Google To Give Secure Sites A Ranking Boost
I know my clients are concerned about their rankings on major search engines. Google has announced that going to HTTPS (adding a SSL 2048-bit key certificate on your site) will give you an automatic ranking boost within the overall ranking algorithm. Google also encourages all website owners to switch from HTTP to HTTPS to keep everyone safe on the web.
SEO Concerns With Going HTTPS
Should you be concerned when switching from your HTTP to HTTPS site for SEO purposes? No. Google has been telling webmasters it is safe to do so for years. There is no better way to improve your website ranking than constantly adding new and relevant content to your site (for example, blogging) but having a site that is secured with an SSL certificate and fully responsive (designed to work on mobile devices – phone and tablets) is becoming just as important.
I build your site to be SEO ready and responsive and inform everyone about the benefits of always adding new and relevant content on their site. Until now I haven’t encouraged you to get an SSL certificate unless you accepted Credit Cards through a third party vendor, but the extra SEO bump on Google and visitor confidence with your site will now makes it more than worth it.
Who needs an SSL certificate most?
Having an SSL certificate on your site can never hurt you in any way, but there are some sites that should definitely have one. The https and the Green Lock that appear before your domain name in the address bar assure your visitors that you are who you say you are and that your site can be trusted. This is a feature more people are becoming aware of and no one (including you) should ever fill out a form, give your email address or make a purchase from a site that does not have it.
Here is a short list of questions about your site. If you find the answer is yes to several of them an SSL certificate is something you should have.
- Do you not have time to blog or update the info on your website regularly?
- Is your site not appearing on the first page of Google for key search terms?
- Do you sell goods and services on your site but DO NOT use a credit card service?
- Do you accept PayPal for payments on your website?
- Do you use contact forms on your site?
- Do you have a newsletter sign-up on your site?
Alternatively, here is a list of reasons you may not need a new SSL certificate.
- If you accept credit cards through a third party vendor you already have an SSL
- If your site is just an informational page
- If your site has no contact forms
- If you are NOT collecting emails for newsletters, entry forms or any other information.
- If you do not sell anything and collect no funds on your site
What this means for you
If you are concerned about your search engine rankings on your website then you should purchase an SSL certificate from your hosting account at jimmycrowhosting.com. A single SSL certificate is $50 per year. Email me and I will take care of it for you.
Package includes:
- Purchasing the Certificate for you (please make sure your CC on file is up to date)
- Installing the certificate
- Activating it on your site
- Reporting your domain change from http to https to Google Web Tools
- Reporting your domain change from http to https to Bing Web Tools
- Reporting your domain change from http to https to Yahoo Webmaster Tools
- Re-configuring your Google Analytics account and files
- Re-submitting your Sitemap to all major search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.)
I tell all my clients to practice Google’s #1 criteria for moving up search engine results (blog and update your sites constantly!) but if you are in a competitive market, an SSL may be the thing that puts you over the top. As Google advances its search engine algorithm a secure and encrypted site will continue to be an important ranking factor.
I rarely contact my clients, but believe this announcement by Google will make a difference in the performance of all of your sites. I encourage all new clients to include an SSL in their standard web hosting package and I felt it was important to update my current clients as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you found it informative. If you have any questions please email me at [email protected]