Does SEO Need HTTPS Validation?

Does your SEO need HTTPS validation?

When it comes to SEO boosting factors, the norm typically followed is extensive research and testing.

However, Google changed these factors when they informed the internet that;

They will be using HTTPS, as the top-ranking signal for the search engine results.

The reason to do so, is the information was circulating between the server and the browser in a plain text.

HTTPS has started to encode it with strong encryption.

Having said that website owners, and business organizations need to know the best and relevant practices for their websites.

And, one of the right way is to enable HTTPS on your website.

HTTPS, as the name indicates you with an extra level of security along with the additional markers;

Which you as a SEO marketer needs to be aware of.

When you facilitate HTTPS on your website, it provides a ranking boost.

However, do not expect once you have installed an HTTPS on your website it will instantly speed up your SERP rankings.

There are several other things one needs to do apart from having an HTTPS certificate installed-

1. One needs to have quality links on the website
2. Have creative social media tags
3. Perform regular site audits
4. Create quality and creative content
5. Keep updating innovative content on the website
6. Perform consistent on-page optimization
7. Taking care of any duplicate form of content
8. Reducing crawl errors

Another important point to note is that;

Keywords also play an important role and website owners should include the keywords where they matter the most.

These essentially need to be in the domain name, title, tagline, keywords, blog categories, page title, and page content.

You also need to choose one primary topic for your website and not multiple topics which will confuse the audience.

Moreover, you need to update your website frequently and look for any kind of irrelevant topics that can affect your rankings.

One more key point to note is that;

You should be having content wherein your audience can connect, and they should feel like going through the website.

The content and the design should not look like a robot and the user interface should be easy to understand.

So, if you have a plan to install an HTTPS certificate these are some of the above factors which need to be taken care of.

And, as well as, if you intend to take care of the challenges that come after having an HTTPS certificate for your website.

Websites can be greatly protected if one uses an HTTPS or an SSL certificate. Having an HTTPS can provide security in many ways such as-

• Essentially, it restricts Man in the Middle attack which makes your site more secure from any kind of cyber-attacks.
• It helps in encrypting all the communication which also includes the URL’S. it also protects the browsing history and important banking information such as credit card numbers and other transaction details.
• Also, it’s up to your website requirements that which is the exact kind of certificate you need.

Whenever any kind of website traffic passes from an HTTPS site to a non-HTTPS site, the referral data gets practically disappeared.

If you do an analytics report of the same, then you will find this report as ‘Direct’.

Now, the problem here lies is that;

Since, the traffic has shifted from an HTTPS to a non-HTTPS site, you do not know actually where the traffic is coming from?

So, if you switch from HTTP to HTTPS, then, the referral information is preserved and there are fewer chances of any kind of cyber-attacks.

Hence, it is always a good and safe idea to have HTTPS installed on your website which will be good for your SEO rankings.

Every good thing has to deal with a certain level of roadblocks and HTTPS is no exception.

Take a look at the several challenges;

Which business owners can face after having installed an HTTPS certificate on their website or personal blog.

Since HTTPS requires an extra level of top communication it is likely it will lower the speed of your website.

Now, the main issue here is that website speed itself is a ranking factor in SEO parameters.

And, if you are to install an HTTPS certificate then you also need to take care of this factor.

However, with the introduction of HTTP/2, the speed issue is solved now.

Moreover, this factor can be taken care of, if you follow these best practices;

• Reducing the size of your pages
• Minimizing the large number of browser requests
• Fixing mixed content warnings

Many websites need to pay a whooping cost to install SSL certificates.

For large websites this factor to some extent can be overlooked, however, it can be an issue for small websites.

But this can also be taken care of by switching to HTTPS completely for free.

Many SSL providers like resellers offer after-sales support regarding the installation of a certificate.

And, these providers take little charge if you want installation service.

So, it is best to purchase a low-cost or cheap SSL certificate from such providers.

As, the cost of purchase and installation charge will be covered under a single cost. You will be free from the worries of certificate installation.

While thinking of completely switching to HTTPS several other factors need to be taken care of and they are-

• One should not block any kind of important URLs
• It can so happen that completely switching to HTTPS can cause the browser bars to display warning signs.

Which can be the first red flag in driving the traffic away and increasing the bounce rate.

So, what should one do when one faces the above issues after installing the HTTPS certificate?

Should one completely do away with the latter or are there any solutions for the same?

I have compiled below a list of the best SEO and HTTPS web practices to have several advantages of installing an HTTPS certificate.

If installing an HTTPS is slowing down your website, then;

There are several other smart practices you can follow to take care of the same. I have mentioned some of those are;

1. You can reduce the size of your web page as bloated content can significantly reduce the loading time of your website.
2. You will need to be smart with your images as they also can reduce the loading time of your website. It is always recommended to use JPEG images as opposed to PNG images as one can reduce and compress the size of a PNG image. One also needs to correct the JPEG image quality.
3. To increase the speed of your web pages you can also cut down the number of requests the browser has to make. That includes less number of images,fewer Java Script files, few analytics parameters, and a clean and clear interface.

It is a no-brainer that if you want your website to look trustworthy and legitimate you would surely want to have an SSL certificate installed.

As, SSL certificates not only help protect the information for your website but also the information of your customers.

Also, you particularly need an SSL certificate if you are selling something online or are having an e-commerce website.

Having an SSL certificate will not only help boost your rankings but also provide several other benefits.

However, there are many available SSL certificates.There are several kinds of SSL certificates companies provide.

You need to choose them according to your budget, your website requirements, and the kind of protection they offer.

Knowing the key points of why SEO need HTTPS validation will surely make you think about its various types. These are;

Domain Validate Certificate

A domain validation certificate provides a primary level of protection.

It is the most basic SSL certificate and one only needs to prove that he has ownership over the domain that one is requesting for that particular certificate.

A domain validated certificate can cost anywhere from around $5 to $150.

Extended Validation Certificate

It can cost around $60 to $500 and provides a higher level of protection than a standard validation certificate.

Organization Validation Certificate

An organization validation certificate shows that you own a particular domain along with that it also shows that particular organization in a state, country, or city.

For an organization’s validation, one needs to use extra steps in verifying a company’s identity.

The organization validation certificate is costly compared to the rest of the domains.

Now, the thing to note here is that every kind of certificate is important as the needs of your website are different.

It makes no difference from the ranking’s point of view as to which certificate you install.

It is solely you as a website owner that you need to identify which kind of SSL certificate works the best for your website in terms of ranking and protection.

So, once you have identified which website works the best for you;

You need to create a good IP address, and also you need to have a separate IP address for every kind of certificate you want to use.

It is very easy to say that most of the web world now is moving towards HTTPS and SSL and in a few years, it might become the obvious thing.

However, website owners need to balance out the various uses of an HTTPS certificate and the complications which come while installing it.

I hope, after reading this article, you would have a clear idea of how HTTPS can be beneficial to your SEO strategy.

And, finally, you get to know why does your SEO need HTTPS validation!