Wikipedia is the most authoritative site on the face of the Internet. Here’s a beginner’s guide on how to get a backlink from Wikipedia.
On Wikipedia, anyone can make edits to different pages from any part of the world. So, creating a backlink from one of the most authoritative websites on the web must be pretty simple, right?
Actually, no. It isn’t that simple. Wikipedia will only accept changes that create or add value to their articles. You have to insert information that’s factual and well-researched.
However, before you know how to get a backlink from Wikipedia, you might ask - why bother in the first place?
In terms of authoritativeness, Wikipedia is at par with Facebook and Youtube. Because it’s universally trusted, it’s undoubtedly one of Google’s favorite sites. Hence, it’s also the ideal place to hone your digital marketing and online presence.
Now, if you can build proper backlinks on a site so authoritative, your SEO will take off to new heights. Because so many people use and trust Wikipedia for knowledge and research, SEO metrics absolutely soar on this site.
However, Google does view the links on Wikipedia as no-follow links. As opposed to a do-follow link, a no-follow link won’t transfer ‘link juice’ to your website. So, it typically holds very little value.
But then, the thing about Wikipedia is that it has a such high Domain Authority, Citation Flow and Trust Flow that it can up your rank just by being connected. Simply put, a no-follow link from Wikipedia is a hundred times better than a do-follow link from some website with shady credibility.
Additionally, people are almost always browsing through Wikipedia for credible sources of information. Hence, you can score some valuable referral traffic if people follow your link.
Moreover, no-follow links have their own kind of SEO value that’s totally worth it. So, you should know that this article is not written to mislead you. While you can not get a do-follow backlink from Wikipedia, getting a no-follow backlink from Wikipedia will give your SEO ranking and visibility the same benefits, if not more.
To get a backlink from Wikipedia, there are two opportunities you should be looking at:
Let’s break each of these down and understand what they can do for your site.
According to Wikipedia, a dead link is a link that is no longer active. This implies that the content that was there inside the link once isn’t there anymore.
This also means that the moderators are looking to fix that dead link. And your content is exactly what they might be looking for.
Like any other website, Wikipedia has hundreds and hundreds of links - maybe even more. For this reason, there are also broken links inside Wikipedia that need fixing. So, while broken links can be frustrating, they can also be extremely valuable for your SEO ranking.
All you need to do is find broken links from Wikipedia and then enter your own. Note that there are a lot of variables at play here. Hence, you need to ensure that your content is factual and authentic.
Here’s how you can find and fix broken links and get a backlink from Wikipedia.
Anyone can create an account on Wikipedia. At the same time, anyone can have access to creating their own link building opportunities on certain Wikipedia pages.
Now, how can you create a unique link opportunity? Well, you can add new content that improves the overall structure and information on Wikipedia. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new sentence, paragraph, or an entirely new section.
However, there’s a certain risk to it. Remember that all links on Wikipedia have to be approved by the moderators. So, if a page has four to five new links pointing to one Wikipedia page all of a sudden, there’s a chance you will be caught in the act.
We suggest you log in and do your part as a responsible Wikipedia citizen. Update content, repair broken links, and add new stuff where possible.
If your article happens to be included in this process, it’s great for you and your page. Yes, you’re taking a chance here. Clearly, you can’t get a backlink from Wikipedia overnight.
To know more about link exchange tactics, give this a read.
Besides scouring through broken links and creating unique links, there’s another way you can build your way up in Wikipedia. This one would also require investing time and resources. Here’s you can up your link building game:
The first thing you should do to get a backlink from Wikipedia is to find your area of interest. Finding your niche is extremely crucial for multiple reasons. This step should come before writing your content because it should reach a specific target audience. Understand that your content should cater to people who are actually interested in it.
For this purpose, it is necessary to do a bit of keyword research at first. Pull off a list of broad keywords related to your area of interest. You can do this simply by leveraging resources like Google Keyword Tool.
Additionally, do try to come up with keyphrases on your own. If you’re an email marketer, you can have a number of keyphrases ranging from push and pull marketing strategies to validating email addresses via email testers.
At this point, you have a broad query set. Shorten that until you’re left with 35-50 phrases for topics you can create a strong resource for.
The next step is to identify which of the keywords from your target queries will connect to a high trafficked Wikipedia page. There are some great tools to use for this.
SEM Rush would be one of them. SEM Rush is a brilliant tool for analyzing competitive insights. In this case, you would want to take a look at Wikipedia.org domain page to see which keyphrase it ranks for organically.
Lastly, it’s good if you double-check the data SEM Rush predicted to make sure the said page is actually driving traffic. Perhaps use a different tool for this purpose.
The next step to get a backlink from Wikipedia is to create a resource. Now that you’re done with the identification process, you need to write an insightful and authoritative piece on your topic of interest. While this may sound easy enough, it can be difficult and time-consuming.
However, a nice way to go about it is to go through the resources that are already linked to the page in question. Look at those resources and try to craft something similar. But make sure you add something that’s missing from the page. Your target audience will be interested in your content only when you offer something unique. That is what’s gonna set your content apart. While creating your resource, ask yourself the following questions:
Lastly, you need to actually go and insert the link onto the page. This can really be an art form in its own right. The quick and easy way to go about this is by analyzing the character of the page and trying to find the right spot for your link. Additionally, you can also consider the following.
The good news is, even after all the effort if Wikipedia rejects your link, you’ll still have a crafted and high-quality resource people are looking for. So even if you do not get a backlink from Wikipedia, you can still try your luck on other authoritative sites.
Understand that Wikipedia is very carefully monitored. The moderators of this website are persistently trying to build an authoritative web encyclopedia and maintain its reputation. This is extremely difficult when every single person has editing rights on Wikipedia. Now, if you are confident enough in your authority as a niche expert, Wikipedia would encourage you to make edits.
Improving Wikipedia pages can drastically drive traffic to your website and boost your rankings. This will inevitably lead to better sales. This arguably makes link building on Wikipedia one of the most effective link building strategies on the web. It’s definitely time-consuming, but also well worth the effort.
Be patient about the process, though. Jumping to write content without prior research won’t be of much help. Try investing time in proper research before you actually write your piece. If you have any more queries, let us know!
To monitor backlinks for guest posts, link building, and outreach campaigns, sign up for a free account!
