The internet is an ever changing ecosystem, with the lion’s share of changes and surprises coming from Google. In November of 2014, Google announced a new ranking signal: the use of HTTPS.
What is HTTPS?
HTTPS stands for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure”. When you see a website or link beginning with “https://” (as opposed to “https://”) it essentially means that your web traffic is encrypted and secure. You’ll typically see HTTPS when you’re signed in to your email, bank, shopping carts, etc. With all the recent data breaches, it stands to reason that Google is gently nudging all site owners to begin implementing more security measures.
Why is Google doing this?
Because Google controls so much of the SERP (search engine results page), they have a lot of say over how the internet runs. What they’re trying to do here is make the internet as a whole more secure, and this should be applauded — we’ve all seen the headlines about a major and massive security breach at one website or another. If you are running a WordPress website, you should definitely read our tips of how to secure WordPress.
What Now?
Google getting the ball rolling on HTTPS by encouraging website owners to embrace existing security technology. And in their own words, they say that HTTPS will be a “very lightweight signal” that they “may decide to strengthen over time”.
But when it comes to Google, a wink is as good as a nod — if they “suggest” that you do something to rank well, you should darn well do it!
Want to stay ahead of the Curve?
Let us Help You!
We’ve worked with several clients to implement HTTPS on their sites including purchasing SSL certificates and installing them on their webservers. If your company would like learn more about Lion’s Share’s security services, get a free quote here.
