Let us face it, when was the last time you thought of getting ‘website security’? Are you aware that the ranking of your website is directly proportional to the security you provide? About 82% of the users will stop browsing your website if they find your website insecure. Now, in the times when cybercriminal activities are the new talk of the town, imbibing insurance on your website is a must!
Once you start taking the right steps to track cybersecurity, you automatically pave the way for safeguarding your precious data on your system. There are many brands out there that spend a bulky volume of monetary budget on search engine optimization.
But what they miss out on is spending on the key, which is website security. All your SEO rankings blur away, without the protection. Here are a few bullets on how the absence of security affects your ranking:
Chances of being blacklisted are high
Look for the HTTPS sign
Devastating SEO Spam
Chances of being blacklisted are high: God forbid, but what if an unwanted or malicious software mauls your website, the security of your user’s information is compromised. For that, knowing the ball game of search engine optimization is a prerequisite.
Worse yet, if your website is marked as spam-like, Google can penalize you in no time. This deteriorates your online rankings, and if things do not get better, your website can be terminated too. If you want to stay in the game, you must learn the art of cybersecurity and offering your customers a safe place to shop.
Look for the HTTPS sign: There is no easier way to say this, but people will steer away from sites that do not have an HTTPS sign- all of the sites having HTTPS prove that the URL is secured and safe to use. Without the extra ‘S’ at the end, the data is not entirely encrypted and increases the chance of data breach and insecurity.
Fortunately, if you are dealing with multiple domains then, getting a multi-domain SSL certificate will come to your rescue. They will ensure the much-needed security is taking place. And that, none of the private data that the user is sharing, will not be hampered. Also, Google too prefers to rank HTTPS sites higher than the ones without it.
Devastating SEO Spam: The second a hacker gets into your website; he has all the entry to add spam-like links or keywords to your website. This is called as SEO spam. With this, a hacker has vast leverage to hack into your site’s ranking and play with the security aspect too.
This causes a massive negative impact on your website’s SEO ranking. Also, if it is not checked at the right time, there is a high chance that you can be penalized by Google or even banned as well. Therefore, peruse your site correctly and see that all the steps have been taken to lure security.
However, you must know that every problem has a solution. There are plenty of ways to affix this issue by imbuing the highest form of security onto your website. Here are a few tips to get some thinking:
- Yes to a multi-domain SSL certificate
- Start Updating your site and links
- Prep up with stronger passwords
Yes to a multi-domain SSL certificate
It is a given that an SSL or secure socket layer certificate is necessary if you wish to have better rankings when searched. When you get yourself an SSL certificate, you see will a significant increase in the number of users reaching your site, because of higher ranks.
This will not only augment the overall domain authority but also bring in more backlinks. Over and above, it will enhance the customer experience quotient and call for substantial user engagement. Seeing a secured website will show the customer that you are serious in the business and will revamp the trust factor as well.
Start Updating your site and links.
If you have not updated the links used in your site, now may be a good time to do so. Begin with updating every URL manually in your database. Do note to update these on a test server as you start, if that does not ring a bell to you then at least backup to stay on the safer side.
Also, if you have already set up any of the blocking guidelines, then it is recommended that you update to the HTTP versions first. And then, you should try and install your SSL certificate.
Prep up with stronger passwords
When you keep an easy password, you give away the key to your private information in the hands of a hacker. It is severely recommended that the password you put up is unhackable. You will find a lot of suggestions on the internet that train you with the dos and don’ts.
Pro Tip: Go for a password that has a combination of alphabets and numerical or in simpler terms, is alphanumeric. Aside from this, adding signs and symbols is a plus and adds an extra layer of security to your system. Also, one of the most dreadful mistakes that you can commit is keeping the same password. Do yourself a favor and refrain from doing that.
That is a Wrap
Be it online ranking, or SEO ranking – all of it depends on the level of website security you tend to provide. It is not a great idea to make Google your official anti-virus. Once you are unreliable and have been tagged with a ‘blacklist’ site, you will soon get a fall on ranks and visitors as well.
Follow the practices mentioned above, and you will see an enhancement in your site results. This will give you the HTTPS verified link and then invest in a website surveillance system too. This system will monitor all your data, even beyond the certification of your site.
