How to Get a Wikipedia Page Approved?

You know how to create a Wikipedia page, but you’re wondering how to ensure it gets accepted once it’s online. Creating a Wikipedia page doesn’t guarantee that the community will deem its existence and content legitimate. There are several steps to follow to maximize your chances of success. That’s what this article is all about!

Check if a Wikipedia Page on the Same Topic Already Exists

It’s crucial to start by checking if a Wikipedia page on the same topic has already been created in the past. Specifically, you need to verify that such a page hasn’t been created and deleted. If you create a page from scratch without performing this check, you’re already starting off on the wrong foot.

If a Wikipedia article has already been created on the same topic and deleted, you won’t need to recreate it from scratch. Instead, you will need to submit a page restoration request.

That’s why you need to first check if a page about you already existed. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to the Wikipedia public logs.
2. In the search field, enter your name (or the name of the topic you want to create a page for).
3. Click on “Show”

If “No matching items in logs” appears, that means no page has been created.

✅ You can now create your Wikipedia article from scratch.

If pages are listed, that means a page about you has already existed.

❌ In this case, you need to submit a page restoration request.

Identify the Notability Criteria on Wikipedia for Your Topic

Anyone can edit or create articles on Wikipedia, but not every individual or topic qualifies for a dedicated page.

To create a page for a specific topic, you must meet Wikipedia’s notability criteria.

These include:

• General notability criteria, applicable to all topics
• Specific criteria depending on the subject or field (e.g., artist, athlete, company, politician, etc.) if the page is about a person.

Note: There are no specific criteria for lawyers.

A topic is presumed to be suitable for a stand-alone article or list when it has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject.

General notoriety criteria on Wikipedia (here)

What does this mean in practice?

For instance, if you are a person in a field with no specific criteria, you must have:

• At least two media mentions
• At least two years apart
• That focus solely on you
• In reputable national media (not regional daily newspapers or trade publications)
• That aren’t press releases or sponsored content.

You’ll need to gather these media sources to help write the content of the article.

Write Your Page Using a Featured Article as a Template

You must adhere to strict content and formatting criteria for your Wikipedia page to:

• Be published
• Avoid deletion
• Prevent the appearance of unwanted red banners like “self-promotion” or “promotional tone.”

I recommend using a high-quality Wikipedia article on a topic similar to yours as a template.

You can find a list of well-regarded articles here.

For example, I often refer to the following pages for inspiration:

• Preity Zinta for creating an entrepreneur page;
• Vincent van Gogh for an artist;
• Hydro-Québec for an institution or company.

I’ve created my own template to help guide you through the process of writing your first Wikipedia article.

🚨 Every detail in the page must be backed by a source independent of the article’s subject. This means you cannot use your personal website as a reference to support the content.

Submit Your Article for Review

Have you completed your article and followed all of Wikipedia’s content and formatting guidelines?

You have two options for publishing:

1. Request proofreading first (recommended if you’re new to Wikipedia).
2. Publish your draft directly. The article will go live immediately, but it will be reviewed by both bots and humans to confirm its eligibility for the encyclopedia.

🚨 Wikipedia allows you to create a page about yourself, someone close to you, or a topic you’re closely connected to (like your company). However, you must disclose any conflict of interest (personal gain or compensation). This disclosure should be made on the discussion page of the new article and on your profile, in line with Wikipedia’s guidelines.

What happens if you don’t? You risk having a visible banner at the top of your page stating, ‘This article may have been edited in exchange for undisclosed compensation or benefits.

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I hope this article has been helpful! If you have any questions, I’m always available to answer them in the comments.

If you’d like me to assist you on Wikipedia, feel free to contact me for a quote.

Happy contributing 🙂!