When Google advises something about how they are ranking websites, it is worth sitting up and taking notice.
Last year Google announced it would be giving more preference to websites that use HTTPS. Google want all websites to switch from HTTP to HTTPS. The ultimate goal is to make the internet & websites safer and using SSL is a way of doing so.
We have been rolling this out on a bunch of clients sites and have seen a boost in their search engine rankings & level of enquiry. Google claim that this is only a “mild” ranking signal but may decide to strengthen it in the future – hint hint 😉
So what is SSL anyway?
Good question! It is a way of encrypting the link between the server the web browser. From a user’s perspective they will see a nice green padlock symbol in the address bar similar to this:
Green means GO right?
Not only do you get the ranking benefit but the other underlying message is trust. Trust in the fact that you are a company worth doing business with.
For a small annual investment, this is a worthwhile exercise.
Your host should be able to assist with the install & setup of your SSL certificate on your website.
