Did you know Google considers website security a top priority ? That's right! Your website needs to become totally secure to rank well on Google. In fact, the search engine giant is encouraging all websites on the internet to go from HTTP to 'HTTPS'. HTTPS (Hyper text Transfer Protocol Secure) websites are secure websites that encrypt user data exchanged between the browser and the server. A HTTPS website not only gives you added security for sensitive data but has other benefits as well. Here's why a HTTPS website is beneficial.
Security benefits
Let's say a user enters personal credentials into your website, which is then transmitted to your server. The data being transferred can be intercepted midway by third parties. This is a breach of security. This is why Google encourages the transition from HTTP to HTTPS via SSL (Secure Socket Layer) protocol. An HTTPS website encrypts all data before it is sent to the server. SSL certification also provides authentication, so you can make sure that your users are sending data to the right server.
So how do you make this transition? You can acquire a SSL certificate from SSL providers or your hosting service. On acquiring a SSL certificate you can select options to encrypt user data that is being shared over the internet. You can also secure your backend sessions.
SEO Benefits
While good content, site speed, and quality links are the major SEO affecting factors, Google is also taking security into consideration. As of now a SSL certification is only a 'light weight' factor that affects your website's rank. But Google is planning to modify its algorithm soon to award better ranking to HTTPS websites. So your website is going to have to make the transition not just for the security benefits, but to get better visibility on Google as well.
For a better SEO score with an HTTPS website, allow Google to crawl and index all your pages without blocking it in robots.txt.
Marketing Benefits
Getting a SSL certificate can also help you fine tune your marketing strategy. Here's how. When a user is directed from a HTTPS site to your HTTP website, you'll lose all the referral data and the source from where your visitor came in. Details like this are crucial when developing a marketing strategy. By going HTTPS you can retain all referral data so you can study the source of your traffic.
A SSL certified website also creates a sense of trust among your user base. However, you'll need to work out if your business really needs SSL. The benefits are great, but you might find it expensive to get your web host to install the certificate. HubSpot offers websites on its own platform a free certificate installation. When you're done setting up SSL for your website, you'll see the green padlock near your URL, meaning you website is now secure and trustworthy for users.
