SSL certificates and SEO rankings: How important is SSL?

What is SSL?

SSL is the standard way for safeguarding an Internet connection or protecting sensitive data transmitted between two systems. It also prohibits hackers from accessing and modifying any sent information, including potentially sensitive personal data.

These two systems may be server-to-server connection or a server and a client. It does this by guaranteeing that any information transmitted across users & websites or even between systems stays unreadable.
SSL uses encryption techniques to jumble transmitted data, keeping hackers from accessing it while it is delivered across a network. In addition to names and addresses, such data could include credit card information as well as other financial information.

What information does HTTPS offer to users about a website?

HTTPS, on the other hand, is added to a website’s URL when it is protected by SSL certificate. You can simply read the certificate’s information, including:

• Domain Validation (DV) verifies just that the domain name covered by the certificate is controlled by the company that sought the certificate.

• Organization / Individual Validation (OV/IV) certificates contain the validated name of a business or other organization (OV) or a person (IV) (IV).

• Extended Validation (EV) certificates indicate the highest level of internet trust and necessitate the greatest validation effort by the CA. EV certificates are issued exclusively to corporations and other registered organizations, not to individuals, and contain the organization’s validated name.

Look for a padlock icon or a green bar at the top of your browser to determine whether a website employs SSL. You should be able to click on this symbol to examine the certificate holder’s information and adjust your SSL settings.

How do SSL certificates work?

The SSL works by simply ensuring that data transferred between either users and websites or simply between two systems remains unreadable. It employs encryption methods to jumble data in transit, prohibiting hackers to access, read, or interpret it as it travels over the network. This data includes potentially sensitive information such as names, addresses, credit card numbers, or other financial details. The process works like this.

• A web browser then tries to establish a connection between a website protected with SSL.

• The browser or web server requests that web servers identify itself.

• The server sends the browser or web server a copy of SSL certificates in response.

• The browser or web server checks whether it trusts SSL certificate in question. If it does, then it tells the server the same.

• Now, web servers need to reply only to a digitally signed confirmation to initiate an SSL-encrypted session.

• The encrypted data is then shared between the browser as well as the web servers.

Why do you need an SSL certificate?

SSL certificates are essential for Websites as they are needed to verify website ownership, keep user data secure, as well as prevent hackers and attackers from creating a fake version of their website. It additionally even instills confidence in users.

Keeping the personal or confidential information about users private is one of the most essential things to be paid attention to by websites, which is indeed possible with SSL certificates making it crucial for organizations.

SSL certificates empower to keep all online interactions done on the website private and assure users that the website is authentic and safe for sharing private information.

SSL certificates are required for all HTTPS web addresses, therefore making the certificate essential for businesses. SSL is used to encrypt all HTTPS communication before it is sent to HTTPS websites. HTTP sites without SSL certificates are typically labelled as “not secure” by browsers. A explicit warning is shown to users that the site may be untrustworthy which in turn motivates organizations who haven’t used SLL certificates to switch to it instead.

An SSL certificate helps with the following:

• Access credentials

• Credit card transactions as well as bank account information

• Personally identifiable information, including full name, address, date of birth, or phone number

• Legal documents as well as contracts

What are the benefits of HTTPs over HTTP?

1. Security

One of the primary advantages of HTTPS is that it increases security and trust. It safeguards users against man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks launched from compromised or unsecured networks. Such methods can be used by hackers to steal sensitive client information.

Implementing SSL protects any information communicated between the server and browser during a user’s session on your website. This is a crucial aspect of data protection and the new GDPR legislation governing the protection of personal data.

2. Encryption

Data encryption is one of the primary benefits of HTTPS. The transmission of data over HTTPS is always encrypted. Therefore, the information is highly protected. Even if the hackers manage to obtain this information, they will be unable to exploit it because it has been encrypted.

3. Ranking Higher of SERP

All the major search engines around the globe support encryption technology, so it will have a greater chance of appearing higher in search results when a website has SSL certificate as well as HTTPS enabled for it. Google uses the presence of an HTTPS connection as one of its ranking criteria. A website with an HTTPS certificate will rank higher than one without one.

Websites that often deal with money transfers, usernames, and passwords favor HTTPS as a result.

4. Enhanced Visibility

Ranking higher will increase your website’s search engine visibility. In addition to web optimization and marketing strategies, the organization’s website will benefit from SSL, which will increase its Google position.

5. High Traffic

Customers will click on your website with greater confidence when the website is more visible on SERP, resulting in an increase in traffic. Accordingly, ROI and conversion rates for organizations would increase instantly.

6. Threat Protection

Google penalizes harmful websites. SSL safeguards your website from phishing and other risks, so search engines will view it favorably and you won’t have to worry about site blockage.

7. Improved User Trust

Since your website will be verified and secured by SSL, visitors will be eager to transact with you. Thus, visitors will become possible consumers and shopping cart abandonment will decrease.

8. Branding

Customers will notice that a reputable CA has validated the business’s identification. They promised that the website they are using is legitimate. Thus, it contributes to brand building among customers, resulting in increased sales.

9. Integrity of Data on Website

SSL guarantees the integrity and encryption of sent data. Digital signature provides guarantee of communication integrity and ensures that no one will exploit travel information.

10. Reliability

The green padlock that appears next to the website’s URL always instils users with confidence that the site prioritizes security. If the website is trustworthy, customers will likely be willing to conduct transactions.

Do SSL Certificates Affect Search Rankings?

Yes, SSL certificates definitely affect the search rankings for a website.

Google has declared that getting an SSL Certificate is the simplest way for website owners to improve their SEO rankings. The Google ranking advantage for adopting SSL applies to all websites, regardless of whether they include personal information.

Google introduced improvements to its algorithm as early as 2014 to give preference to websites with an SSL certificate, and they have continued to do so ever since.

Google have even publicly declared that sites with SSL certificates will rank higher than those without. This is especially true when all other factors are equal. Safe sites make up only 1% of results, 40% of searches yield at least one SSL-secured site on the first page.

Even if your website lacks a shopping cart, login pages, or any financial or sensitive personal information, you can still benefit from having an SSL Certificate for SEO purposes.

However, note that SSL has a minor impact on SEO. Installing an SSL certificate on your website will have far less impact than producing regularly updated content and maintaining a robust inbound link profile. But, this does not imply that you should completely forget about them.

Which SSL to buy to boost SEO Ranking?

All certificates use the same 256-bit encryption and 2048-bit root key encryption, but each SSL certificate has a predefined usage and validity.

Extended Validation Certificates (EV SSL)

With an EV SSL, the Certificate Authority (CA) verifies the applicant’s eligibility to use a certain domain name and conducts a comprehensive investigation of the firm.

EV SSL Certificates are accessible for all business kinds, including government agencies and corporations and sole proprietorships. A second set of standards, the EV Audit Guidelines, specifies the conditions under which a CA must pass an audit in order to issue EV SSL Certificates. Annual audits are conducted to confirm the validity of the issuance procedure.

Benefits of Extended Validation Certificate (EV)

• Providing more confidence to visitors/clients

• Extended Validated SSL Certificates make fraud and phishing nearly difficult.

• Improve Google Page Rank

• Compatible with every significant Browser

• Certificate supports mobile devices.

• Enhance customer conversion by presenting a site seal

• An EV certificate will additionally display the company or organization’s name in green in the address bar.

For what kind of organization?

• Utilized by businesses and organizations that wish to provide their customers with the highest level of security.

• For e-commerce websites

• For the safety of all types of data communications & come with an SSL certificate.

Organization Validated Certificates (OV SSL)

The Certificate Authority (CA) verifies the applicant’s right to use a particular domain name and does a background check on the organization. When a consumer clicks on the Secure Site Seal, they are presented with additional company information that has been validated, enhancing their understanding of who is behind the website and their trust in it. Organization name also appears under the ON field in the certificate.

The benefits of organization Validated Certificate (OV)

• Providing more confidence to visitors/clients

• Improve Google PageRank – Enhance customer conversion by presenting a site seal

• OV certificate supports mobile devices.

• Compatible with every significant Browser

• Offers security of your data communications, such as a website login password.

• Let you persuaded visitors that your website is safe to take action.

For what kind of organization?

• OV certificates are utilized by organizations, governments, and other institutions who wish to offer visitors with an additional layer of trust. With this SSL Certificate, end users may verify that the company’s identity and website are secure.

• Appropriate for Business Websites of any organization.

Domain Validated SSL Certificates (DV SSL)

Domain Validated (DV) certificates in simple language are the minimum -identity-authenticated SSL certificates which can be obtained quickly and easily—just by a malicious bot. These SSL certificates are inexpensive certificates that just need demonstration and confirmation that an organization has ownership over a web domain where a certificate is desired.
To obtain a DV certificate for a web domain, a website owner will receive a confirmation email from the issuing CA to an email address listed in the domain’s WHOIS record. Additionally, note that DV certificates are typically used by websites that do not conduct business or credit card transactions.

The benefits of organization Domain Validated Certificate Benefits (DV)

• A fully functional certificate can be obtained within minutes.

• No company validation documents are required.

• This is the most affordable SSL certificate

• No Certificate Authority has verified and authenticated the owner’s identity.

For what kind of organization?

• This SSL Certificate is ideal if an urgent certificate is required.

• DV certificates are used by organizations for websites that simply require HTTPS or a safe and steady connection for webmail as well as the intranet among others.

Conclusion

SSL/TLS impacts security and search engine optimization and can determine whether your website outranks a competition or falls behind. SSL/TLS certificates should be implemented because they are excellent practice, not because you believe they will improve your search engine rankings.

Contact us if you need assistance starting up with SSL certificates or if you would like to take advantage of SSL security for life. We will be more than pleased to assist you!

SSL certificates and SEO rankings: How important is SSL?

What is SSL?

What information does HTTPS offer to users about a website?

How do SSL certificates work?

Why do you need an SSL certificate?