How To Generate Traffic and Conversions From Wikipedia
By Anna Johnson on July 24th, 2008Great case study in MarketingSherpa, detailing how a small, technology startup used Wikipedia to generate qualified traffic to its website which translated into 4 percent increases in both traffic and leads, and more leads that were 18 percent more likely to convert into customers than other leads.
So how can you use Wikipedia to generate more traffic to, and conversions on, your site? Well, be careful: any attempt to “sell” Wikipedia readers is likely to be met with quick elimination from the site. However, by creating new pages and adding to existing pages on Wikipedia and always following Wikipedia’s guidelines to the letter, you may be able to add: a page about yourself or your firm, entries to existing pages about your industry, and links to your site. All of which can bring qualified visitors to your site.
The keys seem to be providing content in line with Wikipedia’s aim to provide objective information to users, adhering to Wikipedia’s strict submission guidelines, and removing any hint of marketing-speak (e.g. “Company makes widgets for widget consumers” rather than “Company makes widgets to suit all widget enthusiasts).
Taking advantage of Wikipedia as a traffic generation tool won’t suit everyone, based on the time and effort required compared with the level of qualified traffic likely to be generated. It’s also NOT a means of getting backward links for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, since all external links must contain the “no follow” tag. However, depending on your business, it just may be a way of generating a significant level of additional traffic and qualified leads.
Check out the MarketingSherpa article (free registration required) for more insights.
