Search engines periodically change their policies to keep their networks secure.
One of the new updates Google implemented is to put a spotlight on encryption, which surprised a lot of website owners.
By doing so…
Upping their security standards, Google started to punish websites that were not equipped with hypertext transfer protocol secure (or HTTPS).
This sudden change caused a decrease in traffic for a lot of outdated sites and many website owners were taken aback.
But while it took some time and effort to adjust to this new scenario, this new security feature proved to be quite useful.
Here are just some of the benefits of having a website that has SSL security:
1. It protects sensitive information from scammers.
Thieves and scammers target vulnerable networks by intercepting their communication from server to server. Data is transferred by moving from your computer to the next server or the recipient of your message. If your message is not protected, your data is easily vulnerable to prying eyes.
Your customers and site visitors will expect you to keep their information private and secure. If they log in personal information on your website, hijackers can copy these and hack into their systems. Hacked systems can result to viruses and compromised accounts.
A secured website with a hypertext transfer protocol secure prefix will be able to keep sensitive data protected. To be able to do this, HTTPS encrypts the data so it is masked and coded, making it much harder for hackers to steal information.
2. E-commerce sites can handle payments independently.
E-commerce sites are required to have encryption because they handle credit card payments of their customers. If your site processes these kinds of transactions, it is important to comply to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Online shops and e-commerce sites will not be permitted to operate if they do not have an SSL certificate, unless a third-party handles their payments.
While having third-party services like Paypal handle your payments have benefits, they usually charge transaction fees, which can affect your company’s finances. Having an SSL-secured site will give your customers peace of mind when buying online from your website.
3. Avoid error messages on your site.
As search engines have updated their systems, they have also become more aggressive in punishing unsecure sites. A recent policy change has sent out a request for browsers to display a warning or error message on unsecured sites that ask for personal information. Google Chrome also informs users and displays warnings or will not load your page without an SSL certificate.
To maintain the credibility of your brand, avoid error messages and warnings on your pages, which can just scare your customers away.
4. Noticeable improvement on your page ranking.
Because Google largely prefers SSL-certified websites, unencrypted pages will not be prioritized. The search engines are not just punishing these sites with error messages and loading problems, they are also most likely ranked low compared to SSL-certified websites.
Encrypted websites will give you a better chance of a higher page ranking, leading to more user traffic and opportunities for sales.
