Wikipedia is among the most popular websites, with an estimated 4 billion monthly visitors. It also has one of the largest resource libraries (6,976,485 articles), with at least 500 new pieces published daily.

These numbers have one significant favorable implication: an unlimited source of articles where you can insert your backlinks.

In this article, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide on how to get backlinks from Wikipedia. We’ll also highlight the benefits of Wikipedia backlinks for your website’s SEO and outline some best practices to help your link-building campaigns.

Not sure about getting Wikipedia backlinks on your own? We recommend working with a link-building agency to boost your website’s authority and SERP ranking.

For over a decade, Profit Engine has offered Wikipedia link-building solutions tailored to clients’ SEO needs. Our team leverages the best link-building tools and AI to streamline our workflows, which helps us deliver quality backlinks within 30 days.

Don't let your brand lag behind your competition. Discover how Profit Engine can help you build a winning link-building strategy. Start by booking a free call today!

What Are Wikipedia Backlinks?

The best way to explain Wikipedia backlinks is by first defining what backlinks are. In simple terms, backlinks are URLs that point from one website to another. They help readers follow an information grapevine as they seek additional information about a topic.

Wikipedia backlinks are URLs that lead users from the site to external websites. However, there’s a major difference between Wikipedia backlinks and inbound links from other websites.

With Wikipedia, the links are not inserted within the body of the content. Instead, readers must click on a citation to reveal the backlink, which is also listed at the end of the article.

Are Wiki Backlinks Good?

Yes. Wikipedia backlinks are good and offer significant SEO value for your website. Their perceived value is based on Wikipedia’s strict editorial standards, especially for protected pages.

For example, Wikipedia requires that editors support their claims with reliable, verifiable sources to avoid misinforming readers. Also, Wikipedia has thousands of volunteer editors who review articles regularly to flag spammy content and links.

These measures help Wikipedia cement its reputation as a reputable source of information on diverse topics, justifying its DR70+ domain authority.

Benefits of Wikipedia Backlinks for SEO

Here are some advantages of Wikipedia link-building:

• Boosted Visibility: Although Wikipedia backlinks are nofollow, having your links on niche articles helps position your brand in front of potential leads.
• Credibility and Trust: Having your web pages featured on Wikipedia enhances your site’s perceived trustworthiness in the eyes of readers and search engines.
• Increased Referral Traffic: Readers often click on the cited links on Wikipedia for additional information on a topic, which generates organic traffic for your website.
• Natural Backlinks: Website owners often cite Wikipedia articles when publishing their content. Some might link to your post if they find it relevant, earning you an organic backlink.
• Faster Indexing: Search engines regularly crawl Wikipedia, which helps get your website discovered and indexed— this is important to get your website ranked on SERPs.

How to Get Backlinks from Wikipedia

Follow our simple step-by-step guide to secure strategic backlink placements on Wikipedia:

1. Set Up a Wikipedia Account

You do not need a user account to edit Wikipedia pages. However, being an active user comes with numerous backlinking opportunities that are only available to people with Wikipedia accounts.

For example, you must have an account to edit protected pages—Wikipedia pages presumed to contain valuable or sensitive information.

Readers often perceive protected pages as highly authoritative, so earning a backlink from these pages shows that your website contains equally helpful information. 

2. Identify the Keywords You’ll Target

Define your keyword data set to determine the type of Wikipedia backlinks you need.

SEO tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush can help you curate a list of broad-match and exact-match search phrases to target when pursuing Wikipedia backlinks.

3. Identify Link-Building Opportunities

Below are the two main ways to find high-probability backlinking opportunities on Wikipedia:

• Find Dead Wikipedia Backlinks: Most link building tools offer a broken link checker that you can use to filter dead links and identify broken link building opportunities.
• Refine the Existing Content: Review Wikipedia articles related to your niche and identify sections with missing or generic content. This is an opportunity to edit these sections and share a unique perspective.

4. Publish Insightful Posts

Once you’ve identified link-building opportunities, it is time to create content tailored to the Wikipedia pages. You can use the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to find saved copies of the content on the dead links for ideas on how to structure your blog.

Alternatively, you can create new content from scratch, ensuring it aligns with the section on the Wikipedia page.

5. Add a Backlink to the Relevant Wikipedia Page

Publish the content on your website so you have the URL to add on Wikipedia. In the case of broken links, you might directly replace the URL with yours.

Insert the citation correctly so it passes the review by Wikipedia administrators. Otherwise, they might remove it, costing you a backlinking opportunity.

6. Maintain the Backlinks

Wikipedia moderators regularly review cited sources to ensure the links are live and the content remains relevant to readers.

As such, you must proactively monitor your backlinks to keep your content updated so it is not replaced. Also, track changes to the content on Wikipedia to see how it affects your backlink’s perceived value.

Think this process will be hectic? Don’t fret. At Profit Engine, we deliver high-quality, strategy-driven link-building solutions personalized to your SEO needs. We guarantee our clients genuine placements in relevant Wikipedia content to boost website authority and SERP ranking.

Explore our diverse link-building packages and choose the one that fits your needs.

Best Practices for Long-Term Wikipedia Link Building

Here are proven methods to help you create a lasting Wikipedia link-building strategy:

• Create Relevant Content: Publish well-researched, factual content that Wikipedia editors can verify as credible and helpful to readers.
• Comply with Wikipedia Guidelines: Follow Wikipedia’s editing policy about the type of content you can publish, the tone and neutrality, and acceptable sources to cite.
• Avoid Salesy Content: Share content that offers value to readers and addresses their search intent. This encourages readers to follow the backlink to your website, where you can position call-to-action statements strategically.
• Maintain the Backlinks: Regularly review your linked pages to ascertain they are still aligned with the content on the Wikipedia pages. This reduces the chances of your links being deleted by Wikipedia administrators or being replaced by other website owners.
• Engage with the Wikipedia Community: Interact with other Wikipedia contributors for insights into maintaining your backlinks, including how to keep your content relevant.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Getting Wikipedia Backlinks

Let’s delve into common pitfalls when pursuing Wikipedia backlinks:

• Spamming Multiple Wikipedia Pages: Adding a single link to several Wikipedia pages will prompt the moderators to review your content. Often, Wikipedia editors may reject your link for appearing spammy.
• Inserting Promo Links: Wikipedia has stringent guidelines against publishing promotional content and could revoke your editorial pass after several warnings.
• Publishing Generic Content: Sharing irrelevant or unverifiable information will get your Wikipedia backlinks removed, as they do not offer value to readers.
• Not Maintaining Your Links: If your links don’t match the updated content and you don’t modify it promptly, competitors monitoring your Wikipedia link building campaign might offer to update the content and replace your backlinks.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This FAQ section will address some unanswered questions about Wikipedia link-building:

Is It Worth Hiring an Agency to Get Wikipedia Backlinks?

Yes. It is worth hiring an agency to get Wikipedia backlinks—choose the right link building agency for a seamless experience.

At Profit Engine, we have over a decade of link-building experience, which helps us tailor your Wikipedia backlinking strategy to your SEO needs. Also, we use a 16-point link building checklist to ensure the selected Wikipedia pages meet standard quality and are relevant to your niche.

Are There Specific Niches Where Wikipedia Backlinks Work Best?

Yes. While most niches can benefit from Wikipedia link-building, some sectors derive more SEO value from the backlinks, including:

• Science and technology
• History and law
• Government policies

How Long Do Wikipedia Backlinks Stay Active?

There’s no specific timeframe for when a Wikipedia backlink stays active. It depends on the following: 

• As the content on a Wikipedia page evolves, a backlink might be deemed obsolete.
• Any dead Wikipedia backlinks are usually removed or replaced with active ones.
• Research-backed backlinks often have a longer lifespan because they offer unique value to readers.

Conclusion

Wikipedia’s vast article catalog provides unlimited link-building opportunities, but you must adhere to its strict editing guidelines.

We recommend outsourcing to a link-building agency, considering the effort required to obtain and maintain Wikipedia backlink placements.

Our team at Profit Engine specializes in high-quality link-building to elevate your website’s authority and search engine visibility. We also manually vet potential link-building opportunities to confirm that Wikipedia articles contain helpful information and are relevant to your niche.

See how strategic Wikipedia link-building can improve your rankings - contact us.