Although there is a seemingly endless amount of information on the web, every once in awhile, a question goes unanswered. When that happens, it’s time for someone to write a Wikipedia page answering that question. And if you are someone who has content to add to Wikipedia, this blog is for you! Below, we’ve outlined the process for writing and publishing a Wikipedia article.
How To Add A Wikipedia Page in 8 Step
Decide on Your Topic
You may have already done this step if you are reading my blog so congrats! Make sure you have a topic that you are knowledgeable and passionate about.
Research Your Topic on Wikipedia
Before you write your article, make an account, etc. you need to make sure you can post your article. If someone has already written the page you want to write, you won’t be able to post your article. So, research your topic on Wikipedia le to make sure the page you want to write doesn’t already exist.
Make Sure Your Topic Qualifies
Look at Wikipedias requirements on what an article can be about and see if yours qualifies. For example, the average Joe probably won’t be allowed to post a page about himself.
Register
Creating an account on Wikipedia is pretty self-explanatory. Follow this link to get started.
Write an Outline
A well-written article needs an outline. Here are a few things to do when writing your outline:
- Find your sources. Once you have created your account, you have to wait four days before you can do anything. This is a great time to find your sources for your article.
- More research. Check out other Wikipedia pages in the same genre as your topic to get a sense of what categories you should have. For example, if you are writing about an awards program, look at Wikipedia pages for other awards.
- Find internal links. If there are certain things you know your article will mention that have pages on Wikipedia, find them so that you can use them as internal links.
- Find external links. External links are links that are not Wikipedia pages and go in a section at the bottom of your page. If you are talking about the awards program, you can link their website under the external links section
Make Ten Edits to Other Wikipedia Articles
After you have waited four days since registration, you can start to make edits. You must make ten edits to other Wikipedia articles before you can add your own. To do so:
- Choose 15 subjects which you are knowledgeable about. (15 in case some don’t need edits).
- Find their Wikipedia pages and see if they need edits.
- If they do, make ten edits. You can do more if you would like but you don’t need to.
Write Your Article
It is finally time to sit down and write your article. Part of what we do at Colibri is content marketing, so we have written a lot about writing for the web. Learn what to do, and what NOT to do when writing for the internet to make sure your article is error-free.
- Make a few drafts of your article to ensure all the information is correct, there are no spelling errors and it is easy to understand. Remember you are writing to a potentially HUGE audience. When you feel it is complete, you can finally move on to posting it.
- Make sure you refer to your outline and keep in mind Wikipedia’s requirements so your article can be published.
Post your page
Posting your article takes some time to be reviewed. To begin the process, search for your article title in Wikipedia, click the red link, which means the page does not exist and follow the steps from there to publish your article. For more, check out this Wikipedia article.
Takeaways
Adding information to the web is not to be taken lightly. These days, everyone turns to the internet for information and you don’t want to be publishing false facts. Whether you are writing for Wikipedia or your blog, make sure you are publishing trustworthy content.
Adding a Wikipedia page to the web is not a quick process. You need to do research, make edits, plan and write your content, post your article, and wait for it to get reviewed!
Not excited about going through the lengthy process? Lucky for you we are here to help! Reach out by clicking the button below to get started.