Authentication, Data Integrity and Encryption- these are the three specific areas that explain why Google is now encouraging HTTPS migration on websites.

Websites that will employ HTTPS do not only prevent wiretapping and other malicious activities but will now rank higher in Google as a result of the search engine’s long time effort to work with a more secured internet environment.

If you run a business website, compromising the privacy of your site is the least thing that you want to do knowing that there is an enormous amount of information and business intelligence that you need to protect.

On a recent blog post, Google explained that the HTTPS encryption will not only benefit webmasters through higher ranking but it can also help them to make internet a safer channel for information and communication.

"Beyond our own stuff, we're also working to make the internet safer more broadly. A big part of that is making sure that websites people access from Google are secure. For instance, we have created resources to help webmasters prevent and fix security breaches on their sites."

 What is HTTPS?

HTTPS is an acronym for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. If you wonder what is its difference with “http”, which is a primary communications protocol that allows web browsing and linking, HTTPS works with Secure Socket Layers (SSL) that indicates safe and secured internet transactions.

Before Google considered HTTPS as a ranking signal for websites, HTTPS has been used mostly by financial institutions and government sites that require highly secured and private web sessions.

How to check if Your Business Website Site is secured?

The first thing that you need to know is where to find the added security layer on your website or the “https” text or padlock icon.

The secured technology protocol “https”, appears as the first element on the URL (address) of the site found on the address bar (top section). This icon is usually used by web browsers such as Internet Explorer (IP) and Mozilla Firefox.

Another indicator that you are entering a secured site is a padlock icon usually found before the web address or URL.

These icons also serve as a warning device to web users who are about to make any ecommerce transaction on a certain site.

How can HTTPS Migration affect your Business Website and its Ranking?

Since Google stated that HTTPS is a ranking factor, SEO marketers and webmasters have felt the pressure to encrypt their own sites to HTTPS.

The good news about this transition is that Google will provide detailed instructions and tips on the proper encryption to make it easier to website owners and developers to understand the entire process.

Real Time Ranking Signal

Compared to Penguin and Panda algorithms, HTTPS ranking signal is real time. Meaning, once Google indexes your new URL as a secured site under HTTPS, you will immediately see a tiny boost on your ranking. It may not be as high as having high-quality content on your site, but, it can still affect your overall ranking algorithm.

As what the Google team stated:

"For now it's only a very lightweight signal - affecting fewer than one percent of global queries, and carrying less weight than other signals such as high-quality content - while we give webmasters time to switch to HTTPS.  But over time, we may decide to strengthen it, because we'd like to encourage all website owners to switch from HTTP to HTTPS to keep everyone safe on the web."

Google Boosts Ranking in a Per-URL Basis

Google’s HTTPS ranking signal will be on a per-URL basis. If you did not yet completed your website migration to HTTPS, Google will only acknowledge the pages with HTTPS URL when boosting your web rank.

The clear lesson here is, security is the main priority of Google when it promoted HTTPS as a ranking signal. If your site just wants to test out its benefits in terms of ranking, make sure you fully installed its encryption.

HTTPS Ranking Is a Standalone Signal

If you think that HTTPS ranking signal is just a part of Google Panda or other available algorithms nowadays, this is completely FALSE.

HTTPS ranking signal is an independent algorithm that works as a live algorithm that runs real-time (as mentioned earlier)

SSL Errors

Google also reiterated that SSL errors in Webmaster tools or search results are totally not related with the latest changes.

How can The Northern Office Get You There?

At The Northern Office,  security is also our priority.  We do not only build and design websites that can suit your target market but we defend your website from persistent threats, targeted attacks, malicious links, compromised websites and more with a proactive security protocol.

• Frequent on-site and off-site backups – We employ server-based, onsite, and offsite backups to guarantee a 100% data recovery in case of emergency.
• Infrastructure IP Penetration Testing- We evaluate the status of your IT systems and networks to check its compatibility before implementing new security procedures and system update.
• IP Security Monitoring- This is critical to ensure that your IT security policies are applied effectively to protect your site from any form of online threat.
• On Demand Web Application Assessment- Risk prevention is our key to keep our websites fully protected. We perform comprehensive and impartial evaluation of various applications before we apply and integrate them on our IT infrastructure.

Call us today at (+6345) 499.1082 or check our site to view the complete list of products we offer http://www.thenorthernoffice.com/

The internet is considered as the marketplace of the future. More than just being an effective channel for current events and information, the internet also serves as a gateway that connects customers to businesses and vice versa. With more than 2.5 billion internet users worldwide, there is a huge opportunity for any online marketer to become successful. The only problem is, how you can do it and who will help you to achieve a real online success. Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Optimization (SMO) and any online marketing effort points in the same direction- Page Rank.

Google Page Rank is influenced by the amount of traffic that your website generates. Page Rank (PR) is not a sole effort of the website but your social media accounts also contribute to web traffic and often coined as off-page optimization.

Easy Influx of Money The internet is the fastest source of information.  If you are a buyer who needs a certain product, the internet is the best solution to helping you find the potential companies that can offer you the product you want. If your company is not seen right on the first page, there is a much lower chance of you getting your products and services promoted to your target market. Profit always depends on the rate of sale to your new and returning customers.

Trustworthiness and Customer Loyalty Web users usually have this common notion that websites found on top of search results are more likely to be trusted than those on the lower pages. Well, this makes sense when it comes to Google/ Yahoo Trust Rank.  This method is applied by search engines to determine the trust level of a particular site that they want to rank higher on their pages. Customers find it easier to trust your products and services if they will see you on the top page knowing that Google or Yahoo did not bring you on the top spot without good reason.

More Links and Site Connections Sites with higher page rank are often considered as authority sites.  More people will click and visit your site and this creates a good opportunity to get more sponsors and add extra monetary value to your company/brand. And most importantly, if you have a higher PR, it will only take few minutes before your content gets indexed by Google.  Meaning, any update on your site will be easily seen on search engine results pages and this will lead to more search clicks and link visits. Do you want to see your website on the TOP spot?

The Northern Office can build and design your website according to your target market. We are a one-stop shop when it comes to your internet marketing needs. Call us today at +63 (045) 499-1082 or e-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..