Many otherwise very savvy people mistakenly believe they are not eligible for their own Wikipedia profile, or worse – they underestimate the importance of using Wikipedia to turbocharge their personal and business brand online.

Avoiding Wikipedia makes as much sense from a business productivity and competitive marketing standpoint as eschewing a dedicated website, LinkedIn profile, or Twitter account. Which is to say it makes no sense whatsoever in our globally connected digital world.

Here’s what Wikipedia offers you that you’ll be hard-pressed to match anywhere else on the Internet.

1. Wikipedia’s Audience is Vast
   More than half a billion global visitors seek out Wikipedia each month. In that regard, no news organization in the world can come close to matching its reach and influence.
2. Google and Other Major Search Engines Prioritize Wikipedia
   While search engine optimization experts and other online branding gurus are constantly adjust their strategies to cope with frequently changing algorithms, Wikipedia remains a consistent and surefire organic search engine results darling. Your entry on Wikipedia will be shielded from the changing patterns of search engine algorithms. Internet users seeking you specifically or information on your expertise, business, product or services, are almost certain to encounter your Wikipedia profile on the first page of their organic search engine results.
3. Wikipedia Carries With It Third-Party Credibility
   Sure, you can invest a huge amount of money promoting yourself on your own website or through news releases and PR campaigns. Done well, these branding solutions can deliver visitors who’ll read your content. But Internet users know the difference between content you create and publish, and content that carries with it the third-party credibility of an encyclopedia. Remember how as a kid or adolescent, Encyclopedia Britannica and others like it were the ultimate source on any topic or historical event? Today, it is Wikipedia that enjoys that mantle.
4. Anyone Can Contribute to Wikipedia and Use Its Content for Free
   What many people don’t understand is that “Anyone” includes you! You’re free not only to contribute and edit entries about you and your business, you’re also free to contribute and edit articles about your industry, your customers, your vendors, and – yes – even your competitors.

So if Wikipedia is such a great brand builder, why do millions of otherwise eligible individuals, businesses, services and products have no Wikipedia listing? Because, frankly, they don’t understand Wikipedia and they don’t want to invest the time and energy to learn enough to effectively utilize it.

Wikipedia plays by a unique and somewhat complex rulebook. Moreover, a vast and loyal Wikipedia community of volunteers works tirelessly to enforce those rules. Among their top priorities is to keep self-promoters, advertisers, campaigners, scammers, kooks, and others with narrow self-interest from abusing the site.

But don’t be misled. Wikipedia wants to feature legitimate, verifiable content. If you are a person of interest to the general public or you own a business that peaks the public interest, there is a welcome mat awaiting you on Wikipedia.

My goal here has been to awaken you to the power and potential of Wikipedia to help establish or bolster your online reputation. More importantly, I want you to accept that regardless of what you’ve heard, or your own prior Wikipedia rejections, you can flourish on Wikipedia.

Among the topics we’ll explore in future edition of this series:

• What You Absolutely Must Do Before You Ever Submit Your First Wikipedia Entry
• Land Mines To Avoid If You Don’t Want To Get Booted From Wikipedia
• Why Wikipedia is Best Played as a ‘Team Sport’
• How to Use Wikipedia to Bolster Your Brand and Reputation, Even If You Don’t Have Articles on the Site that are Specifically About You or Your Business

If you would like a Wikipedia page to strengthen your personal or business brand, I encourage you to contact Pan Prestige to discover how we can make getting your own Wikipedia listings pain free. If you already have one or more Wikipedia pages, contact us for a free evaluation of how effectively you’re harnessing the titanic power of the service.