HTTPS Now a Google Ranking Signal

Does your website use HTTPS encryption? If not, maybe it’s time you made the switch; especially as Google have recently announced that they’ve started using HTTPS as a ranking signal.

That’s right, it now seems that Google are striving to make the internet a safer place for us all and, while the change to their search algorithm currently affects less than 1% of global queries, it’s likely to become much larger in the future.

In Google’s own words: “we’d like to encourage all website owners to switch from HTTP to HTTPS to keep everyone safe on the web.”

And what better way to cajole webmasters into adopting secure, encrypted connections on their sites than this! But what is HTTPS and how can it benefit you and your website visitors?

The next time you visit your favourite website(s) take a quick look at your browser’s address bar and you’ll likely see either ‘HTTP’ or ‘HTTPS’ – the latter being the secure connections that Google are talking about. Furthermore, your browser will often show a padlock symbol to highlight that you are communicating over secure connection.

Traditionally, online banking and e-commerce websites used HTTPS to increase the security of the connection between them and their customer. However, it’s now much more common to see social media and news websites using secure connections.

Standard HTTP websites use port 80 for communication and are liable to man-in-the-middle and eavesdropping attacks, which allow attackers to get hold of sensitive information and website accounts.

A nice analogy that I came across on the internet likened website security to sending your credit card information via post. Unencrypted sites are the same as posting your details in a clear plastic envelope for all to see. Encrypted websites, however, see your data sent in secure envelopes that protect it in transit.

Now you might be wondering why all websites don’t use HTTPS as standard and the answer is simple – because it costs money. Today, however, SSL certificates can be picked up for just a few pounds a year, yet the benefits they afford are numerous.

Also, there were many people who believed that encryption added an unnecessary burden to a website and reduced its performance but advances in technology have eliminated this issue.

So, there really are no excuses not to implement secure, encrypted connections for your website. Especially as we hear more and more about data security breaches happening on a seemingly more regular basis nowadays. These types of cyber-attack are not only embarrassing but inevitably cost your business financially.

At the end of the day, visitors to your website want to feel safe while they are browsing your pages and/or logging into their personal/business accounts. Implementing HTTPS is a great way to promote trust between you and your customers/potential customers.

The final benefit is, of course the potential boost in search ranking that your site will get from using HTTPS. This might even be reason enough for you to make the change. Your competitors may already be using HTTPS on their websites, so don’t fall any further behind them in the search rankings.

Image courtesy of hyena reality / FreeDigitalPhotos.net