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Ah Wikipedia! The stand-alone source that almost everyone goes to when in need of instant information that is written in plain language on just about anything. With so many people using Wikipedia, adding your story to a wiki post can increase awareness, visibility, credibility, and traffic to your website.

Wikipedia can serve as a valuable channel when leveraged appropriately, in an unbiased way.

Here are 5 tips to posting on Wikipedia:

1 – Research: Before jumping into the Wiki-sphere, it is critical to review posts where you think your input would be suitable. It is best to steer clear of pages with limited information or many errors. If a Wiki page has many postings from different contributors, try and join the conversation in the best way possible.

2 – Wording: Always stay neutral. One of the five pillars that form the foundation for all Wikipedia policies and guidelines is that Wikipedia has a neutral point of view. This is what makes it such a valuable source for its users, so Wikipedia does everything in its power to stay that way. Posts that appear to be self-serving or biased will be deleted. Additionally, posts that are taken verbatim from another site will also be deleted. Posts must be written in plain language or you will not be accepted as a contributor.

3 – Plan: Plan your approach. After conducting your research, make sure you write down everything you plan to say for your contribution. Determine where, and in what order, you plan to post. It will look suspicious if you are contributing several posts on one page, so post to one page and then move to another. This also spreads your name around to various topics, which helps increase credibility and visibility.

 4 – Timing: While you may be eager to establish a page for your brand immediately, it is best to start with baby steps. After determining your plan of pages to contribute to, post once a week and slowly build a reputation across various sites. Be patient – it will pay off!

 5- Sources: Every post you add in Wikipedia needs a source. Period. If you can’t find a source on what you are trying to say, then rework the post so you can add a source. Your source cannot be from a company website, it needs to link to third party articles such as news sources or press releases posted on news sites.

Do you have any other tips for building your Wikipedia presence? Leave your comments or tips below!

Post by Patrick Reilly, Strategist