SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It refers to strategies and tactics used to push your website to higher results on search engines.
This information only applies to public wikis. For private wikis, we take every step possible to hide and insulate these wikis from unauthorized users.
Does MyWikis improve my wiki's SEO?
For public wikis, MyWikis automatically submits sitemaps of your wiki daily to Google. This allows them to easily crawl your wiki, which may boost your wiki's rankings in search. In addition, we already provide benefits such as:
- HTTPS protection for all wikis
- Fast loading speeds
- Page layout that's easy to navigate
Is my wiki guaranteed to have great SEO?
MyWikis provides you with the tools for success. Ultimately, it's up to you to create great content for your wiki so your wiki will be ranked high in search results.
An example of a MyWikis wiki with great SEO is the Toy Animal Wiki.
Please see the Resources section below for external info on how you can improve your wiki's SEO.
How can I improve my wiki's SEO?
Because MyWikis already submits sitemaps of your public wiki daily to Google, there's nothing else you need to do for Google to know your wiki exists unless you have a custom domain, in which case you may want to claim your website on Google Search Console and contact our support team for assistance when it requires you to perform site verification procedures.
You should also install the WikiSEO extension by using MyWikis Self Service. For more information on how to use it, visit the MediaWiki.org extension page for WikiSEO. The extension does not automatically improve your SEO. Use the SEO parser functions mentioned in the MediaWiki.org extension page for WikiSEO to start feeding search engines better information.
SEO is not always about ensuring Google can simply access your wiki's content. All public MyWikis wikis are indexed by Google, but Google may not choose your page to be displayed on Google. Factors that may lead to your wiki not being included on Google's search index include:
- The wiki is too new.
- The content is duplicated from elsewhere.
- There is not enough content on the page to be considered as significant enough for being included on Google.
- Google doesn't consider your wiki's page as "high enough quality".
Additionally, we recommend wikis particularly desiring better SEO to get their own custom domain for their wiki.
Read the Resources section of this page for more info on how to improve your wiki's SEO.
Wikis using a custom domain
Wikis using a custom domain are eligible to personally manage their wiki's SEO on Google Search Console. To start this process, please follow the steps listed at https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9008080 and also keep the following in mind:
- Go to Google Search Console and begin the process of claiming your site.
- Once you have gotten to the site verification stage, choose the "domain name provider" option.
- You can then make the changes to your domain's DNS settings.
With the domain name provider method, you will not need to contact MyWikis Support unless your wiki's domain has been grandfathered into our custom domain management program.