Website SSL certificate and https effect on website ranking
SLL certificate plays an important role in website ranking and here is how it can affect it. Read on to find out.
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10 minute(s) read
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Last updated:
Oct 16, 2020 |
If you are a frequent Internet user, you may have noticed this error that your connection to this site is not secure or display the message of not secure. Sometimes you won't even be allowed to view some content and get the error of secure connection failed or authentication error. These errors are because of a lack of
HTTPS
or an inaccurately configured
SSL certificate
.
Here is how website SSL certificate and https effect on
website ranking
Enhance bounce rate and visitors time
It can have a significant impact on bounce rates and visit time to the site. If you have not installed an SSL certificate on your site, site visitors will see a warning in the address bar that says not secure overlapped with a red X for all HTTPS pages not correctly configured. A high bounce rate increases the probability that Google will provide users with different results than competing sites with a lower bounce rate. High click-through rates indicate that users find the content they are looking for, but if your pages are not SSL certified, visitors may not trust you to continue on your site.
Rank you ahead
Independent research has found that Google prefers HTTPS URLs. Different studies have found a good relation between HTTPS and
high rankings in Google
SSL certificates may be enough to put you ahead of your competition.
Google's ranking algorithm
takes more than 200 factors into account, so an SSL certificate doesn't seem important at first glance. If your website is linked to another through any other ranking signal, using HTTPS may be enough to get them behind. If you are targeting very competitive keywords, it makes sense that you want an SSL certificate, even if it gives you a little boost.
Edge over competitor’s website
If your website is not HTTPS, cybercriminals can use it to their advantage as well. They can steal your visitor's information. Even information like contact numbers and email addresses can help you target your visitors because many of your visitors might visit your competitor's website instead of yours. HTTPS may give you an advantage over a similar competitor's site. On the other hand, if your website uses HTTP, your competition may use HTTPS as a small advantage to outperform your website and push it to the bottom of Google rankings . Installing an SSL certificate on your website is the new standard, a responsive design a few years ago. All the new websites should be launched with the application of SSL certificates.
This is how the SSL certificate affects your search ranking. The only way to protect yourself from this mess is to install the certificate on your web server. It is also your duty because visitors to your site visit your site with confidence. If that trust is broken and visitors' information is disclosed or stolen, they may never return to your site. Therefore, it is in everyone's best interest to protect your website with an SSL certificate.