Wikipedia isn’t some random “info dump site,” it’s a full-blown archive. When someone Googles your company and sees a well-sourced Wikipedia page pop up, you get instant credibility. From billion-dollar brands to indie startups, everyone’s trying to get their name up there.
For Bangladeshi brands, that kind of validation is a goldmine. Our market is very saturated. Everyone markets themselves as “credible.” But Wikipedia doesn’t care about marketing lingo. It’s the fifth most-visited website on the planet, with over 36 million active users across 301 language editions.
And that’s exactly why being recognized by Wikipedia is such a big deal. It tells the world you’ve built something worth documenting, and you’re confident enough to let the facts speak for themselves.
Wikipedia’s Notability Guidelines
Let’s start with the official definition:
A subject is notable for Wikipedia if it has received significant coverage in reliable, independent, secondary sources, such that the topic has attracted sustained attention from the world at large and can be verified without relying on the subject’s own claims.
Fancy words, right? But if we strip the jargon, Wikipedia basically says:
“If no one outside your network cares enough to write about you, you probably don’t deserve your own page.”
To be more specific, here’s a more comprehensive breakdown.
- Significant coverage: Name-drops in a random article won’t cut it. Wikipedia wants full stories that discuss your company at length. You know, analyses, interviews, or industry features.
- Reliable sources: No, your website’s blog section doesn’t count. A source is considered reliable when news outlets, academic works, or credible trade publications that have editors who legitimately fact-check.
- Independent, secondary sources: Articles written about you, not by you. Press releases and company statements are fine for verifying facts, but they don’t prove notability. If you paid for the article or the writer is your cousin, it’s not independent.
- Sustained attention: Wikipedia isn’t impressed by one-hit wonders. Editors want to see your brand popping up in different outlets over time. You’ll need multiple stories, features, and mentions.
- Corporate notability: For companies, Wikipedia editors expect you to be ranked or reported on by third parties. If you’re a key player in exports, innovation, or local culture, that strengthens your case.
Step 1: Strengthening Your Digital Footprint
Before you even think about creating a Wikipedia page, you need to make some noise as a brand. So, the first step is to strengthen your brand’s digital footprint in a way that leaves a trail. The best way of leaving trails is to leverage social media. Try TikTok or Instagram marketing campaigns. Anyway, back to our focal point:
Media Coverage
Wikipedia thrives on media coverage. That means getting featured in publications that cover your social impact in depth. Each independent article or feature adds weight to your brand persona, and more importantly, gives editors something solid to cite.
Our market still struggles with limited media coverage. Most local businesses rely on self-published press releases or social media, which Wikipedia immediately reads as a publicity stunt. That’s why leveraging coverage from regional or national press is key. Publications like Prothom Alo, The Business Standard, and Dhaka Tribune may not be global giants, but they’re recognized for editorial independence.
Documentation
Keep a record of your history, milestone events, partnerships, awards, etc. Well, anything that paints a full picture of your evolution as a company. Wikipedia loves verifiable facts. That old photo of your first production line, the year your second branch opened; these things matter. They turn you from a faceless business into a story worth archiving.
Take Aarong, for example. Its Wikipedia page doesn’t list products or store locations; it highlights the brand’s objective of cultural preservation. Aarong literally translates to village fair in Bangla. That’s why consumers, as well as the media, see Aarong as more than a retailer; as a part of Bangladesh’s cultural economy. That’s the level of preparation every aspiring brand should aim for before even touching the “Create” button on Wikipedia.
Step 2: Drafting Your Wikipedia Page
Now that you’ve built a digital paper trail, it’s time to make your first move. A little heads up, everything you say will be questioned and analyzed. That’s why you should start with a draft. The “Articles for Creation” sandbox lets you build your page away from public view. A good structure looks like this:
- Intro/Lead: The elevator pitch version of your brand. Describe who you are and what you do in two or three sentences.
- History: How it all began: founders, year of inception, the humble origins, or the chaotic early days.
- Business/Operations: Describe your operational scale or reach, but ditch the “we are the leading provider” nonsense unless someone else (preferably The Daily Star, not your PR intern) said so first.
- Impact/Recognition: Awards, partnerships, or cultural footprints; anything that shows you matter beyond your revenue chart. If you’ve done something noteworthy, this is your humble brag section.
- References: The holy grail of Wikipedia. Inline citations from reliable, independent sources.
Wikipedia has an allergy to adjectives like “top,” “best,” or “renowned.” You can be all those things, but you need to stay humble. So, watch your tone. Take Haji Biryani, for instance. Its page doesn’t say “Dhaka’s most legendary biryani” (even though it absolutely is). Instead, it calmly states the facts: founded in 1939, steeped in Old Dhaka’s heritage, and recognized as a culinary institution. That’s how you play the game.
Step 3: Getting Verified
Once your draft is ready, you submit it through Articles for Creation (AfC). Think of this as the waiting room before Wikipedia decides whether your brand deserves permanent residency. After submission, your draft goes into a queue, where editors review it line by line. They’re looking for three things:
- Notability
- Reliability
- Neutrality
The most common reasons for rejection are painfully predictable. No reliable sources? Rejected. Too much marketing language? Rejected. Vague, unverifiable claims like “industry-leading” or “top brand”? Rejected. You can’t self-declare greatness. If it gets rejected, don’t take it personally. It’s not the end of the world; it’s just an editor saying, “Do better.”
Reviews can take weeks or even months, depending on the backlog. There’s no way to speed things up. Your draft sits in the queue until someone has the time to review it. In the meantime, keep improving your digital footprint. Sometimes the difference between rejection and approval is just one solid feature article.
Step 4: Keeping It Real
So, your Wikipedia page is live. Congratulations! But don’t get too comfortable. Once your page goes public, anyone (even a random Discord mod) can edit it. You can’t lock it down or delete negative bits just because you don’t like the sound of it.
The smart move is to monitor your page, not police it. Check for edits regularly, and make sure facts aren’t getting twisted. If someone vandalizes the page or inserts misinformation, you can flag it and bring it up on the Talk page. But resist the urge to “fix” things that are simply unflattering but factual; that’s not your call.
A good rhythm for maintenance is to review the page every six to twelve months. Refresh citations, replace dead links, and use archive.org to preserve pages before they disappear. And whatever you do, avoid the PR dump. If it feels like a lot, you can consider bringing in a digital marketing agency. They already monitor your brand’s online presence, so extending that to Wikipedia won’t be a big deal.
Bottom Line
Nobody’s going to Wikipedia to “feel inspired.” They’re going there to fact-check. When someone Googles your brand and sees a Wiki result on the first page, it instantly tells them: this brand is legitimate. Creating and maintaining a Wikipedia page proves that your brand earns attention beyond self-promotion. It gives your brand journey a place in the larger narrative.
Building a strong presence takes a lot of careful groundwork. From strengthening your digital footprint to navigating Wikipedia’s guidelines, every step matters. Now, if you need a co-pilot, Ngital is just one call away. We do whatever it takes to manage your digital footprint. You make moves, we make sure they leave a mark.
