there are certain rules in place for how brand representatives should approach the site but they can be hard to navigate.