want to drop in search results? ignore this step.
by becky livingston
the accountant’s social media handbook
in 2017, google implemented a mandatory requirement for all websites that appear in its chrome search engine to have an ssl certificate. that requirement went into full effect in july 2018.
more: quick tip: local seo | how to improve your mobile seo | how to research keywords | how long does it take to rank? | what is seo and why is it important?
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the protocol uses an ssl (secure sockets layer) certificate, which encrypts information sent between your website and its server. even if you have a sharefile, dropbox, portal, etc., on your site, ssl is an additional layer of protection for any forms that may be completed (e.g., contact us, lead generation forms, download forms, etc.), emails that may be sent, and more.
what does an ssl certificate do?
- protects your website and user information
- prevents “eavesdropping” and “phishing” via wifi connections
- adds seo “credits” to sites that are professionally maintained
- ensures encryption is applied to any site that takes payment transactions
- sets the foundation for future e-commerce for sites not yet selling online
what will this do to my site url?
once the ssl certificate is installed, your site’s domain will use https:// versus http://.
how do i get an ssl certificate?
contact your domain hosting provider (not the website hosting provider if you host the domain and site with two different providers). they should be able to walk you through the installation steps or, hopefully, do it for you.
do i have to change all the previous links i’ve shared with clients, in email and on social media?
no. most hosting companies will use an auto-redirect from the http:// domain to the https:// domain. this should happen instantaneously so the visitor doesn’t notice. once installed, begin using the https:// in all communications, such as email signatures, social media profile links, website footers, business communications, etc.
what will happen if i don’t do this?
your website will continue to work. however, your search results will be impacted significantly. in fact, after july 2018, if your site does not have an ssl certificate associated with the domain, a few things will happen:
- your site will be downgraded in the search results – meaning it will be forced past page 2 or further of the search results page.
- the url will display a broken or red padlock next to the domain name, which is meant to alert visitors that the site is insecure. it would look something like the following:
- a notice will be sent to you and/or your site admin about the insecure issue, along with a notification on the searcher’s results page, something like this:
notice to the site admin: the new warning is the first stage of a long-term plan to mark all pages served over the non-encrypted http protocol as “not secure.”
search result notice:
what can i do on my wordpress site once the ssl has been added to my domain host?
the wordpress “really simple ssl” plugin should be added to your site. complete the required elements once the plugin has been activated to help ensure your site content has been “relinked” with the https:// domain string.
best practice tip: rather than using an absolute link within the site’s content (e.g., domainname.com/media/sitelogo.com) use a relative link (e.g., /media/sitelogo.com), which would not need to be replaced once the ssl has been applied.
what else should i do?
in your website analytic program, change the domain setting from http:// to https://. they are considered two different protocols – one is secure and the other is not.
if you’re using webmaster tools, you will also need to
- add the new domain to the list,
- verify the account and
- run a scan of the site to make sure all the pages are considered secure.
finally, if you experience a broken padlock on your site, use whynopadlock.com to test the page’s url. that tool will show you what elements on the page are not ssl-ready; in most cases, it’s an image. if that’s the case, there are search-and-replace plugins you could use rather than manually changing all the images that are faulty.
in addition to implementing an ssl certificate, if you have the option to use a site lock on your hosting server, consider asking your provider to implement that as well. costs for both options could vary from provider to provider.