Does SSL Certificate boost your SEO and Website Ranking?
If you are a startup or small business, there is a good chance that you have heard about SSL certificates and its potential benefits for your website. You might be wondering if it really boosts SEO and website ranking. The answer is maybe or maybe not! However, it is still very essential for an online business owner to have an SSL Certificate on their site which can help improve their search engine rankings and enhance user trust.
The debate over whether an SSL Certificate boosts your SEO and website ranking has been going on for years. The truth is, while it may not!
Rank high on the SERP is everyone's dream However, the process of achieving it is not easy. It requires the right strategies and tools to make it happen. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate is one of those important tools that come in handy for website owners who are serious about improving their SEO and ranking on search engine result pages (SERP). But before moving on you need to know this first:
What is SSL certificate?
SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer, which provides an extra level of security for online portals. It encrypts all data exchanged between servers and users, protecting user information from cyber threats and ensuring privacy, and preventing unauthorized access.
An SSL certificate is a digital certificate issued by a trusted authority to secure data transmitted online and protect against hackers.
Websites that have an SSL certificate are like superheroes, entitled to the powerful HTTPS! It's the secure version of HTTP, like a secret code that keeps your online sessions encrypted. And here's the cool part - you can tell if you're connected to a safe website just by looking at the URL. If it starts with "https://" instead of "http://", you know you're in the fortress of digital security!
Websites that have an SSL certificate are like superheroes, entitled to the powerful HTTPS! It's the secure version of HTTP, like a secret code that keeps your online sessions encrypted. And here's the cool part - you can tell if you're connected to a safe website just by looking at the URL. If it starts with "https://" instead of "http://", you know you're in the fortress of digital security!
SSL Certificates are the guardians of your sensitive data, ensuring its safety on pages like login pages, shopping carts, and other forms with personal information. Say goodbye to the back-and-forth bounce between HTTP and HTTPS sessions!
Why is SSL important for Google?
Google played a significant role in promoting the adoption of SSL Certificates for serving data securely on the Internet. This was mainly driven by concerns for user security and privacy, leading Google to make HTTPS a ranking factor in 2014.
One challenge in adopting SSL Certificates was the technical process of obtaining an SSL certificate, which could be confusing, but Google provided a guide to help developers with the process.
In addition to being a ranking factor, HTTPS is also important for webmasters as it provides improved security and privacy for users, which builds trust in online services. Furthermore, if your website is not secured with an SSL certificate, you are at risk of being flagged as an insecure connection by most modern browsers.
As per the research stated on Serpwatch.io, more than 9o% of the browsing time on Google is HTTPS websites or a website secured with SSL Certificates. So, it's very important to get SSL certificates for your website.
3 Reasons why you should secure your website with SSL:
1. Trust: Having an SSL certificate on your website boosts user trust, increases engagement and conversions, and enhances brand reputation and customer loyalty.
2. Google Ranking Signal: An SSL Certificate is now considered one of the most important ranking signals by Google when determining the relevancy of websites for certain queries. As part of its mission to create safer internet experiences for its users, Google has made its algorithm easier for websites with HTTPS connections; this means that sites without an SSL Certificate will have difficulty showing up on SERPs unless they get one installed soon.
3. User experience: Having a secure domain or connection is essential for websites nowadays. Unsecured sites are marked with warning messages by browsers like Chrome, which can discourage visitors. Installing an SSL certificate can prevent these warnings and improve user experience, leading to better rankings in search engine results.
Does SSL have an impact on your SEO ranking?
Majority of the people say that having a secure website with SSL will make your website rank higher on the SERP, but not entirely true.
Google has said that having a secure website with SSL will act as a "tiebreaker " between two search results and gives a slight boost in search engine ranking, but it is not the only factor that affects your SEO.
A gentleman from Google, John Mueller is the first one who has always been on the point of HTTPS being a ranking Factor with weak ranking signals.
It is important to understand that SSL is just one of the 200+ ranking signals used by Google as listed by Brian Dean, hence, the Ranking factor like HTTPS is a lightweight signal that gives minimal SEO benefits, however, Having an SSL certificate will give you a slight edge over the websites without SSL in terms of SEO.
According to research stated on Serpwatch.io, after 2021 more than 95% of the websites on Google which is around more than 4 million websites used the default HTTPS, which means it has become a very common practice, which makes Google reduced the ranking benefits from using HTTPS
Although Google does consider SSL as one of the criteria for ranking websites, John Mueller cleared that there are other factors such as high-quality content, backlinks, site speed, etc. that also play a major role in increasing
However, having an SSL on your website does have its benefits; with HTTPS security you can prevent issues like malware and other malicious content from entering your website, which will ensure user safety and help you gain trust among your users
Which type of sites must use SSL?
Your Answer is an E-commerce website.
Even though now we know that HTTPS does not have a significant role in improving the SEO ranking of your website but it is still mandatory to have an SSL certificate if you own an e-commerce business and your website serves any of the following purposes:
- Accepts payments
- Handles sensitive data like credit card details, passwords, etc.
- Stores confidential information
- Monitors user behavior or activities
Hence having an SSL certificate create trust with your users, shows Google that you are taking security seriously, provides a better user experience, and may help you to your rank on SERP results.
But the real question is whether having SSL certificate can help you to rank higher on the SERP results.
Well, many people say that SSL certificates play an integral role in SEO as it is one of Google's Ranking factors.
What are the steps to obtain an SSL certificate for a website?
There are various types of SSL certificates according to your needs and requirements.
STEP 1
Choose the type of SSL Certificate best suited for your website or business.
STEP 2
Make sure that you purchase an SSL Certificate from a trusted source like Godaddy, Namecheap, etc.
STEP 3
Once you have purchased the certificate, generate a CSR (Certificate Signing Request) code and then submit it to the CA (Certificate Authority).
STEP 4
The CA will then validate the information provided in the CSR request and issue an approved certificate only after successful validation.
STEP 5
Install and configure the certificate on your web server. Once installed correctly, all communication between your browser and the server will be encrypted with secure protocols ensuring safe data exchange.
Conclusion
In conclusion to this article, it is clear that although having an SSL Certificate on your website gives you a slight boost in SEO ranking, there are other factors like content quality, backlinks, site speed, etc. that play a major role in increasing the search engine rankings.
Nonetheless, having an SSL certificate is still important in order to ensure user safety and gain their trust along with meeting the E-Commerce security standards.
In addition to helping you achieve better (not higher )SERP rankings, having an SSL certificate also helps protect user data from hackers and cybercriminals. It encrypts data passing between servers and users, ensuring privacy and preventing malicious activity. This keeps customer information safe from any potential threats while also inspiring trust among customers. After all, customers are more likely to make purchases from sites they know are secure than those without proper security measures in place.
By implementing an SSL certificate, you'll be hitting two birds with one stone - keeping your business safe online while skyrocketing your search engine visibility! Say goodbye to worries about customer data security and hello to higher SERPs rankings and consumer trust. It's a win-win-win situation!
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