SSL certificates play an important role in search engine optimization (SEO) rankings. As you work to refine and improve the function of your website to attract visitors, it’s important to consider the security of your site and just how important that is for organic rankings. How do the two relate? Does SSL help with SEO?
Let’s take a look at what these two features are and why they matter.
What Is an SSL Certificate?
Secured Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates are a layer of security for websites. These are small data files located on a web server that work as a type of padlock to ensure the connection received from a web server to a browser is secure.
What Is SEO?
SEO is a term you’ll hear a lot about when it comes to helping to get traffic to your website. SEO is a digital marketing strategy combining elements of content marketing, keyword research and technical improvements to help search engines like Google determine how valuable the information on your website is to the people looking for it. It’s the use of keywords, meta descriptions, and linking that helps search engines to see your website as valuable enough to rank it higher on a search result page. That higher ranking translates into more people finding you online.
It’s a good idea to put significant time into your SEO strategies. They can make or break your website, especially when there are multiple competitors in your area. Our SEO services can offer the help you need to get a top-rated SEO site in place if you’re not confident in the current site’s performance.
So, How Important Is SSL for SEO?
The question really comes down to determining why security matters to search engines like Google. Specifically, Google views security as a big factor when determining if a website is safe for its users to visit. Google has updated its algorithm to include SSL certificate use. That means websites that have this are more likely to be ranked well in search engines when compared to those websites that do not offer one.
It all comes down to trust. Google wants to send people to a website that is safe for them to use. If they go to a website that’s less safe and their personal information is stolen, that looks bad on Google’s behalf. That’s why the search engine giant has placed more importance on security for SEO ranking.
Google’s search engines look for HTTPS pages – that “s” at the end is the all-important security certificate. In other words, HTTPS pages will be the default result for a person searching when compared to a site that does not have this certificate.
What Are the Benefits of SSL Certificates?
Why does it really matter? These certificates may not seem like a big deal but they carry a number of benefits, including:
- These certificates help to affirm your company’s identity. That means people can trust that your website is authentic and trustworthy and not a duplicate or fake website used to capture information illegally.
- It improves customer trust. Many of today’s internet-savvy website users fully understand security matters. They look for the HTTPS prior to the website they’ve used. If you lack that, they don’t trust your site, and it costs you money.
- It protects data. By creating a better server-client communication opportunity, every component of information shared is encrypted. That means the date is locked and cannot be accessed by anyone else aside from the intended recipient. That’s important for all data, especially if you are getting personal information from your customers.
- It can help with PCI and DSS requirements. That’s important for eCommerce websites that plan to collect payment online.
- It improves search engine rankings. Google needs to see an SSL certificate to give your site that extra boost it needs.
What Is the Impact of SSL Certificates on E-commerce?
Let’s be clear. You can operate a website without HTTPS, but it introduces risks (and that includes liability risks to your company). If you are an e-commerce business selling to customers online directly, this is a critical investment. More customers today are trying to buy online during the pandemic – and sales are flourishing. Yet, if you are selling anything online, and you don’t have an SSL certificate in place, Google will throw up warnings to your customers and visitors warning them that the site is not safe and, therefore, they should not proceed. That’s going to cost you their business nearly every time.
What’s most important to remember is that this is an easy fix. With the use of an SSL certificate, you get the credibility that you need, but you also get the support of the search engines. Why not have one in place? It could enhance your business’s bottom line and reach customers more effectively.
Ready to Implement Some Changes to Boost Your SEO?
In 2022 there’s no doubt that online security matters, but it doesn’t have to be challenging (or expensive) to upgrade your website’s security, it can be easy and fast. Contact WDK to learn more about SSL certificates and how they can help your business website attract more organic traffic.
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