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Google Goals: A Secure Search Tipping Point on the Information Superhighway

By July 12, 2018July 14th, 2018Blog

Just when we think we’ve mastered all the idiosyncrasies of Google and its search logarithm, something else changes. This July, Google search users will have another layer of security internally triggered by Google. Normally, layers of website security updates happen on the developer side, but Google is vaulting the issue to the front of your search query—literally, in an attempt to protect its users and create a more secure internet experience. This is especially critical to sites with HIPAA regulations, banking, FDIC compliance and e-commerce of any kind.

So what will it look like?

A warning prompt for websites that are not SSL certified will alert the consumer that passage to their chosen website may not be safe, even if it really is. While many websites that are safe do not carry the SSL certification, Google is going to flag, and punish, the sites as the second layer of this update, burying those without the added security in search results below the domains that utilize it. This could effectively stop any Search Engine Marketing in its tracks if the SSL component is not engaged.

In basic terms, an SSL Certificate takes the ‘http’ piece of the URL and adds an ‘s’ to the end, standing for ‘secured.’ If the upgrade is not made and your website only carries the ‘http’ component, it will be subject to what industry experts are calling a proverbial scarletletter, deterring traffic from your site and not pushing the page or site to the top.

The SSL addition essentially unplugs the website from the formerly ‘unsecured’ internet universe and plugs it in to a ‘secured socket.’ This seemingly small adjustment is visible with the letter ‘s’ but also with a small padlock conveying the secure status while an unlocked padlock icon indicates a security risk. One last detail here… every single page URL must carry the https to fully convert the freshly secured version.

 

How do you add this to your site?

Talk to your web development company or go through your account representative at your agency and ask that it be added to your website hosting, and subsequently, every URL associated. That triggers another small process for your developers to complete which is invisible to the naked eye but that will route your site to the new secured socket.

It is NOT recommended that business owners try to integrate the SSL component themselves, due to the network of redirecting URLs and detours to complete. Leave it to us! An error during this upgrade could derail your website significantly.

There is one byte of a silver, yet invisible, lining here… If you are proactive about how your organization chooses to exist in the digital marketing space, you may be able to capitalize on this addition if you already carry the SSL certification (or make the upgrade now.) Between the SSL component and a solid Search Engine Marketing investment, your business in Google’s search rankings will be vaulted, safely and securely, to the front of the search query line.

Contact us today to add an SSL certificate to your website AND engage a search engine marketing initiative for the best results and efficacy in search engine optimization.

In a world of what feels like constant security breaches Google is your (cyber security) parent watching over your shoulder and calibrating it’s logarithm to the best practices for protection. Let us help you, your traffic and Google create a safer, more secure internet space.