How To Beat Wikipedia
How do you beat Wikipedia, the world’s number one free online encyclopedia, managed by thousands of passionate (and unpaid) editors, and a darling of Google?
In case you didn’t realize, Wikipedia already ranks top 10 for almost all popular search engine queries and keywords. Wikipedia’s main page has a PR (PageRank) of 8 and the English home page has a PR of 9.
Almost every topic than can be covered, has been covered (or will soon be covered) by this digital encyclopedia of sorts.
The fact is they have more in-depth and complete content compared to your website or blog, and the people writing this content don’t ask for payment. Tying to match Wikipedia in terms of content integrity and completeness is suicide.
So how do you beat a giant like this?
The answer is to NOT become another Wikipedia yourself.
Look at it this way - how many people actually read an encyclopedia?
Are you telling me that just because encyclopedias exist, no one sells a book or magazine or seminar? Of course not.
Encyclopedias suck and the only time you should be looking at an encyclopedia is when you need a point of reference when writing a serious publication or thesis.
So here’s Gobala Krishnan’s 5-step process to beating Wikipedia:
- Improve your writing style - You must improve your writing. If your writing is similar to the boring (although concise) Wikipedia text, you’re screwed. Inject your personality and develop your own style of writing. My style of writing is very plain, direct and personal. Some people choose to write in a more poetic / scholarly way. Whatever it is, improve your writing because it will set you apart and create a loyal readership base.
- Become more opinionated - People sitting on the fence sooner or later fall over. You either like something or hate it. If you’re neutral, you’re Wikipedia. Don’t become the best encyclopedia around; become the most dramatic blogger or writer. Express your feelings for a certain product or service you’ve tried, even if it means you may lose some affiliate commissions from your honesty. It’s ok if some people hate the way you completely flamed a product or service. In the long run people will still prefer to read what you have to say then read a similar page on Wikipedia.
- Stay current and relevant - Read up on your industry, and put yourself in a position where you understand not only the past, but also the present and future of certain topics in your market. Wikipedia can’t beat you if you can (based on your established position of an expert in a focused market) foretell the future and influence other to accept your views.
- Perfect your personal brand - You are a brand, market it. Make everything you write, everything you sell, your sites, your design and all of it smell, taste and feel like YOU. If it’s consistent enough, the moment someone looks at a site they would know it’s by you even before they read a line of text. Don’t brand yourself as a know-it-all; brand yourself as an expert in one specific field and people will love you for it.
- Don’t put all your eggs in SEO - Search engine optimization is great and all, but it only takes another 9 more Wikipedias to completely dominate the first page of Google. There’s absolutely no way you’re going to beat sites like that in terms of pure SEO. Focus more on social networking, making friends, finding new business partners, and creating more non-SEO-dependent sites. There are other ways to get traffic to your blogs than just search engines!
Basically, what I’m trying to say is that in you cannot beat Wikipedia at it’s own game. But if you change your game, you can kick the shit out of Wikipedia any day, at least as far as your online business is concerned.
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Very sound, very practical and excellent advices Bala!
Hey Gobala,
Your style of writing is very plain, direct and personal. My style of writing is full of emotions, metaphors and sick humor. You’re damn right about developing your own style making it DISTINCTLY yours.
- Khai
Your writing too has improved a LOT in the past couple of months, good job! I can actually imagine you verbally saying the things you write
Thanks Gobala,
Luckily, I have a good blogging ’sifu’… HAHA!
- Khai
I like you way of write. Simple and clear.
As you said, you will never beat the wiki. My only time using wiki is when I am looking for reference.
Thanks gobala, for a nice and very practical post.
Gobala, I like ur post on the Wiki
and you’re totally right, when I’m at Khai’s blog, i think to myself too ‘Gee, that sounds sooo like Khai!” - he really DOES write like he speaks 
Ooh, and love the very nice merdeka wordpress logo
*Grin
great to see your writing back..thanks for sharing
yeah..can implement these tips in my writing..hehe
Hm.. To improve writing we must refer to others blog..
Not do the same writing but just try to find the special of ‘otai’ blogger..
Sounds hard to implement for a newbie like me lol
Your comment:-
How many people actually read an encyclopedia? Are you telling me that just because encyclopedias exist, no one sells a book or magazine or seminar?
Wikipedia is:-
People read book or magazine or seminar to get latest info. Wikipedia allow instantaneous access to latest info. Information got updated and notated immediately. Why read book when you have latest issues of encyclopedia.
The only way to beat Wikipedia is by expressing you opinion. Wikipedia is notorious of trying to be nature, letting readers to decide their point of view. Most people however want quick answer, and do not want to read tons of material.
Select a topic that you are good at. State you opinion and why you believe it so. If people see your writing got substance, you will get converts. Wikipedia is:-
People read book or magazine or seminar to get latest info. Wikipedia allow instantaneous access to latest info. Got updated and notated immediately.