Wikidata
Wikidata is the free, collaborative knowledge base of the Wikimedia movement. Each item has a Q-ID, labels, descriptions, statements and identifiers, and all its structured data is CC0. For entity SEO it is a widely reused, machine-readable record that links your entity to identifiers elsewhere. Items must meet Wikidata’s notability policy and statements should be referenced.
What is Wikidata?
Wikidata is a free and open knowledge base that humans and machines can read and edit.[1] An item is identified by a Q-number and holds labels, descriptions, aliases, statements and sitelinks.[2] Statements pair a property with a value and can carry qualifiers and references.[3] Officially documented
Who qualifies for an item?
Wikidata’s notability policy accepts an item that meets at least one of three criteria:[4] Officially documented
- It has at least one valid sitelink to a Wikimedia page such as Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Wikisource or Commons.
- It refers to “a clearly identifiable conceptual or material entity that can be described using serious and publicly available references.”
- It “fulfills a structural need”, for example to make statements on other items more useful.
What should a good item include?
- A clear English label and a short description that separates it from same-named items.
- instance of (P31), official website (P856), location and founding facts.
- Official profile identifiers and authority IDs.[5]
- References for statements, ideally independent sources.[6]
How should you edit responsibly?
Wikidata is part of the Wikimedia projects, whose Terms of Use require disclosure of paid contributions.[7] Officially documented Add only verifiable facts, cite sources, do not add promotional text, and accept that community editors may change or delete items. Finding existing items is covered in finding entities in Wikidata.
Why does Wikidata matter for SEO?
Google has said Wikipedia is one commonly cited Knowledge Graph source among hundreds,[8] and Google provided mappings between Freebase and Wikidata when Freebase closed.[9] Google has not said how it uses Wikidata today, so treat an item as a well-structured public record, not a ranking lever. Practitioner practice
Frequently asked questions
Can I create a Wikidata item for my business?
If it meets the notability policy, usually through serious, publicly available references. Disclose any conflict of interest and cite sources.
Is a Wikidata item enough for a knowledge panel?
No. Google does not publish such a rule. It is one structured source among many.
What licence does Wikidata use?
Structured data in Wikidata is released under CC0.
See also
References
Pages accessed September 29, 2026 unless a date is given. See all sources and our editorial policy.
- ^ "Wikidata: Introduction". Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation).
- ^ "Help: Items". Wikidata.
- ^ "Help: Statements". Wikidata.
- ^ "Wikidata: Notability". Wikidata.
- ^ "Wikidata: Identifiers". Wikidata.
- ^ "Wikidata: Verifiability". Wikidata.
- ^ "Wikipedia: Paid-contribution disclosure". Wikipedia.
- ^ "A reintroduction to our Knowledge Graph and knowledge panels (Danny Sullivan)". Google (The Keyword). Published May 20, 2020.
- ^ "Freebase data dumps (Freebase API has been shut down)". Google for Developers.