Pros of being listed on Wikipedia:
The greatest benefit of Wikipedia pages is that they generally show up in the top results of major search engines, providing more exposure and potential credibility for an organization when searched. This can help build trust and legitimacy among those using the search engines to find information about a certain company. Because they appear almost always near the top of the search results, Wikipedia pages also push down other listings and can help reduce the amount of unwanted results such as negative news articles or reviews, if they exist.
It's arguable whether or not you get any search engine optimization benefits from a listing on Wikipedia due to the links being NOFOLLOW (the search engines don't follow them). Some studies have shown, though, that websites have seen traffic increases from listings in Wikipedia. It's hard to believe that search engines wouldn't take into account backlinks from Wikipedia due to some of their stringent posting standards.
CONs of being listed on Wikipedia:
There are also risks to consider in the creation of a Wikipedia page. Wikipedia pages are not controlled by the organization the page describes and the page can be updated by anyone. This allows negative content to be placed on the page, whether or not it is true or accurate. Anyone remember what happened to Sinbad? Even if unverified content is eventually removed from the main page, it will still reside under the View History tab or on other websites that may have referenced the material when it was live.
Per Wikipedia standards, neither a business, nor organizations or consultants working for that business, are eligible to make any corrections to that business' page due to conflicts of interest. Though corrections cannot be made directly to a company page, companies or their representatives can recommend page updates and corrections to Wikipedia. Persons making recommendations must have an active Wikipedia account and should be active in the talk page for that Wikipedia article. And even then, the changes may not be made.
This ongoing maintenance of a company page requires constant monitoring to detect any incorrect or negative changes, which can be somewhat time-consuming. One solution is to use the watch function provided by Wikipedia. To use this system, monitors can log into their Wikipedia accounts to be alerted to any changes made. Change alerts can also be subscribed to via email updates or an RSS feed.
Perhaps the greatest negative to having a Wikipedia page lies somewhere in the future. When a company executive is charged with a DUI, or your kitchen is found to be in violation of health codes, or a disgruntled ex-employee decides to post a compromising photo from a company holiday party - be assured it will end up on Wikipedia... right there at the top of any Google search.
Scott works for Lovell Communications Inc., a Nashville PR firm with national marketing and public relations clients. Lovell specializes in public relations, crisis communications and healthcare marketing services.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_J_McIntosh
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