Having a Wikipedia page can bring a lot of benefits to you and your brand. As one of the most popular websites in the world, getting your name on Wikipedia can help drive traffic to your sites, build credibility, and improve visibility online.

Wikipedia pages should be part of your online marketing strategy, but how do you actually go about creating a Wiki biography for yourself? Read our step-by-step guide to find out.

What Qualifies A Person To Be On Wikipedia?

Wikipedia has firm notability guidelines to determine what topics are worth having their own Wikipedia article. If you want a Wikipedia page for yourself, then you, as the subject, will need to have:

• Significant press coverage where the subject is discussed in detail.
• A variety of secondary sources that are independent. This does not include work that you have published about yourself, as the information needs to be verifiable by outside sources.
• Reliable sources in accordance with Wikipedia’s guidelines. No original research should be used in your article – there should already be published content to cite.
• There is no specific number of sources you need to have, but there should be enough so that you can write and cite more than a few sentences.

 

How Long Does It Take For Wikipedia To Approve An Article?

It can take anywhere between three to six months for an article to be approved and published. More than 500 articles are created every day on the English Wikipedia, which means their team of editors is kept busy. That’s why it is so important to make sure your article is well-written before you submit it.

Can You Write Your Own Biography On Wikipedia?

Before you write your own Wikipedia article, you should understand Wikipedia’s strict conflict of interest policy. Wikipedia articles must be written with an unbiased tone and can only state factual information free from opinion. People creating their own biographies often write in a self-promotional way, which is frowned upon on Wikipedia.

How To Create A Wikipedia Biography (Step-By-Step)

Step 1 – Create An Account

You don’t need an account to start making edits on Wikipedia, but you will need one to make your own articles, as well as gain access to other benefits.

To create a Wikipedia profile, click “Create Account” at the top-right corner of the page. Choose a username, create a password, and provide your email address.

Step 2 – Build Credibility

You can only create a new article once your Wikipedia account has been open for four days and you have made ten edits to existing Wikipedia content. You want to build a history of good edits before you make a new article so that other Wikipedia editors trust you and assume good faith.

Use this time to get familiar with editing on Wikipedia by learning wikitext or how to use the Visual Editor.

Step 3 – Create An Article

Before you create a Wikipedia page, make sure your subject has not already been written about. If not, make sure it meets the notability requirements and you have enough sources to properly cite your article.

To create a new article, use Wikipedia’s Article Wizard, which will take you through the steps of submitting an article through Articles For Creation. This method should be used by anyone who either doesn’t have an account, is new to editing, or has a conflict of interest with the subject.

Step 4 – Write The Content

Now it’s time for the biggest hurdle, which is actually writing the article itself. Gather all of your sources, and start drafting your article. Wikipedia biography pages all follow a similar format, which will help you structure your content:

• Biography
• Early Life
• Marriage and Children
• Education
• Philosophical or Political Views
• Awards and Accomplishments
• References and Bibliography

Remember that whoever creates the page must write from a neutral point of view and cite every fact that is claimed in the article. Take a look at some other biographies on Wikipedia to make sure your article has a similar structure and flow to it.

Step 5 – Submit The Article

Before you submit your article, make sure that it is thoroughly edited to prevent delays. It will typically take a few months for your article to be approved, so you want to make it as good as it can be to avoid wasting your time.

Once the Wikipedia editors have reviewed your article, one of three things will happen:

• Your page could be rejected outright if it does not meet notability requirements.
• They will send you back your article to make edits and improvements before it is published.
• You will be emailed a link to your published article.

Your work is not done once your article is approved. It is important to check your page regularly to make sure no vandalism has occurred and to update it with fresh information.

Closing Out

Creating a Wikipedia page is no easy task, and there are a lot of potential pitfalls you could encounter when making an article. The expert team at WikiCreators is here to help you with all of your Wikipedia projects. We take an ethical approach to creating and managing Wikipedia articles. Contact us to create a personalized plan and get your article published.