Technically, yes — anyone can start a Wikipedia article, including one about themselves. But Wikipedia's autobiography guideline strongly discourages it, and self-written pages are routinely deleted. The route that actually works: solid independent sources about you, and a neutral article written by an independent editor who knows Wikipedia's rules from the inside.

What Wikipedia's autobiography guideline actually says

Wikipedia's guideline on autobiographies does not ban writing about yourself — it says the practice is "strongly discouraged". The reasoning is simple: nobody can be neutral about themselves, and neutrality is one of Wikipedia's core content policies. You know which achievements deserve emphasis, which controversies feel unfair, which framing flatters. That knowledge is precisely the problem.

The related conflict-of-interest guideline goes a step further: people with a personal or financial connection to a subject are asked not to edit the article directly at all. Instead, they should propose an article for independent review or suggest corrections on the article's talk page, where uninvolved editors decide what gets in.

Why self-written pages get deleted

In practice, autobiographical articles fail in three predictable ways.

Promotional tone. A page that reads like a company bio or a LinkedIn summary can be speedily deleted as unambiguous advertising — no discussion required. Words like "leading", "renowned" and "innovative" are red flags, not selling points.

Thin sources. Pages built on your own website, press releases and interviews you arranged yourself fail Wikipedia's requirement for independent, reliable sources. Our overview of which sources count explains the distinction in detail.

Conflict of interest. A brand-new account whose only edits concern one person is spotted quickly. The article gets tagged, scrutinised and often nominated for deletion — and the deletion discussion becomes a public record attached to your name.

The notability test

Behind every deletion discussion sits one question: has independent media written substantively about this person? That is Wikipedia's notability standard. Multiple independent, reliable publications need to have covered you in depth — not mentioned you in passing, and not republished your press release. If that coverage does not exist yet, no amount of writing skill will fix it; the honest advice is to build coverage first. You can test your own situation against the criteria on our who qualifies page.

Not sure whether you would pass the notability test?

Request a confidential assessment — within 24 hours an honest judgment on whether your sources meet Wikipedia's standards, also when the answer is "not yet".

Request a confidential assessment

Three legitimate routes

1. Ask a genuinely independent person. Someone with no personal or financial stake in you can write the article, judge the sources at arm's length, and keep the tone neutral. Genuinely independent means exactly that: not your employee, your agency or your friend acting on instructions.

2. Work with a professional independent editor. Wikipedia allows professionally written pages when its rules are respected: neutrality, independent sourcing and the guidelines of the language edition. A good editor works within those rules, submits work for independent review and tells you honestly when a page is not feasible. What to look for is covered in our guide to hiring a Wikipedia editor.

3. Draft in userspace for review. If you do write yourself, do it transparently: create a draft in your user space or through Articles for Creation, disclose your connection, and submit it for review by experienced volunteers. It is slower, but it is the one self-service route Wikipedia itself endorses.

What it costs and how long it takes

Think in weeks, not days. Serious work starts with source research and an honest go/no-go assessment, followed by drafting, disclosure and usually an independent review — where the volunteer queue alone can take weeks. Realistic costs and timelines reflect that process.

Which is why offers promising "your page live in 7 days for $800" deserve suspicion. That speed is typically only achievable by skipping Wikipedia's rules and review processes. The predictable outcome: the page is deleted, the accounts are blocked, and the subject is left with a public deletion log instead of an article.

Frequently asked questions

Is it against the rules to write about yourself on Wikipedia?
It is not strictly forbidden, but Wikipedia's autobiography guideline strongly discourages it. The reasoning: nobody can write neutrally about themselves, and neutrality is a core content policy. The conflict-of-interest guideline asks people connected to a subject not to edit the article directly, but to propose an article or suggest changes on talk pages instead, so independent editors can review them. In practice, self-written pages attract extra scrutiny and are frequently deleted.
Can I pay someone to write my Wikipedia page?
Yes. Wikipedia allows professionally written pages when its rules are respected. A good independent editor knows the rules from the inside, follows the notability and neutrality rules, and cannot guarantee placement — because no honest editor can. Pages that bypass the rules get deleted, accounts get blocked, and the subject risks public embarrassment on the article's talk page.
Why do self-written pages get deleted?
Three recurring reasons. Promotional tone: articles that read like a company bio can be speedily deleted as unambiguous advertising. Thin sourcing: pages built on your own website, LinkedIn and press releases fail the requirement for independent, reliable sources. And conflict of interest: a new account whose only edits concern one person is quickly spotted, after which the article is tagged and often nominated for deletion. The deletion discussion then turns on one question — does independent coverage exist?
How long does it take to get a Wikipedia page?
Realistically weeks, sometimes months — not days. Serious work starts with source research and an honest notability assessment, followed by drafting, and often an independent review through Articles for Creation, where the volunteer review queue alone can take weeks. Be wary of offers promising a live page in days for a fixed fee: that speed is usually only possible by skipping disclosure and review, which is exactly what gets pages deleted later.

Further reading: Which sources count on Wikipedia · The notability standard · Conflict of interest explained