Working in content marketing and SEO, it’s important to understand at least a little about the technical side of how the internet works. You don’t necessarily have to have a developer’s level of knowledge about these things, but understanding the important issues that clients are likely to face can give you a leg up in your marketing efforts. One of the technical issues that have recently become a hot topic of discussion among SEOs and content marketers is the need to move to a secure website with SSL and HTTPS.
Why is the Switch to HTTPS Necessary?
Many sites that deal with sensitive information, like banks, have been using secure sites for a long time. The need to properly encrypt user data across all types of websites that receive information from users has been a popular topic for a few years now. Without encryption, hackers were able to use bugs to read the data being exchanged over non-SSL sites.
While switching to HTTPS has been recommended for some time, it is now becoming necessary. In early 2017, Google began displaying a warning to users who access a non-secure site, letting them know their data may not be safe. This warning can deter potential visitors from visiting your site, so it is well worth your while to get rid of it.
What Does Switching Your Website to HTTPS Entail?
Changing your site to a secure one takes more than simply purchasing a secure certificate. To make sure the transition is smooth, there are a few steps you should take:
- Make sure to update all internal links to point to the right URL
- Redirect your HTTP URLs to HTTPS URLs
- Place your canonical tag in the website header to make sure all the redirects work properly
- Choose the right level of SSL for your site
- Work with your web designer to ensure a smooth transition
How Does a HTTPS Website Help Your Marketing?
When it comes to SEO, transitioning over to a secure site is a definite advantage. Google views having a secure site as an advantage, and they have confirmed that a secure site can help improve your rankings. Changing your site can help boost your organic SEO, and improve the number of clicks to your site.
How Do You Upgrade Your Site?
The easiest way to upgrade your site is by having an expert in web design and development handle the transition. Studio 72 is experienced in making the transition to a secure site a smooth and easy one and can help you avoid any downtime or issues for visitors to your site.
Making the transition to a secure site takes time and effort to be done properly, but you’ll find its worth the effort to do now instead of putting it off to a later date. Not only will it boost your SEO efforts, you’ll give visitors to your site the added confidence of knowing their information is protected.
Melissa Alexander is a Google and Hubspot certified digital marketer who blogs about content creation and inbound marketing at www.contentmarketingandmore.net.
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