Do SSL Certificates Affect Search Rankings?

Do you know that almost 70% of internet users believe current laws for protecting their rights are not good enough? And... currently (Dec 2017), just 5% of the top 1 million websites redirect users to a default HTTPS/SSL version!

No wonder Google has taken a strict stance to ensure that it protects the privacy of its consumers. They say security has always been a top priority'' for them. So, to implement an advanced secure connection for users, the search engine giant recently announced HTTPS as a ranking signal!

And, ever since Google made this announcement... Marketers around the world have gone into a frenzy...

Benefits of HTTPS / SSL

The main benefit of Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is that it provides a secure connection to users on the pages where they share personal data with you. It's great to have on your entire website. But, when a user shares precious info, like credit card details, HTTPS adds extra layers of protection. You'll need to install a Secure Socket Layer certificate (the protocol HTTPS uses) to ensure that data between your web server and browser remains private and secure. When an SSL certificate is installed on a web server, it acts as a padlock and a secure connection between the web server and the browser. An SSL certificate binds your domain name, server/host, company name and location. While how an SSL certificate works goes into more detail, you need to know this: Even if a hacker manages to intercept your data, he won't have the private key to decrypt it.

So put: HTTPS and SSL prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.

If you've installed an SSL certificate, IE, Chrome and Firefox etc., it will show the green light in the browser path/URL. (See one of our client's websites above: www.rtecshop.com) - Visitors might even get warnings on particular website pages that may prompt them to drop off your website if there is no SSL on some pages. (In particular, pages with form fields).

So will having an SSL certificate improve rankings in the SERPS (search engines)?

The short answer is" yes if you use Google", but currently", no if you use Bing".

Bing publicly announced they had no plans to give ranking boosts for HTTPS. Google explained: "We're starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal. For now, it's only a very lightweight signal - affecting fewer than 1% of global queries and carrying less weight than other signals, such as high-quality content. But over time, we may strengthen it because we'd like to encourage all website owners to switch from HTTP to HTTPS to keep everyone safe on the web."

Read the full article here.