As the digital world is completely getting congested, search engines and internet marketers are finding a hard time getting visibility for the website. You can see every other day there is a new update released by search engines. This is done to optimize the website quality and find it helpful for internet users. One such factor is by enabling HTTPS on a website. You need to be aware of how the SSL certificate helps in SEO ranking so that you don’t lose the competition on search engines.
You might have also observed that in the search results that you see on SERPs, almost 90% of the websites which are ranking have been integrated with HTTPS. This clearly shows that website security is one of the major factors in ranking the website.
The reason for this approach by the search engine is that they want the safe and secure website to be shown on the search engine results page. As it helps them to protect the user from data getting stolen or used for any other purpose. So they came up with steps in eliminating the user’s issue by making it mandatory for website owners to install SSL certificates.
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What is HTTPS?
The HTTPS stands for hypertext transfer protocol secure. You can usually notice this structure in front of a URL. This denotes that the website is secured with a security certificate that the users should not get worried about.
Without a security certificate, you can notice the HTTP version. This denotes that the website is not so secure and is not encrypted. You can also see on the Google Chrome browsers that they upfront notify that the website is not secure.
What is SSL?
The term SSL stands for secure socket layer. It is a platform that allows complete end-to-end communication between the user’s browser to the server that the website is connected to.
When you install an SSL certificate on a web server where the website is located, you can notice the HTTP getting converted to the HTTPS version. The SSL certificate is again divided into several subgroups. Depending upon the type of website, the website owner can opt for SSL.
The SSL certificate helps in protecting the data and the documents to upload on a server. It also creates a platform where you can authenticate your data and prevent cyber theft.
Benefits of enabling HTTPS version website with an SSL
There are many benefits of using the HTTPS version for your website. Starting from the safety of your data and the usage of data helps to improve the search engine position of your website. Below are some of the advantages that you need to be aware of.
1. Helps in ranking a website
One of the most primary reasons that digital marketers enable SSL certificates on the website is that it helps in improving the ranking position of their website. Is a tried and tested method and everyone has their own experience in Getting their website rank through the HTTPS version.
Google had released this update in 2014. It started giving advantages for a website that had a security certificate installed. Then slowly it started giving importance to all the other categories of the website.
As you know that the SSL certificate helps in ginning security and trust, the search engine considered it as a ranking signal. You can see many website publishers and owners when they have enabled the HTTPS version. This gave an instant boost to the search engine position and it became one of the most effective strategies for SEO.
Nowadays you can see on the search engine result pages that the majority of websites have been enabled with SSL. But there are still a few marketers who argue that HTTPS is not a ranking signal.
2. Banking transactions
Google used to come down heavily on the websites which were involved in financial transactions and had not been integrated with SSL certificates. Because the website had platforms in conducting transactions, there is an exchange between personal information towards the server. There are so many instances that personal data is being acquired by cyber attackers. This is the reason that Google made websites that are in the BFSI industry to integrate HTTPS versions mandatorily.
It’s not just the financial records are safe. If a user is registering on a website and is storing all their personal data, even those websites were prone to the attack.
You can also observe that this pattern had to be included in the privacy policy and terms and conditions page. As the website owner has to give the details of what are the safety measures that they are taking when a user is interested in the website.
3. HTTPS version is required to enable accelerated mobile pages
If you have a news website that is looking forward to implementing AMP for your website, you need to have a security certificate installed. Without this, the accelerated mobile pages don’t function on your site.
As you all are aware of how AMP plays a key part in racking your website. It is one of the effective strategies that SEO professionals use to outrank their competitors.
4. Benefits during executing ad campaigns
When you are looking forward to running a search engine ad campaign, HTTPS versions are required for the website to be integrated with.
As the promotional ad campaigns will be targeting users to either capture lead data or make a transaction. This is the reason that Google started to favorite websites that had SSL certificates. It was done to eliminate the malpractice conducted by web Publishers.
5. Helps in generating credibility
If you observe closely in the Google Chrome browser, they have started showing that the website is not secure if they see e the user accessing an HTTP version website. It is denoted on the top URL section that it makes the user step back from the website. It can be any type of website, e-commerce website, or blog. The Chrome browser automatically denotes that the website doesn’t have an SSL certificate and your data is unsafe.
This is the reason why website owners started installing SSL certificates on their domain. As it doesn’t only help in generating credibility but also creates a safe browsing experience for your audience.
Few web Publishers have integrated specialized SSL certificates on their websites. It is an organizational branding that appears within the SSL symbol. This instantly boosts and creates better engagement with the web visitor.
Challenges faced while integrating an SSL certificate
It is not so easy to integrate an SSL certificate on a website. Some limitations need to be addressed while implementing the HTTPS version.
1. Security certificate installation
This is one of the most challenging factors that publishes face while integrating an SSL certificate. As there are ways in installing an SSL certificate, but you need to see which will be the proper one.
Depending upon the type of web platform you have opted for the hosting package, the installation of an SSL certificate varies. There are reports which suggest that many websites haven’t integrated the proper HTTPS version. This can be due to the redirect issue or it can be the installation went wrong.
Always consult your hosting provider or opt for an SSL certificate from a reputed vendor. When you install the SSL certificate on the website, you need to ensure that it has been properly linked. You can also cross-check with your hosting support team. Give some time for the SSL certificate to get propagated with your web server. You can also use a third-party plugin to eliminate the redirection issues.
Related: What is 301 redirect?
2. The investment
The SSL certificate comes with the price. You can also get the free version of SSL but they are not so reliable. This is the reason that you need to opt for a security certificate from a trustworthy company.
The SSL certificate has many types of plans. Depending upon the type of website you have, you need to take the appropriate one.
If you have a website that is in the eCommerce or financial-related category, you need to have a premium SSL certificate enabled. If you have a blog, you can proceed with a basic SSL plan.
3. Variation in analytics data and ranking position
The data getting irritated analytics dashboard and ranking position is one of the most commonly observed patterns. But you need not worry, as it’s one time that you need to think about the future of your website.
It is a common instance when you changed all the HTTP links to HTTPS. Since the crawler will find a hard time distinguishing the URL change, there can be a slight drop in the analytics data and keyword ranking position.
The best way to deal with this situation is that you need to re-upload your site map to show the search engine knows that you have gone through the transition.
You may also want to consider building links and update your Google Analytics property. You will not find instant change between the versions, as the search engine needs some time to understand it.
Concluding thoughts
One thing is for sure that the SSL certificate has a greater impact on the ranking positions of your website. It doesn’t limit the only e from the search engine perspective, it also helps in increasing a better User experience for your website visitors.
Always prefer the SSL from a reliable vendor and ensure that it has been properly installed. Few vendors also offer support, backup and also provide better speed bandwidth. Depending upon your requirement and the customer reviews, you need to choose the right one.
Ensure that all the web pages have been converted from HTTP to HTTPS versions. You can use the help of SEO crawlers to check for any discrepancies.