How to Get Backlinks from Wikipedia in 2023: A Complete Guide

Pankil Shah
by Pankil Shah
Updated On: October 24, 2023
How to Get Backlinks from Wikipedia in 2023: A Complete Guide

There’s lots of debate over whether getting backlinks from Wikipedia can improve a website’s rankings. Backlinks from Wikipedia are nofollow, so some people argue that they aren’t important. Many SEO experts, however, insist that getting backlinks from Wikipedia is actually worth the time and effort.

A screenshot of a conversation about the utility of getting Wikipedia backlinks
Despite popular misconceptions, it’s often worth getting backlinks from Wikipedia

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So, why should you consider getting backlinks from Wikipedia, and how would you go about doing it? This article will help you figure it out!

All About Backlinks from Wikipedia

Wikipedia, the world’s largest online encyclopedia, offers you a golden chance to improve your website’s SEO. Why? Because it’s a robust platform to acquire nofollow backlinks that could provide notable backlink help, Wikipedia does not just get tons of traffic but has an extremely high domain authority of 93. What does that mean for you? If you get Wikipedia backlinks to your site, you will get high-value backlinks with a lot of “link juice.” This will, in turn, boost your authority as well.

Such backlinks from an authority site like Wikipedia can significantly boost your website’s visibility and enrich your overall backlink-building strategy. Picture getting recognized by an esteemed authority, giving your credibility a massive boost. Even though they’re marked as nofollow, and therefore don’t directly influence your website’s ranking, Wikipedia backlinks can usher in significant organic traffic. This, in turn, can eventually ramp up your visibility on Google and other Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). 

This tactic serves as a powerful SEO strategy: it doesn’t guarantee an immediate top-tier Google rank, but it can help to establish a diverse backlink profile integral for long-term success. However, your content needs to demonstrate high levels of expertise, relevance, and trustworthiness. This combination ultimately enhances your SEO strategy. Google considers such factors critical for ranking websites; hence a Wikipedia backlink alone may not significantly impact your rankings. The SEO value of these backlinks becomes increasingly relevant when seen as part of a comprehensive SEO strategy, where having more backlinks indicates popularity, quality, and trustworthiness to search engines.

Nofollow Links Vs Dofollow Links

Understanding the difference between nofollow and dofollow links is crucial to formulating a winning SEO strategy. Let’s simplify the jargon! Dofollow links serve as a warm endorsement for your website, heavily swaying your Search Engine Results Pages (SERP). These links roll out the red carpet for search engine algorithms, leading them straight to your doorstep. Conversely, nofollow links are tagged with “rel=‘nofollow’” in the HTML, telling search engine crawlers to turn a blind eye towards them.

Although nofollow links, like Wikipedia’s, might not add to your standard SEO points, they are not completely fruitless. Where lies their true potency, you may ask? It’s in their potential to steer referral traffic your way and enhance brand exposure. Thus, a thriving SEO strategy demands a balanced mix of both nofollow and dofollow links for a holistic and sustainable impact.

Common Misconceptions About Wikipedia Backlinks

Let’s take a look at some common misconceptions about Wikipedia:

Misconception 1: Wikipedia backlinks incur Google penalties 

In reality, Google values Wikipedia and won’t penalize you for leveraging its backlinks, as long as you aren’t posting spam or engaging in excessive self-promotion.

Misconception 2: It’s hard to edit Wikipedia 

Wikipedia welcomes diverse contributors and makes it quick and easy to sign up for an account and get started. If you’re adhering to Wikipedia’s guidelines and making valuable contributions, you’ll have no trouble getting your edits approved. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be an expert!

Misconception 3: Your content will be removed

Provided your content is well-sourced, neutral, accurate, and valuable, it will stay right where you put it!

Don’t Abuse Wikipedia Backlinks

Always remember that Wikipedia prides itself on building and offering meaningful content. Resist any urge to game the Wiki system through the insertion of needless links or overreliance on keyword stuffing. If your content comes across as self-promotion or spamming, it will be removed. Repeat offenses might even cause Wikipedia’s moderators to ban you. Google will also penalize you; a shocking 43% of sites have earned Google’s wrath for their shoddy backlinks!

Aim to be an expert contributor noted for useful edits, not an exploiter of Wikipedia’s system. This approach not only affirms your reputation as a professional but also aligns your SEO strategies with healthy backlink-building practices. Participate genuinely on talk pages, make edits that add value, and place backlinks judiciously by using proven SEO strategies. 

4 Steps for Obtaining Wikipedia Backlinks

Now that you know it’s worth getting backlinks from Wikipedia, what should you do? Read on for your step-by-step guide!

Step 1: Create a Wikipedia Account

Embarking on your Wikipedia journey begins with the simple yet crucial step of creating a Wikipedia account. This only requires a valid email, chosen username, and password. 

A registered account offers you a chance to interact with the Wikipedia community, indicating your willingness to abide by Wikipedia’s endorsed language, markup conventions, and layout requirements. It’s a testament to your affinity for the universally shared mission of freely distributing knowledge. And let’s not forget the cherry on top: it costs you nothing!

A screenshot of Wikipedia's account creation interface
Creating a Wikipedia account is quick, easy, and free

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Step 2: Identify Existing Content Opportunities

Welcome to the world of Wikipedia! It’s time to kickstart your exploration with some keyword analysis. Do you have a Google Keyword Planner or a Ubersuggest tool in your armory? Go ahead, make the best out of these, or perform a manual deep dive into the Wikipedia realm for potential keywords.

Align your aim with those Wikipedia pages that resonate with your kind of field or industry. This method will help you curate a well-defined keyword portfolio that you target. Engage with each Wikipedia article by understanding its tone, structure, and the subject at large. Seek for those influential dominant keywords and topics; ensure relevance is the key driving factor here.

Your backlinks need to be seamlessly integrated into the web page’s content and show substantial value. Make certain they are not merely infusing the webpage with irrelevant data!

Step 3: Harness the Power of Broken and Dead Link Opportunities

To craft your Wikipedia backlink profile, you’ll need to strategically leverage broken and dead links in existing articles. Just replace nonfunctional hyperlinks with your own resource! Looking for these so-called “dead link opportunities” on a Wikipedia page is as simple as opening the “ctrl+F” command and typing “dead link.” You could even set up 301 redirects to get dead backlinks pointing straight to your website’s fresh content. It’s a mutual win; you help Wikipedia by fixing their dead or broken links and, in return, you bag a valuable backlink! 

Pro tip: leverage the power of a broken link detector tool! A few notable options include Ahrefs, Check My Links, and Dead Link Checker. Type the URL of the site or webpage you wish to check into the provided input box, and the tool will scan your chosen webpage for broken links.

Case Study: Effectiveness of Broken Link Building in SEO

As an example of the effectiveness of this SEO strategy, let’s dive into a study from October of 2021. SEO expert Blake Akers compared the efficiency of broken link building versus guest posting in getting backlinks.

Akers and his team started by identifying articles that had earned powerful backlinks but were no longer available online. They targeted the sites still linking to these non-existent resources and suggested replacing the expired links with more current content.

The results were promising: six new links from quality domains with real traffic, were acquired in just four hours of work! As Akers and his team successfully proved, when executed correctly, broken link building can be an efficient and impactful part of your SEO strategy. 

Step 4: Craft and Insert Unique, High-Quality Resources

When it comes to acquiring backlinks from Wikipedia, the fourth step is crafting and inserting unique, high-quality resources into articles. 

Don’t forget to do your research, so you can identify the gap your information can fill and be accurate with your facts. Craft tightly structured, concise paragraphs with an impartial tone. Aim to enhance the existing information provided by Wikipedia, not echo it; make sure you’re actually adding value.

Remember, you’re playing by Wikipedia’s rules. Use their markup language when referencing sources, and avoid any hint of promotional phrasing. 

Make sure to double-check your edits in Wikipedia’s preview mode!

A screenshot of Wikipedia's visual editing interface
Make sure you preview your edits before submitting them!

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Adding high-quality resources to Wikipedia has a transformative influence. They invite more traffic flow as more people are drawn to reliable, valuable information. Successful resource creation and implementation increases reader engagement and enhances the overall credibility of Wikipedia. Your additions can play an influential role in making Wikipedia a reliable and valuable source of global information. And hey, getting a backlink or two doesn’t hurt either!

Finding it difficult to research and create content? Give Outranking a try! 

Outranking is a GPT-4 powered AI writing, editing, and research analysis software that has helped over 20,000 people with their content creation needs. With Outranking, you can analyze the top 20 ranking pages for a specific keyword and come up with better content than your competitors. Outranking is also capable of generating AI first drafts that are specifically designed to consider your brand voice to create content pieces that resonate with your audience.

Outranking offers the following AI writing features:

FeatureFunctionalityOutcome
Content BriefsProduces customized content briefs with detailed marketing objectives, target audiences, and brand toneSeamless collaboration
Data-driven insights
Simplified workflow
Scalable content output
Factual First DraftsCreates an entire draft with factual information & verifiable sources with a click of a buttonHigh conversion rates
Minimizes writing time
Builds credibility
Personalized Voice and Style GuideProvides custom style guides for easy first-draft generationsKeeps it personal
Ensures consistency
Provides quality control
AI-Powered Keyword Research & ClusteringDiscovers competitive keywords, groups them topically & semanticallyCreates targeted content
Keeps content competitive
Uncovers underutilized keywords

Want to learn more about Outranking? Discover how to create ready-to-publish content in under an hour!

Web Tool Spotlight: WikiGrabber

If you get overwhelmed while you’re trying to find backlink opportunities on Wikipedia, WikiGrabber could be the superhero you need!

WikiGrabber is a free, easy-to-use tool designed to find opportunities for quality backlinks within the vast labyrinth of Wikipedia. Just search WikiGrabber for your keyword or phrase, and you’ll get a list of relevant Wikipedia articles with dead links or missing citations.

A screenshot of WikiGrabber's home page
With WikiGrabber, you can secure Wikipedia backlinks with ease

Image Source

A Quick Recap

For your reference, here’s a quick summary of our best tips for how you can successfully get Wikipedia backlinks:

  1. Select topics carefully. Choose a topic that synergizes with your website or content. Ensure that your link will actually impart valuable insights into Wikipedia’s discussion of the topic!
  2. Remember Wikipedia’s values. Wikipedia’s core principles involve neutrality, verifiability, and reliable transparency. Align your edits and links with these tenets.
  3. Deliver quality content. Instead of just injecting your link, consider enhancing the Wikipedia page by contributing high-quality content, rectifying inaccuracies, and providing citations from credible independent sources.
  4. Avoid self-promotion. Wikipedia frowns upon self-promotion, so ensure that your edits and links don’t have promotional undertones. Maintain a neutral, encyclopedic tone, and don’t express subjective opinions.
  5. Leverage the citation template. Use Wikipedia’s citation template to make sure your link is professionally formatted and includes all necessary information.
  6. Offer brief link explanations. Establish your link’s relevance by providing a concise summary of how the link enriches the topic.
  7. Be prepared for reverts. Wikipedia’s editorial community may review and reverse your edits if they violate Wikipedia’s standards. If this happens, respect the community’s judgment.
  8. Steer clear of overlinking. Limit yourself to one or two suitable links, to avoid your links getting removed due to overlinking.
  9. Engage with the Wikipedia community. Adopt a positive attitude when interacting with the Wikipedia community. Participate in discussions, and respect community rules and etiquette.
  10. Exercise patience. Accept that your Wikipedia links might take time to review and approve. Refrain from relentless link addition if it’s removed; this could lead to blocking.

By sticking with these steps and guidelines, you can harness the full potential of Wikipedia backlinks!

Conclusion

Now you know that Wikipedia backlinks, masterfully integrated into your backlink-building strategy, are well worth pursuing! These coveted stamps of approval can massively boost your website’s SEO value and credibility, as well as drive organic traffic. Whether you’re a savvy online marketer or a newcomer to the digital arena, Wikipedia backlinks can be an integral piece of your SEO puzzle.

Looking Ahead

We’ve explored how to get backlinks from Wikipedia in 2023, but remember that SEO tactics evolve. It’s crucial to regularly reassess your SEO strategy and to continuously search for new opportunities to cite your website or find dead links to replace. Remain updated with Wikipedia linking rules and SEO trends for continued success. And always concentrate on increasing the Wikipedia community’s value by engaging and creating unique, high-quality content that showcases your expertise and is designed for humans, not just bots. The world of SEO rewards patience and persistence, and getting Wikipedia backlinks are no exception, so buckle in for the long haul. Success is within your reach! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pay to secure premium links from Wikipedia?

No, Wikipedia doesn’t sell link placements. However, you can use a backlink-building strategy to create well-crafted content and thereby increase your SEO value. This could open up opportunities for reliable backlink creation. Bear in mind, though, that any link added requires verification by Wikipedia’s dedicated moderators, a practice that emphasizes the platform’s deep commitment to authenticity and pertinence, thus enforcing the SEO benefit behind even a no-follow link like a Wikipedia backlink.

How do I stick to Wikipedia’s guidelines? 

As long as you create valuable edits or contribute fresh, noteworthy information to Wikipedia articles, you won’t be breaking Wikipedia’s rules. Just make sure to avoid excessive self-promotion, along with spammy practices like keyword stuffing; you can prioritize adding value to the content with keyword-rich anchor text where appropriate, but don’t insert these keywords excessively. Violating Wikipedia’s regulations could lead to stiff penalties, including the banning of your account or the removal of your edits and links. 

Are all Wikipedia backlinks nofollow? 

Yes, all Wikipedia backlinks are nofollow. This means that search engines won’t factor them into rankings. However, these backlinks still serve an important role by driving organic traffic toward your site and amplifying your brand’s visibility and credibility. They may not directly affect your ranking, but their value cannot be overstated.

Ready To Get Backlinks Using Quality Content Creation?

Want to start collecting backlinks from other websites, not just adding your own to Wikipedia? Find out how Outranking can help you create quality content! Readers will start engaging with and sharing your content, and businesses might even backlink to your website. Whether you create content manually or by using AI, Outranking is the perfect partner for your content creation process. Outranking has helped over 20,000 businesses double their website traffic and improve leads in under a year. 

Sign up today, and watch the backlinks pour in!