Do SSL Certificates Have an Affect on SEO Rank?

The 21st Century has brought about a huge change in how businesses promote themselves. The internet has become the largest and easiest way for companies to make their names known on a large scale, oftentimes making it an easy target for hackers around the globe. Google, like other large search engines and corporations, has taken notice.

With the release of Chrome 68 in July of 2018, Google announced that Non-HTTPS sites will now be declared “Not Secure” sites, acting as a beacon and warning off potential site visitors and potential customers. This is big news, but you may not fully understand all of the layers and implications this announcement can have on your business.

What is a HTTPS website? How does this announcement affect my current web page? Will it affect the traffic my website receives? Don’t worry. We’ve taken a moment to answer these questions and others to help you understand the importance of properly securing your site and protecting your company. Keep reading below and we will simplify what all of this means to you.

Protect Information Exchange with Secure Socket Layers

Acronyms can be confusing, so let’s break down what they mean. The “s” you find at the end of the “http” portion of a URL means the website represents an extra layer of protection. HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is a secure version of HTTP, the protocol in which data is sent between a website and a browser. These websites have something known as an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate that protects users by securing information in three separate layers:

  1. Data Integrity: Files will not be corrupted when transferred
  2. Authentication: Protects users from attacks
  3. Encryption: Makes users data hard to track, protecting their information from hackers.

The main benefit of HTTPS is it offers a secure connection to your website visitors where they can share personal data with you. For example, when a customer of an online vendor shares credit card details, HTTPS offers an additional layer of protection.

Taking a Deeper Look at SSL Certificates

To enjoy the benefits of HTTPS, you will need to install a SSL certificate. This will help ensure data between browsers and your web service stays secure and private. Once an SSL certificate installed on your server, it acts like a padlock  — engineering a secure connection between the browser and web server. While a hacker may find a way to intercept vital customer information — they will be unable to decrypt it or use it without the special key or code for your padlocked data.

Enhance Your Search Engine Optimization

If you don’t already know, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art of increasing the visibility of your website. Websites with higher visibility will attract more high-quality traffic, which have a higher probability to turn into paying customers. In short, a robust SEO strategy is similar to having a giant neon sign in the digital world that attracts customers looking for the products or services you offer.

Simply put, having an SEO strategy is a must-have for any business looking to capitalize on the 63,000 Google searches performed every second. And the security of your website can have a direct impact on SEO strategy and your ability to gain high visibility.

Are SSL and SEO Connected?

Yes! SSL and SEO are very connected. Research was conducted to understand the importance of an SSL certificate to SEO. The results were telling! After analyzing over 1 million search results on Google, it was concluded that having a Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure domain directly impacts the rankings on Google’s first page. This means not having an SSL certificate or an HTTPS site can cause your web page to have less visibility and less traffic. In addition:

  • Google Chrome will label HTTP sites as insecure, which can warn users away from your site because the connection isn’t secure.
  • HTTP sites will load much slower than HTTPS, and the speed at which a page loads is proven to be a huge SEO ranking factor.
  • Since 2014, Google’s ranking algorithm has included HTTPS as a signal.

However, not having a secure site can affect more than your traffic and search engine results page (SERP) positioning: it can affect your ability to convert sales.

  • A staggering 84% of users will ditch a purchase if their data is being transmitted over an insecure connection.

Contact Ready to Run for Assistance with SSL Certificates

Don’t scare visitors away from your site, increase the number of cart abandons, or lose valuable SEO positioning because your site isn’t secure. Instead, it’s vital to install the right SSL certificate to provide the best user experience. 

However, when it comes to choosing SSL certificates, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. Fortunately, the experts at Ready to Run Designs can help! We are a team of digital marketers and website design professionals who will guide you to the best SSL certificate based on your needs and goals.

Don’t wait! Contact Ready to Run today for assistance with SSL Certificates.

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