It's not often you get SEO tips directly from Google. But just last week it was reported by Google that secure websites may start to enjoy a search boost. The search giant has started including secure SSL as a ranking factor. Google wants all websites to start becoming more secure and hopes that this latest update to its search algorithm will help to encourage this.
What's SSL and why is it important?
If you're unfamiliar with SSL, it's essentially those websites that appear as "HTTPS" as opposed to "HTTP", with the "S" standing for secure. SSL or (Secure Sockets Layers) is a security protocol that encrypts communication between a web server and a user's web browser. This makes it much harder for anyone "snooping in" to read and decipher the data being transferred.
What websites need an SSL certificate?
Any website that requires a password, or communicates financial, or other private information, should by default be using SSL to protect customer's information. It is this latest announcement that Google hopes will encourage more to follow suit.
Will the update affect your search rankings?
At the moment very few websites will be impacted as Google is putting very little weight on this factor when ranking websites. The Google team has said that it should affect less than 1% of global search queries, compared to much more important factors such as unique, high-quality content. Google also expressed that they want to give webmasters time to switch over to HTTPS, and plan to strengthen the impact of this ranking factor to encourage more sites to switch over to https. According to the Google Webmaster blog over time Google "may decide to strengthen it, because we'd like to encourage all website owners to switch from HTTP to HTTPS to keep everyone safe on the web."
Should you move towards SSL?
The only people that are going to be losing out, especially when Google increases the importance of this factor are those that aren't taking measures to secure their websites. For everyone else who uses SSL it will be a case of competing in terms of other important factors, such as social branding, unique content & backlinks.
How can you make your website more secure with SSL?
Although the SEO benefit may be small, for now, it's something that is certainly worth investing in. Not just for Google's sake, but for your customers too. By converting now you will be ready when Google decides they want to increase the weight it gives to SSL. Your website won't take a knock in search rankings when it happens. You can read Google's advice on notifying them of a URL change (from HTTP to HTTPS). In the past many businesses have been resistant of the move towards SSL due to the costs and speed issues. However the technology has become far more sophisticated and efficient, making it much more affordable and easier to manage.
Google aside, do you need an SSL Certificate? Probably
Some website owners are probably thinking why do I need an SSL Certificate if I don't collect personal information and don't perform financial transactions on my site? For one, if you have a form on your site to collect email addresses or other data on your prospects, some folks may be reluctant to leave information on an insecure page. That could be costing you revenue in the long run. If your site allows for customers to log in to their personal account or to see hidden pages by logging in, the prospect/customer can be taking a risk. Even a novice hacker can break down that type of exchange. Since many people use the same password for many applications, it is easy to see how a problem can develop.
You can often purchase an SSL from your web host, or through a dedicated SSL provider. Search "ssl providers comparison" and you'll have plenty of good information to help you decide what provider to choose.
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