Cupcakes with Wikipedia written on themWhat do Google and Wikipedia have to do with local search? As it turns out, they have quite a lot to do with it.

You already know that everything you do to make local search work for your prospects and customers helps your business get seen and shared and talked about more often, online and off.

You also know that the process does require persistence, patience and sometimes a hearty dash of creativity mixed in for good measure.

To that end, here’s a new question: Is your company listed on Wikipedia?

Yes, Wikipedia. The site’s popularity with desktop users is well known, but it’s increasing with mobile users as well – and we all understand the growing power of mobile search and want to gain a bigger slice of that pie.

According to a recent article by The Atlantic, Wikipedia receives approximately 15 billion monthly pageviews. And it is the dominant site for news and information searches by mobile users. That’s a whole lot of pie.

Google not only drives a great deal of traffic to Wikipedia, it also tends to rank it higher in search results. So if your Google presence is updated, your website is responsive, your business is listed in online directories and social platforms that all link to one another, then why not take your online local search efforts to another level and create a Wikipedia page for your company?

Wikipedia is a great spot to put your business storytelling to good use. And we do mean storytelling.

phone-1052023_640Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia – it is a space for information. It is not a space for advertising. It is not a space for your banner ads, landing pages or sales pitches.

This is a space where you share the story of the When, Where and Why of your business. And yes, you can incorporate links in your information that allow people to click to your website, social platforms and any articles or videos created by other entities about your company.

Wikipedia is a place where your business storytelling, local search and mobile all work in concert to add another layer of “findability” to your online (and offline) small business presence.

 

Cupcakes with Wikipedia written on them