Search Engine Reputation Management With Wikipedia

If you’re considering utilizing an entry in Wikipedia to help manage the online reputation of yourself or your company, there are quite a few items to consider.

First, let’s assume that you and/or your company does not have a Wikipedia entry:

Creating a wikipedia entry isn’t always feasible…or easy. Here’s an uncomfortable truth – most people and most companies don’t deserve a Wikipedia entry. Unless you and/or your company have done something nationally, globally, or historically significant, you likely won’t be able to acquire a Wikipedia entry.

Wikipedia entries can hurt as much as they can help. Wikipedia can be edited by anyone – which means anyone who doesn’t like you or your company can place wrong or demeaning information in your entry. Even worse, when you try and correct this info, one of Wikipedia’s volunteer editors might decide to delete your changes while preserving the wrong info (unintentionally of course). If you or your company is withering an attack from someone dedicated to hurting your reputation, don’t create a Wikipedia entry because you’ll make it that much easier for them to hurt you.

Now let’s assume that you or your company does have a Wikipedia entry:

Get an outsider to help you. I have yet to meet a company or an individual who is capable of portraying themselves in a completely objective manner. I dare say that it’s impossible to create an objective Wikipedia entry for yourself or your company. This is important because whenever you try and edit your Wikipedia entry, a volunteer editor is going to review your contribution and evaluate it for objectivity…and then likely delete whatever you have written. Unless you enjoy continuously re-writing the same information (and watching it get deleted), get an outsider to write and submit it for you in their own words.

Never contribute to Wikipedia from your company network. Wikipedia editors are a clever bunch, and it’s relatively easy for them to trace edits and contributions to your company using your IP address. The solution? Don’t mess with Wikipedia from your company computer. Do it from home or a coffee shop…if you do it at all (see above).

Focus on adding references and citations. Wikipedia editors love good citations. Focus on linking to authoritative information that supports the information in your entry. This is an excellent method for building links to your website (provided your site has good info) as well as improving your personal Wikipedia profile.

Add to the community. Nothing will make you and your contributions look suspicious faster than a narrow focus on one particular Wikipedia entry. Most people who edit and/or contribute to Wikipedia do so in an area of expertise. They don’t just edit the entry of one particular person or company – they contribute information to the entire spectrum. Create a profile with Wikipedia and then focus on contributing to an entire area. That way, when you do edit your own entry and/or your company’s entry, it will look a lot more genuine.

Wikipedia should not be manipulated. Wikipedia works because most of the people who contribute do so with a mind towards making the site just a little bit better. Hopefully, that’s your goal as well. If you’re only interested in making a buck, you’re missing the point…and you likely won’t have a lot of success.

Thoughts? Suggestions?