Why Does Wikipedia Always Pop Up In Google Search Results & Should I Trust It?

When it comes to research, one of the easiest things to do is to click on the first link that shows up. Many times, that first link is Wikipedia, due to an algorithm based on SEO, keywords, and much more. As a company who creates websites, we know a thing or two about why Wikipedia rules the internet, and why we shouldn’t always trust its information.

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So why does Wikipedia dominate Google? For starters, it dominates almost every keyword on the internet. It is very unlikely that when you search a keyword that a Wikipedia link will not show above the fold. That is because of the widespread entry points and varied content that Wikipedia has

It allows Google to see how having content that is searched by many, can be determined best overall. This can make it incredibly hard for businesses to get their site to the top solely based on keywords.

Wikipedia Is Well-Established

Another factor that Google considers is age. With Google starting in 1998 and Wikipedia starting in 2001, that only leaves three years where Wikipedia was not present on the world’s largest search engine. But due to how long it has been around and used, Wikipedia has been deemed more legitimate in the eyes (and algorithms) of Google.

Wikipedia Has Excelled In Link Building

When it comes to the content that Wikipedia contains, one of the many reasons that it does so well is because it has other websites constantly referring traffic back to the encyclopedia. This tells Google that it has value and leads them to ranking Wikipedia higher in its SERPs (Search Engine Results Page).

So when someone uses a link from Wikipedia in their own work online and acknowledges it by including a backlink to click on, viewers are able to navigate themselves to the source of the information. Wikipedia itself has 1.7 billion of those external backlinks!

Not only does it dominate in backlinks, Wikipedia also has an impressive internal linking system. This means that all of the links inside the site create a full navigational menu that is easy to get around and understand for users. This gives Wikipedia an advantage against sites that are not easy to navigate and a higher ranking with Google.

How Trustworthy Is Wikipedia, Anyway?

But despite all of these reasons that bring it to the top of the search page, many people are still very skeptical of the information that is on the site. One of the main reasons is due to the fact that Wikipedia is known as the “free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.”

This means that no matter who you are, if you want to enter in any knowledge you might, or might not, have on a subject matter you can. This allows people from all over the world to submit their entries to be published for the rest to see. Meaning, a larger crowd and wider content for Wikipedia.

Know How To Find Credible Content—Online & Otherwise

But not all the information that is published can be deemed as the truth. Every day people are submitting information and changing what others wrote. This can lead to an increase in mixed information, meaning not all of it will be true.

It also means that what might have been true on Wikipedia one day, might be false the next. There is no knowing who might decide to change the information on a page and what information they may add or omit.

Although it is ranked highly by Google, you cannot always trust what you read on the internet. If you are going to use Wikipedia as your source, it is recommended that you check the sources that were used for the information published to identify whether or not the site is trustworthy.

But if you want to feel more confident in what you learn or the information you use, we recommend finding your information somewhere else.

Following these basic rules of identifying credible content online will go a long way in making your company blog an essential, trusted resource.