June 16th, 2010 by Susie

Ask any number of searchers what website they notice frequently within their search results pages (SERP’s), and they will more than likely say Wikipedia. Whether you are searching for pot plants or information about ancient roman ruins, it is highly likely that Wikipedia will make an appearance within your searches. The other noticeable thing about the presence of Wikipedia, is that it is usually one of the top rankings.

So what exactly is it that makes Wikipedia so popular, and gives it the ability to get top of page rankings time and time again, almost defying all logic and basic rules of search engine optimization. There is no mistaking that Wikipedia is packed full of information, which means there are hundreds, if not thousands, of opportunities for it to be relevant within searches, as the topics it contains are so vast and varied.

Despite content being posted by members of Wikipedia, there is no mistaking that the quality of the content is very strong. The people behind Wiki really seem to have got to grips with providing detailed information, and have certainly embraced the fact that it is an online encyclopaedia. Where there is strong and relevant content in such high demand, there is an obvious increase in interest from searches, and this is a site which literally feeds on its own success, and becomes bigger and better every step of the way.

Whilst arguably good content is probably one of the main reasons Wikipedia is so popular, it is not the only reason. The web designers behind the site were certainly very clever when they set this site up, and their link building strategies cannot be ignored. Every single web page within the website is linked to from the main Wikipedia domain. The main Wikipedia domain is exceptionally strong, and is favoured by many a search engine, making it a trusted source. As all the internal links are connected using clear and robust paths, each page benefits from this trusted source, meaning there are a lot of landing pages within this one site.

The other positive aspect on Wikipedia is that it has its own community. So it is not only searches from the likes of Google and Bing which will be looking for information, users from within the Wikipedia community will also be using it. This increases user relevance and click through rates to pages, which again makes for a much stronger, and more trusted, site.

Lastly, of course, are the keywords. The benefit of Wikipedia being an online encyclopaedia is that it can almost act like a dictionary when it comes to describing topics or specific words. This gives the site the added benefit of including multiple keyword variations, without it looking forced or unnatural, as the writer simply quotes the variation in a dictionary context, making it perfectly acceptable. Throughout all the content, relevant keyword links will also direct you to other pages within the site you may be interested in, resulting, overall, in a very effective website.

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