Did you know that the question of whether a website uses an encrypted and secure connection (HTTPS) is now a ranking factor when it comes to online marketing? It has been well over a year now but many businesses online still use unsecured connections for their websites much to their discredit. Head to http://www.thinkbigonline.com/seo-services/ to learn more about out of the box SEO techniques used in online marketing.
Just how important is HTTPS in web marketing?
It is believed that Google’s push towards better website security began in August 2014 when the search engine made a major announcement prompting website owners to take steps to secure their websites. This of course means switching over to HTTPS; those that do will be rewarded with an added ranking signal. Back then secure and encrypted website connections didn’t carry much weight in determining page rank; estimates put the total number of affected queries at less than one percent. This was perhaps to give website owners time to switch over. But over a year later, website security as a ranking signal has gotten stronger and it is believed that it will continue to do so in line with Google’s efforts to keep everybody safe on the web.
Of course switching over to HTTPS certainly has its challenges and isn’t something that webmasters can do in a short period of time. It can also affect internet marketing in Sydney through ways that are not immediately apparent. While shifting over to HTTPS certainly has its rewards, it presents added challenges in effective web marketing. How exactly is this so? Two words – referral data.
How does HTTPS affect internet marketing in Sydney?
If you’ve been doing online marketing for quite some time then you would know that referral data pertains to be a crucial piece of information that tells you where your website traffic is coming from. This is useful for determining which version of a landing page is more effective in referring leads to your sales page.
With HTTPS, traffic flowing from an HTTPS website towards an HTTP does not pass referral data. This has a lot digital marketing experts concerned and for a good reason. More and more webmasters are switching over to HTTPS which means websites who fail to make the switch to better web security are going to continue losing referral data. Webmasters that own the latter won’t have a clue about where most of their traffic are coming from which places them at a huge disadvantage.
That said businesses should make the switch to HTTPS as quickly as possible. This not only ensures that your referral data remains intact but you’d be looking after the security of your users which is definitely important. Last but not least, Google will reward you with an added ranking signal and we could all use every bit of web marketing advantage that we can get our hands on.
Website security concerns are here and it’s not going to go away. As a matter of fact, its only going to get stronger and may one day be just as important as quality content as a ranking signal. Need help switching your business website over to HTTPS? Visit http://www.thinkbigonline.com/online-marketing-services/ and contact our consultants to discuss your needs with some of the best online marketing experts in the country!
