Visibility of a website in organic search results is one of the most important factors for almost all companies acquiring customers online. Customers arrive at a specific company’s website by searching for a solution to their problem in a search engine. The position at which the company appears in the results determines whether the user sees it, clicks on it, and ultimately makes (or does not make) a purchase. That’s why website positioning (SEO – search engine optimization) is so important.

SSL Certificate and Search Engine Rankings

Google rarely states outright what actually impacts search positions. Usually, their announcements about changes in search algorithms are vague and boil down to Google making every effort to display websites that best match what users are currently looking for. An exception to this rule was Google’s behavior a few years ago—representatives clearly stated that Google would reward HTTPS websites with better page rankings, effectively rewarding companies that care about user security. Since then, SSL certificates have become a very important element of the SEO strategy for many companies.

Automatic Improvement

Implementing an SSL certificate is one of the few factors that can almost automatically improve a website’s position in search results. If the SSL certificate is correctly installed and configured, Google’s algorithms will recognize it as a factor that increases the website’s rating and visibility. In this sense, SSL certificates are a quick and easy SEO component to implement. Putting an SSL certificate in place does involve costs and requires proper planning. However, webmasters responsible for site optimization recommend it as a solution offering multiple benefits: increased security, higher user trust, and an improvement in organic search rankings.

Better Reach to Users

An SSL certificate not only protects customers’ data and ensures the confidentiality of transactions carried out via the website, but also increases the chances of attracting more customers. Google’s algorithm has adjusted its indexing system to favor HTTPS websites—automatically ranking them higher in search results compared to sites that do not have SSL certification.

SEO Isn’t Everything – Customers Will Simply Leave

Search rankings are only one aspect directly resulting from SSL certification. Even more important for business owners acquiring customers through websites is that Google Chrome has clearly labeled HTTP websites as unsecured. The browser displays warnings in the form of a red warning triangle alongside the “Not Secure” message before the URL of a site without SSL. It’s important to realize that any website with such a warning will generally be ignored by potential customers. Users are becoming more aware and do not want to spend time on a site indicating risky security. Moreover, they are certainly not going to make a purchase on such a site.

Your SEO Needs SSL

Although having an SSL certificate is just one of many factors affecting a site’s ranking, it’s worth realizing how much good it can do for a website. Visitors perceive secure sites as more credible. Higher positions in search results combined with greater trust in certified websites contribute to a higher probability of customers making a purchase.

If you don’t want your website traffic to plummet and negatively affect your SEO, you need an SSL protocol—check out the cheapest SSL DV certificates available now.