The Hidden SEO Power Of Wikipedia Backlinks (And How To Build Them)

Building backlinks from Wikipedia has long been seen as a powerful strategy to boost credibility and visibility in search engine results.

But are Wikipedia backlinks still effective?

The short answer is yes, but not in the ways you might expect.

As one of the world’s most visited websites and a consistent top performer in search engine rankings, Wikipedia is seen as a trustworthy source by both search engines and users.

However, most Wikipedia backlinks are typically no-follow links.

So, how do they still have such a positive impact on your website traffic and authority?

In this article, we explore how Wikipedia backlinks can still benefit your site, why Wikipedia’s authority matters, and actionable steps to get backlinks from Wikipedia.

What Are Wikipedia Backlinks?

Wikipedia backlinks are links within Wikipedia articles that point to external web pages.

Unlike links on other websites, Wikipedia links are not clickable links within the articles themselves. Instead, sources are cited throughout the article.

The links to the source websites are listed in the References at the bottom of Wiki pages:

These links are usually placed to:

✅ Support claims, facts, or statistics

✅ Direct readers to more in-depth resources

✅ Provide context for specific terms, events, or people

✅ Showcase multimedia resources (like images or diagrams)

Since Wikipedia aims to maintain high credibility, editors are encouraged to cite reputable sources that verify the information they provide.

This means that getting a link on Wikipedia generally requires your content to be highly authoritative.

Why Are Wikipedia Backlinks So Powerful?

Wikipedia backlinks have unique authority-building advantages, which makes them valuable for brands and websites that want to boost their credibility and visibility.

Here’s why these links stand out:

🚀 Good for EEAT

EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) is a set of criteria that Google uses to evaluate websites and rank them in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

This is because Google wants to ensure that the content it includes comes from reputable and reliable sources.

Every edit on Wikipedia, including added links, undergoes a rigorous vetting process that removes irrelevant, self-promotional, or poor-quality backlinks.

This ensures that only credible, relevant, and quality backlinks remain.

So, if your site earns a link on Wikipedia, it shows search engines that your website is trustworthy.

🚀 High SERP visibility

Wikipedia consistently ranks in the top search results for a massive volume of informational queries.

In fact, a study by Ahrefs found that Wikipedia has the second-highest organic search traffic of any website.

Because of this, Wiki backlinks can drive consistent traffic to your site, as readers often click on links within Wikipedia articles for deeper insights.

This connection to high-ranking pages means that Wikipedia backlinks can drive more engaged, relevant traffic over time.

🚀 Wikipedia's high traffic volume

With around 2 billion visits every year, Wikipedia is one of the most trafficked websites globally:

A Wikipedia backlink can place your content in front of a large audience seeking information.

This exposure can drive referral traffic from readers who trust the information on Wikipedia pages and click through to its sources.

🚀 Passive tier two link generation

One lesser-known advantage of Wiki backlinks is their potential to generate tier-two backlinks.

Here’s how it works:

Wikipedia is recognized as a credible source, and its pages are referenced by other websites, blogs, academic articles, and media outlets.

When your website is cited on Wikipedia, you get exposure to countless publishers who see the website as a reliable reference.

They may, in turn, cite the Wikipedia page (and indirectly, your link) on their own websites.

This creates tier-two backlinks: links that aren’t pointing directly to your website but still build authority for the Wikipedia page that includes your link.

For instance, Wikipedia’s article on ChatGPT has over 13,000 backlinks from external websites that reference the article.

If a page like this included a link to your website, you’d benefit from the combined link equity of those backlinks, and it would likely continue to generate more over time.

In essence, a backlink on Wikipedia can become a link magnet that passively attracts tier-two backlinks.

The result is a boost to your site’s authority without requiring additional outreach efforts.

5 Steps to Build Wikipedia Backlinks

Building Wikipedia backlinks requires precision and relevance.

Unlike many other platforms, the site maintains strict editorial standards, so every Wikipedia backlink must add real value to the content it supports.

Before adding backlinks, here are some key guidelines to be aware of:

✅ No original thought: Wikipedia is not a platform for your own original source material, self-promotion, or advocacy, and this applies to links too. The links you add should support facts, statistics, or claims within articles.

✅ Avoid excessive backlinks: Link spamming can lead to immediate removal of backlinks. When building links on Wikipedia, add them sparingly and ensure each link serves a clear purpose.

✅ Maintain neutrality: Wikipedia champions a Neutral Point of View (NPOV), which means all content, including external links, should be impartial. Links that appear to push an agenda or show bias are likely to be flagged.

✅ Authority: Wikipedia editors are quick to remove links from low-quality sites or those without proper editorial control.

Below is our proven process to earn Wikipedia backlinks that strengthen your SEO while aligning with the site’s guidelines.

1. Get set up on Wikipedia

To contribute to Wikipedia and add backlinks to your website, start by creating a Wikipedia account. Here’s how:

Create your account: Go to Wikipedia’s main page and click “Create account”.

Add your info: Fill out the information required. Your Wikipedia account will be essential for tracking your edits, communicating with other editors, and building a credible editing history.

Confirm email address: Once registered, log in and confirm your email address. This verification allows other editors to communicate with you, which makes it easier to collaborate and receive notifications about your edits.

Read Wikipedia’s rules: Take some time to review Wikipedia’s editing guidelines. This is particularly important because Wikipedia has strict standards to maintain neutrality and accuracy.

Explore your Sandbox: Wikipedia offers new users a "Sandbox", which is a private space where you can practice editing without affecting live pages. Use this to refine your contributions and learn the basic Wikipedia markup.

Remember, a Wikipedia account becomes more credible after several edits and 30 days.

Established accounts are less likely to be flagged, so take some time to positively contribute to the community before you start Wikipedia link building.

2. Find broken or dead Wikipedia links

Wikipedia articles often contain broken or dead links.

These are links that no longer work, either because the linked content has been removed or the URL is inactive.

Similar to traditional broken link building, replacing these dead links with relevant resources on your website is a great way to earn Wikipedia backlinks.

Here are two ways to find dead links on Wikipedia:

Use Google search operators

Use specific search operators to locate Wikipedia articles with broken links relevant to your niche.

For instance, enter site:wikipedia.org "dead link" [your niche] into Google.

Replace “[your niche]” with a keyword related to your content.

Google will return Wikipedia pages where the term “dead link” appears, indicating a broken link in need of an update.

Here are a few results that may be relevant to a company that specializes in lawn care or landscaping:

In the References section of the Wikipedia article for the phenomenon ‘turf melting out’, one link is permanently deleted:

Based on the context of the citation, a link to a study on the fungal pathogen that causes turf melting out would be relevant:

Use Ahrefs Broken Link Checker

Ahrefs offers a free broken link checker that allows you to search specifically for dead links across Wikipedia.

Enter “www.wikipedia.org” as the URL, and select “Subdomains” to search through all Wikipedia pages for broken links.

This tool often uncovers broken links that aren’t immediately visible with a simple search operator.

3. Find relevant Wikipedia articles with issues

Another great way to add backlinks on Wikipedia is by identifying pages that need citations or updated references.

Wikipedia tags such pages with statements like “citation needed” or “this article requires additional references.”

By providing sources for these sections, you can contribute while securing a Wikipedia backlink.

Here’s how you can find these Wikipedia pages:

Use Google search operators

Search for Wikipedia articles in need of sources by using the search operator site:wikipedia.org "citation needed" [your keyword] on Google.

This will return pages related to your keyword where Wikipedia is seeking citations.

Here’s an example where a citation is needed on the Wikipedia page about digital marketing:

After clicking on the article, there are two areas where citations are needed:

If you ran a digital marketing blog and had conducted studies into social media marketing or audience targeting, these would be relevant places to add your links.

Browse Wikipedia’s Maintenance Categories

Wikipedia has a dedicated “Articles with issues” section, which includes categories for pages needing additional citations.

You can explore these categories to find relevant topics and contribute with credible, referenced content from your site.

4. Check the link

Before adding your content, verify that the dead or broken links are relevant to your site’s content.

This ensures your replacement link will be genuinely valuable to Wikipedia’s readers.

Your account may be suspended if you frequently make edits that are flagged, so it’s important to make sure you add value through relevant, high-quality links.

Here are two ways to check that your backlink is relevant:

Use the Wayback Machine

Go to archive.org’s Wayback Machine, and paste the dead link’s URL to see snapshots of the original page.

Review the content of the archived page to assess whether it aligns with your website’s content.

Analyze existing backlinks

Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to see if the dead link you’re replacing has existing backlinks.

If it does, have a look at which pages were linking to it.

This can help you confirm that your content is relevant for the replacement. Plus, it can also help you identify additional opportunities for outreach.

5. Find or create relevant content

Implementing a Wikipedia backlink strategy means you’ll need to ensure the content you’re linking to is both high quality and relevant.

Content that does not provide genuine value will likely be flagged by moderators.

How to create content for Wikipedia

Write comprehensive, well-researched content on your site that directly relates to the Wikipedia page you’re targeting.

For example, let’s say you want to create content for a Wikipedia article on the environmental benefits of urban green spaces.

First review the existing article to confirm that your topic is not already covered.

Start by scanning the page for sections that lack depth or have outdated references. You can also use Ahrefs or Semrush to examine existing backlinks and see if other sites already cover your intended topic.

Once you've confirmed a content gap, use credible data sources to write an article on your site. Ensure your content is fact-based, neutral, and designed to provide value.

❌ What to avoid when adding content to a Wikipedia article

Duplicate links: Make sure the topic is underrepresented or missing from the Wikipedia article. If content similar to yours already exists, your link may be removed.

Promotional content: Wikipedia prioritizes information. Links that are overly self-promotional, lack authority, or don’t meet Wikipedia’s quality standards are likely to be flagged and removed.

Controversial pages: Pages on topics with high public interest, controversy, or frequent edits are closely monitored, so additions to these pages are often scrutinized and removed.

Overlinking: Adding your link in multiple sections of a Wikipedia article can appear spammy. Keep your link limited to the most relevant spot.

Non-authoritative websites: Avoid linking to blog posts, opinion pieces, or any source that Wikipedia editors may see as subjective. Such backlinks will likely be flagged.

🌐 How to add your link to Wikipedia

Adding a citation on Wikipedia is straightforward, thanks to its built-in automatic citation generator.

This tool allows you to quickly add references without manually formatting the citation, which makes it easier for your link to fit Wikipedia’s guidelines and look professional.

Here’s how to use it:

Once your content is live, return to the Wikipedia page you’re editing

Go to the Wikipedia article where you want to add the citation. Click the “Edit” button in the editing toolbar at the top of the page.

Switch to the visual editor:

Click in the exact spot within the text where the citation is relevant, typically at the end of a sentence that needs validation:

Paste your URL into the provided box and click “Generate”.

Wikipedia will auto-generate the citation details based on the URL. Double-check that all information, such as title, author, and date, is correct and aligns with Wikipedia’s citation standards.

Once you’ve verified the details, click “Insert” to add the citation to the article.

➕Other ways to add content to Wikipedia pages

While broken links and dead citations are valuable opportunities, they’re not the only ways to add content and build links on Wikipedia.

You can contribute content or references wherever they add real value to the article.

Here’s how to do this effectively:

✅ Identify opportunities: Beyond filling gaps, look for places where your expertise enhances the quality of the article. This could include sections that lack depth, statements that need evidence, or areas where recent developments provide new insights.

✅ Ensure relevance: For a successful Wikipedia backlink, the information must be relevant to the topic at hand. Avoid adding links that only tangentially relate to the subject, as these are likely to be flagged and removed.

✅ Contribute sparingly: Wikipedia's goal is quality over quantity. Adding too many links or updates from a single source can look promotional and may lead to all your edits being flagged.

✅ Focus on authority: Any links you add should come from reliable sources. Links to well-researched articles on high-authority web pages are more likely to be approved.

6. Bonus step: Make your backlinks work harder

When you replace a dead or broken link on Wikipedia with your own content, there’s an additional, often-overlooked opportunity to build even more backlinks.

This strategy involves reaching out to sites that previously linked to the original (now-dead) page and offering them your resource as a new link.

Here’s how to do it:

Find the sites: Use Ahrefs, Semrush, or Majestic to find websites that link to the broken page. These sites found value in the dead link, which makes them great candidates to link to your updated resource.

Send outreach emails: Reach out to the site owners and let them know about your updated resource. Remember, your goal is to show how linking to your high-quality content will help improve their page.

Follow up: Follow up once or twice if you don’t hear back, but keep the tone polite and non-intrusive.

Unlock SEO Benefits Beyond Link Juice

While Wikipedia backlinks may not pass on link juice due to their “nofollow” attribute, they’re still powerful additions to your SEO strategy.

These links stand out for their high editorial standards, which makes them valuable for signaling authority to search engines and audiences alike.

They also drive engaged traffic, bolster your brand’s trustworthiness, and can even lead to natural, tier-two links from other authoritative sites.

However, because Wikipedia links must genuinely enhance its articles, they’re challenging to secure and keep.

That’s where LinkBuilder comes in.

Our team specializes in navigating Wikipedia’s unique landscape, from spotting link-worthy content gaps to building links that meet its standards. With our expertise, we can help you get Wikipedia backlinks.

Ready to add Wikipedia links to your SEO strategy? Get in touch with us.