Site security and user privacy are among the hottest topics in the technological community. Even search engine giants like Google are demanding tighter security regulations for the Internet moving forward. Thus, website owners must wonder if they must ensure their site complies with the best and current site security practices used in the industry today. If they have complied, their site will be favored in all current and future search engine results.
One of the top security measures for all website owners is to ensure their site is secure. This eases site users’ minds, as they know their favorite host is combating any threat of the website being hacked by outside sources. However, to achieve this goal, you must understand the importance of SSL Certificates and their role in the site’s SEO.
What is an SSL Certificate
A Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Certificate is a source that creates an encrypted connection between the web browser and the server. It creates an encrypted key that protects sensitive information that site users submit. When installed on a web server, an SSL Certificate activates the padlock and the https protocol after establishing a secure connection between the server and the browser.
An SSL Certificate is usually used to secure credit card transactions, data transfer, and login passwords from the site’s users. However, SSL certificates have recently become the norm when securing social media sites’ browsers. The idea is to bind a domain name, server, or hostname together with the company’s location and the host’s identity.
Website owners who want more site security will begin the process by researching all free and paid SSL Certificates offered by their hosting service. Depending on the provider, there are ways to acquire SSL Certificates. It could mean installing a WordPress plugin or re-routing your website through a cloud service, which may be an easier and more convenient way to gain immediate site security.
If neither option is viable, you may have to purchase an SSL Certificate elsewhere and install it manually on your server. Once a secure connection has been established, all web traffic between the server and the browser is also secured. Once the SSL Certificate is successfully manually installed on your server, the application protocol changes to HTTPS.
How Does an SSL Certificate Protect Your Site’s Users
All internet users choose a website that ensures their personal information offered while purchasing an item on the site’s store remains secure and that their identity is not threatened. This seems like a no-brainer, as no internet user wants their personal information or identity taken over by hackers. Secure websites are more appealing because they provide the comfort of knowing a user’s personal information offered to the site will be passed onto their server cryptically. Enhancing a user’s experience is your main site host job.
Owning a non-secure website lowers the rate of users completing a transaction on your site’s online store. All website hosts must understand that dangerous hackers want to disrupt and corrupt the digital universe. With security in mind, search engine browsers require all website owners to authenticate themselves by marking their site with an HTTP. This marking tells users that their site is secure as those websites without the “s” are labeled by Google and other browsers as not being secured.
They will often alert users not to visit those sites as they might be infected with a dangerous virus that could attach to a user’s mobile devices. Installing an SSL Certificate and having a fully secured website increases the likelihood of users being active on your site by creating an account to gain instant access via email alerts. It’s best to avoid any threat of being labeled a site vulnerable to cyber attacks from hackers and other unknown sources.
Would you happen to know if an SSL Certificate is required?
Technically, no website must have an SSL Certificate to become an active Internet member. However, all search engine browsers will inform users that entering your site is at their own risk as it has been deemed an unsecured website. One such service provider, Google, offers a warning page entitled “Not Secure” before logging onto a web page. Thus offering a choice to the user. If you aren’t going to access an SSL Certificate, consider creating a full warning page before allowing all users onto your site.
If your site isn’t secure, it leaves your users’ personal information vulnerable to would-be hackers. There is no worse feeling or death knoll to a website than sending an incoming email warning subscribers that their personal information might have been compromised due to your site being hacked by outside sources. So, keeping your website secure is essential, as it assures users that they can share personal information with your site’s server. Overall, your site’s commercial success is gained by enhancing a user’s experience, confidence to share personal information with your server, and trust in the site itself. An SSL Certificate will impact your SEO and current and future search engine rankings.
How Does an SSL Certificate Interact With SEO
An SSL Certificate is becoming more critical than ever for a website, especially in SEO and search engine rankings. Its significance has increased over time. Search engines reward secure sites and penalize those that fail to meet the strict guidelines. The statistical numbers lie in something other than increased traffic per search engine rankings based on websites with an SSL Certificate. Google continues to emphasize the importance of SSL Certificates, so websites either conform or suffer the consequences. The impact will be seen in their SEO rankings as the year progresses.
Google’s strict guidelines do require more mobile-friendly websites to become more secure. The hope is that this action becomes the standard among all websites, and unsecured sites will be forced to conform or risk being left behind. Internet users won’t feel confident on their websites because they need the site’s security to protect their personal information. All website owners need to keep their site secure because it will gain current and future benefits for all. Thus, it’s crucial to have an SSL Certificate to protect your website and site users and gain a more favorable SEO and search engine ranking.
