HTTPS UPDATES Google has long been a leader of safety on the internet. Whether consistently working to make their own sites safer or applying filters that remove risky sites from their search results, Google has been persistent on their efforts for a safer, less fraudulent internet. A few months ago, Google called for “HTTPS everywhere” across the web. Since then, countless web developers have been adopting the new HTTPS security technology. This is a good thing. It means that more and more websites are becoming more and more secure for users and masters alike. HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is basically the best communications protocol available online today. It ensures the most secure communications possible between servers. To put it simply, HTTPS is the classic HTTP protocol with Transport Layer Security/Secure Sockets Layer (TLS/SSL) put on top of it. (HTTP) + (TLS/SSL) = HTTPS. The main purpose for this new protocol is to prevent wiretapping or “man-in-the-middle” attacks. You don’t want those, both as a website owner and user. Taking it further, Google has been running a series of tests to see who is or isn’t using HTTPS. It turns out a lot of webmasters are. Because of this, Google is these tests as another filter for which websites make the top of their search results. Along with the Panda updates and many others, Google will now index sites that use HTTPS over sites that don’t. Now, this might sound like yet another annoying benchmark to meet. But for those who haven’t heard about this yet, you’re in luck. As of now, this new “filter” only affects approximately 1% of all global searches. Google representatives have said the reason for this is to give masters and developers a chance to adopt HTTPS. High quality content, as filtered through the Panda algorithms, is still one of the biggest things Google looks for when finding websites for users. Still, get on it. It is only a matter of time before HTTPS is the new standard for website security. Failing to incorporate HTTPS in your website(s) not only puts you at a dramatically higher risk of being hacked or having your personal information stolen, but your website also will fall lower and lower in Google search results. Lower standing on search results leads to less visits to your website, which leads to a smaller and smaller customer base for your business. For more info on HTTPS in general or to include it in your website, visit thesitevamp to contact us. By: Alec England, Columnist, The Site Vamp thesitevamp/https-updates/
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 04:00:00 +0000
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