SSL Certificate: Why It’s Essential for SEO
SSL certificates are a critical factor when it comes to cybersecurity. A website’s vulnerability to cyber attacks and data loss can be significantly reduced by installing an SSL certificate. This is especially true if you have an e-commerce site. Since Google announced that SSL certificates are now considered a critical factor for search engine rankings, it is more important than ever to install an SSL certificate on your website.
Despite their positive impact, many marketers and website owners neglect to do so. Here’s why your website needs one.
What is an SSL Certificate
The technical explanation:
A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate is a technique for encrypting web communications between client and server systems. It also confirms the identity of the web server. This process ensures that the client is interacting with the individual or organization that the website claims to represent.
The basic explanation:
When you check Google search results, you will see both HTTP and HTTPS websites listed. Websites without an SSL (HTTP) certificate will be affected by Google’s SEO policies, as they will be marked as “Not Secure” if they do not have a valid certificate.
How does it affect SEO rankings?
Google has confirmed that a secure website with an SSL certificate will have an edge over websites that are not as secure, as long as other SEO factors remain the same.
It is important to understand that having an SSL certificate will not magically push your site to the top of search results. However, if you are taking care of other ranking factors (of which there are over 200) and doing all the other important things right, having an SSL certificate can provide a much-needed boost to outrank other websites in a tough and competitive niche.
Unencrypted websites without SSL certificates also do not provide a good user experience, which is a key factor penalized by Google. The indirect effect of having an insecure site ultimately leads to a demotion in rankings. The domino effect pushes the site further down.
Even for a content-based site without sensitive data, securing it with an SSL certificate is worth the investment to avoid search engine ranking penalties. Since your rankings will be hindered if your website does not have this security measure, you will not be able to attract the desired traffic to your site. In turn, this will make it more difficult to achieve the desired conversion rate. At the very least, the presence of the certificate helps to develop trust with the user.
Conclusion
As users become more aware of website security, SSL certificates will have a more significant influence on search engine rankings. This means that now is the right time to purchase an SSL certificate and be certain of security issues.
