Definition
Wiki Spam involves inserting promotional links into articles on wikis open to editing, primarily wikis based on MediaWiki, DokuWiki, or other wiki engines. Wikipedia is the most coveted target due to its exceptional domain authority (DA 100), but its community of moderators (patrollers) is extremely reactive and spam edits are usually reverted within minutes. Spammers therefore preferentially target smaller, less moderated wikis: public company wikis, abandoned community wikis, or open-source project wikis. Wikipedia links have been nofollow since 2007, but referral traffic and indirect visibility remain motivations. Wiki spam tools automate account creation and page editing across hundreds of wikis. MediaWiki has protections including email confirmation, editing CAPTCHAs, URL blacklists (SpamBlacklist), and anti-abuse extensions. Wiki spam is considered vandalism and can lead to legal prosecution in some jurisdictions.
Key Points
- Targets wikis open to editing to insert promotional links
- Wikipedia links have been nofollow since 2007 and spam edits are reverted within minutes
- Unmoderated and abandoned wikis are the preferred targets for spammers
- MediaWiki offers protections: SpamBlacklist, CAPTCHA, AbuseFilter, email confirmation
Practical Examples
Wikipedia spam reverted in minutes
A spammer adds a link to their site in the Wikipedia 'Search engine optimization' article. A patroller detects the edit within 3 minutes via recent changes, reverts it, and blocks the account. The link had zero impact.
Unmoderated community wiki
A black hat identifies an open-source project wiki abandoned since 2018. They create dozens of pages with generated content and links. The links remain in place for months before the host shuts down the wiki.
SpamBlacklist protection
A MediaWiki administrator adds recurring spam domains to the SpamBlacklist extension. Any attempt to insert a link to these domains is automatically blocked with an error message.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not directly. All external links on Wikipedia have been nofollow since 2007, so they don't pass 'link juice'. However, a Wikipedia link can generate significant referral traffic and increase brand visibility. The only ethical way to get a Wikipedia link is to create content notable enough to be cited as a source by the community.
Main protections include: requiring email confirmation to edit, enabling CAPTCHAs, installing SpamBlacklist and AbuseFilter (MediaWiki extensions), limiting editing to confirmed users, setting up recent changes patrol, and blocking known spam IP ranges.
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Last updated: 2026-02-07