What is an SSL Certificate?
First, to understand how SSL certificates impact your search engine optimization, you need to know what is an SSL. A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a security tool for websites. It allows secure communication of data over the internet. That means, when data, such as your email, is communicated via a website form on a domain that has an SSL, that information is protected. An easy way to tell if your website has an SSL is to look at the domain in your browser. If your domain starts with an HTTPS instead of an HTTP, you have an SSL certificate.
It’s not magic, but not to get too technical, an SSL helps scramble the data from point A to point B. This helps prevent theft, hacking and corrupting of data. Domain Validation SSL (DV), Extended Validation SSL (EV) and Organization Validation SSL (OV) are the different types of SSL certifications you can get. EVs and OVs are for business and DVs for individuals. For this article we want to focus on the overall importance of just having it on your website, if curious about which one is for you, contact us today.
How SSL Helps Search
The important of SSL certificates are emphasized more and more by search engines. They have made it clear that security is important to them for users, and having SSL certificates is a ranking factor in search. This means if you don’t have a secure site, your organic search will suffer.
Keep in mind that high-quality content is still the best way to rank higher in Google search. An SSL certificate is just one more way to help. Color Fire will be helping switch over all our clients to SSL certifications. We will be reaching out and letting you know what this means and answering any questions you have about SSL certifications. The bottom line is that SSL certificates are good for your website and your clients. That is a win-win in our book
Do I Need an SSL for My Website?
Yes. Once upon a time, it was thought this was only really needed for websites with sensitive information, but that thought has changed. Nowadays everything is sensitive, such as your name and email, when it comes to the Internet. When a customer fills out a form on your site, it should be protected. This is where SSL certificates come into play.
Contact Color Fire today if you have any questions about how an SSL Certification will help your website.
