In 2014 Google reaffirmed its commitment to improving internet security by paying closer attention to how they rank websites that appear in their search listings. Recent figures suggest that they have taken a big step forward with this, rewarding sites with better rankings if they are secure. As one of the leading authorities on SEO Middlesbrough has, we work hard to stay up to date with news like this.
One thing that Google has looked to do to improve security is by offering better ranks for sites with HTTPS encryption. Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure is an encrypted version of HTTP. With it all communications between the browser and the website are secured. The protocol therefore ensures confidentiality and protection.
HTTPS was originally designed for sensitive websites such as online banking but has since expanded for use on any site where transactions are made, including e-commerce stores. Other sites can also use it to show their commitment to security.
According to data from this month HTTPS results on page 1 of Google searches exceeded 45% on the 10k tracking set. In June 2016 this number was 34%, showcasing how much security has grown in importance within less than a year. In the next three months the figure is expected to reach 50% with rises continuing in the future.
The data will send lots of businesses rushing to change to HTTPS or design new websites built in it. A change could cause a small drop in rankings in the short term but in the mid to long term these places should return and you can find yourself ranking higher than when you started in time.
At Web Consultancy we launched our new site in January. We built it in HTTPS to ensure it was secure and so our clients could have complete confidence when visiting it. You can tell it is secured on your browser by looking out for the padlock. If you click it the encryption will be verified.
As one of the most highly renowned providers of web design and SEO Middlesbrough has we always keep an eye out for important ranking factors and things that improve the experience for browsers. If you would like our advice, or want to see what kind of designs we could come up with for you, please get in touch.