How to create a Wikipedia page: a step-by-step guide

Creating a Wikipedia page looks simple: register, open a new article, write. In practice, most new articles about people and companies are deleted or moved back to draft within days, almost always for the same reasons. This guide follows the right order: first establish whether the article can exist, then build it.

Before you start: can the article exist?

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a directory. Its general notability guideline presumes a topic is notable if it has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject. It does not matter how good you are: it matters how much others, with nothing to gain, have already written about you.

Subject-specific guidelines exist for people, organizations and companies, athletes, academics, musicians and more. We explain them in our guide to Wikipedia notability.

A quick test: try to list three in-depth articles from established publications, not written by you or at your request, that are mainly about you or your company. If you cannot, it is too early for an article.

Step 1: gather your sources

Sources are the foundation, not a finishing touch. Wikipedia's verifiability policy requires that readers can check every material claim against a published, reliable source.

• Useful: in-depth coverage in established newspapers and magazines, books from independent publishers, academic work, investigative reporting.
• Not enough: press releases, sponsored posts, the official website, social media profiles, interviews where the subject talks about themselves.

For each source, note the author, title, publication, date and, for books, the page. Our guide to Wikipedia reliable sources has a full checklist.

Step 2: create an account and disclose any conflict of interest

Register a personal account. Usernames that represent a company or brand are not allowed and are blocked. On the English Wikipedia, creating an article directly in the main encyclopedia also requires an autoconfirmed account (at least four days old with ten edits), but anyone can start a draft.

If you are writing about yourself, your employer or a client, you have a conflict of interest. If you are paid, the Wikimedia Terms of Use require you to disclose it, and the paid-contribution disclosure policy explains how: typically on your user page and on the article's talk page.

Step 3: write the draft

Editors with a conflict of interest are expected to submit new articles through Articles for Creation (AfC) rather than publishing them directly. Even without a conflict, the Draft namespace lets you work without the pressure of an immediate deletion.

A typical, solid structure:

1. Lead: who or what the subject is, nationality, occupation or sector, and why they are notable.
2. Early life and career, or history: facts in chronological order, each with its source.
3. Work, products or activities: only what independent sources considered noteworthy, not a full catalogue.
4. Recognition: significant awards, sourced.
5. References and external links: the citations and, at most, the official website.

Step 4: neutral tone, no advertising

The neutral point of view is one of Wikipedia's core policies. An article that reads like marketing can be tagged or deleted even when the subject is notable.

Drop promotional adjectives, vague time words such as "currently" or "recently", client lists, product catalogues and promotional links. Every sentence should stand up even if a competitor reads it.

Step 5: review and publication

When the draft is ready, submit it for AfC review. A reviewer checks notability, sources and tone, and either accepts it into the encyclopedia or declines it with comments. Review is done by volunteers, and depending on the backlog it can take weeks or months.

Once published, the article does not belong to you: anyone may edit it within the rules. To correct something later, follow the method in our guide on how to edit a Wikipedia page about your company.

The mistakes that get new pages deleted

• Notability not shown: local, trade or commissioned coverage only.
• Promotional tone: the article reads like the company website.
• Copied text from websites, press kits or official bios: a copyright violation that qualifies for speedy deletion.
• Undisclosed conflict of interest: it usually surfaces, and undermines trust in the article.
• Recreating a deleted article without substantially new sources.

To see how the processes work and what to do if it happens, read why Wikipedia pages get deleted.

Do it yourself, or hire a professional?

If you have time, are comfortable with sources and the subject is clearly notable, you can follow these steps yourself. A serious professional saves time on research and writing, knows the processes and discloses their role openly, but cannot guarantee publication, which is a decision of the community. Be wary of anyone who does: we cover this in our guide to paid Wikipedia editing.

Either way, the first step is to see whether the conditions are there. You can do that for free with our profile check.