Wikipedia will not let you create a page for yourself, your business, or your product without meeting strict notability standards first

Wikipedia's editors reject the vast majority of new pages submitted by people writing about themselves or their own organizations. Before you spend time writing, you need to understand that Wikipedia has a specific definition of notability — it is not about how important something feels to you, but whether independent sources have already written about it in reliable publications.

If you have never edited Wikipedia before, the platform will not let you create a new article at all. You must first make edits to existing pages, build a history as a contributor, and wait a set period of time. Even then, a page you create can be deleted within days if other editors vote it down. This guide explains how the process actually works, what stops most submissions, and whether creating a Wikipedia page is the right goal for what you are trying to do.

Key Takeaways

  • Wikipedia requires new editors to make several edits to existing articles and wait at least four days before they can create a new page.
  • Your page will be deleted if you cannot cite at least three independent, reliable sources that have written about your subject — not sources you control or created.
  • Wikipedia's notability standard means the subject must have received significant coverage in established newspapers, journals, or other publications, not just mentions online.
  • Pages about yourself, your business, or your product are flagged immediately as potential conflicts of interest and face much stricter scrutiny than other submissions.
  • If your page is deleted, you can request it again only after substantial new coverage appears in independent sources — usually months or years later.

The actual requirements before you can create anything

Wikipedia's technical barriers exist to prevent spam and low-quality submissions. You must have an account (which is free), and that account must be at least four days old. During those four days, you need to make at least ten edits to existing Wikipedia articles. These edits must be substantive — fixing typos or adding a single word counts, but the edits need to show you understand how Wikipedia works.

Once you meet these requirements, you will see a "Create" button in the top navigation. But meeting the technical requirements is the easy part. The hard part is that your new page must survive what happens next: other editors will review it, and if they believe it violates Wikipedia's content policies, they can nominate it for deletion.

Why Wikipedia deletes most new pages about people and organizations

Wikipedia has a policy called notability, and it is much stricter than you probably expect. The policy does not ask whether something is important or well-known. It asks whether independent, reliable sources have written about it. For a person or organization, you typically need at least three sources that are not controlled by you, not written by you, and not created primarily to promote you.

A Wikipedia article about you or your business will be deleted if the sources are: your own website, press releases you wrote, social media posts, blog posts you control, or articles from publications you own. It will also be deleted if the sources are just mentions — a quote in a news article does not count as coverage. The sources need to be substantive articles where your subject is the main focus, not a side mention.

Editors also look for conflict of interest. If you are writing about yourself, they will assume you are biased and will scrutinize your sources much more carefully. A page you create about your own company will be held to a higher standard than a page created by someone with no stake in it.

What counts as a reliable source on Wikipedia

Wikipedia maintains a list of publications it considers reliable. These include major newspapers (The New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal), established magazines (The Atlantic, Wired, The Economist), academic journals, and major news agencies. Local newspapers count. Trade publications in your industry count. Self-published sources, blogs, and social media do not.

The source needs to be about your subject, not just mention it. If a newspaper article is primarily about something else and mentions you in passing, that does not meet the standard. The article should have your name or organization in the headline or be substantially about what you do.

You also cannot use the same source multiple times to meet the three-source requirement. If one publication wrote three articles about you, Wikipedia will count that as one source, not three. The sources need to be independent of each other.

The actual steps to create a page if you meet the standards

Once your account is old enough and you have made your ten edits, go to the Wikipedia homepage and click the "Create" button. Search for the name of the article you want to create. If it does not exist, you will see an option to create it.

Write your article in a neutral, third-person tone. Do not use marketing language or promotional phrases. Wikipedia's style guide requires you to describe what something is, not argue why it is good. Include citations for every factual claim — click the "Cite" button in the editing toolbar to add references to your sources.

Before you publish, add a category tag at the bottom of the page (for example, [[Category:American businesspeople]] or [[Category:Technology companies]]). Then click "Publish changes" and write a brief description of what you created in the edit summary box.

What happens after you submit your page

Your page will be visible immediately, but other editors will review it. If they believe it violates Wikipedia's policies — usually because they think the subject is not notable or the sources are not reliable — they can nominate it for deletion. This starts a discussion that lasts seven days. Other editors vote, and a Wikipedia administrator makes a final decision.

If your page is deleted, you cannot immediately resubmit it. You would need to wait until your subject has received substantial new coverage in independent sources. For most people and small organizations, this means waiting months or years.

If your page survives, it is not finished. Other editors may edit it, add tags questioning its accuracy, or request sources for claims. You are allowed to edit your own page, but doing so frequently or making large changes will trigger warnings about conflict of interest. The best pages are ones where multiple editors contribute.

Alternatives if Wikipedia is not the right fit

If you do not meet Wikipedia's notability standard, there are other places to build an online presence. A personal website or blog is fully under your control and requires no approval process. LinkedIn allows you to create a professional profile. Industry-specific directories and databases often have lower barriers to entry than Wikipedia.

If your goal is to increase visibility online, Wikipedia may not be the most efficient use of your time. Wikipedia pages rank well in search results, but they take months or years to create and can be deleted. Building your own website, publishing articles in industry publications, or getting coverage in local news often produces faster results.

If you believe your subject genuinely meets Wikipedia's notability standard but your page was deleted, you can request a review. Go to the article's deletion discussion page and click "Restore this page" to request that an administrator restore it. You will need to explain what new sources have emerged since the deletion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pay someone to create a Wikipedia page for me?

Wikipedia prohibits paid editing. If you hire someone to create or edit a page about you or your business, and that person does not disclose the payment, it violates Wikipedia's conflict-of-interest policy. If discovered, the page will be deleted and the editor may be banned. Some services claim to offer Wikipedia page creation — these are either scams or they will violate Wikipedia's rules and get your page deleted.

What if I have sources but they are mostly from my own industry publications?

Industry publications count as reliable sources if they are independent and not controlled by you. However, Wikipedia editors will look for sources outside your industry as well. A page about a software company that cites only tech blogs will be viewed skeptically. Mix in coverage from general-interest publications, business news outlets, or major newspapers to strengthen your case.

How long does it take to get a Wikipedia page approved?

There is no formal approval process. Your page is live as soon as you publish it. If no one nominates it for deletion, it stays. If someone does nominate it, the deletion discussion lasts seven days. An administrator then decides. Most pages that will be deleted are deleted within the first few weeks.

Can I edit my Wikipedia page after it is created?

Yes, but edits by the page creator are watched closely. Other editors will assume you have a conflict of interest and may revert your changes. Major edits or frequent changes will trigger warnings. The healthiest Wikipedia pages are ones where multiple independent editors contribute, not just the subject.

What happens if my Wikipedia page is deleted and I want to try again?

You must wait until your subject has received substantial new coverage in independent sources since the deletion. For most subjects, this means waiting several months to a year. When you resubmit, cite the new sources and explain what has changed. Resubmitting too soon will result in another deletion and may get you flagged as a disruptive editor.