Organic Search Engine Optimization Tips #3 | Smart Affiliate Success
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Organic Search Engine Optimization Tips #3

Does your website URL starts with "https"? Or is it "http"?

Look! Studies have shown that​ websites start with "https" tend to rank higher in Google.

But before we look into how https can help with our organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO), let's understand the difference between "https" and "http" first...

​Understanding SSL Secure Certificates

SSL stands for ​Secure Sockets Layer. It's a system that allows websites to transfer data over an encrypted connection. If you are observant enough, you will notice that authority and big sites such as Facebook has their domain name starts with "https://" and this indicates the connection of SSL system.

The benefit of this is that the data in these websites are completely secured so it can support services such as online payments. (All decent sites that allow online transactions has SSL for sure.)​ In addition, it's been found out that search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo are giving more weights to websites which are served over SSL. What this means is that your site may be benefited by having a higher ranking if it's served over SSL. Isn't this an awesome SEO trick?

For your information, Google did announce that HTTPS is one of their ranking signal, meaning that it is one of the factors Google consider in their ranking algorithm.

For two website with very similar ranking score, Google will rank the one with HTTPS higher than the one without.

So, Do I need SSL?

It's a no-brainer for you to adopt SSL given that it helps your site rank better. However, you must be aware that switching your site to HTTPS is a serious and complicated project and it usually requires tech-gurus to do the job. What's more is that it can cost up to USD$100 per year, NOT INCLUDING setup fees and other costs from the server. So, it's not only a troublesome but also an expensive investment.

BUT...

You know what I found?! You can switch or setup a website over SSL connection for FREE as long as you are a Wealthy Affiliate member! (As you can see from the URL, this website is now encrypted with SSL) If you have websites hosted at other places, it's very easy for you to transfer your website to Wealthy Affiliate. You can then simply toggle on the SSL button and within 30 seconds everything is done for you. This is not exaggerated. It's totally true.

(You can find out more information about SSL within WA here. This is the formal announcement of launching SSL in WA.)

So, it's again a no-brainer to have your own SSL website hosted at Wealthy Affiliate.


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Jerry Huang
 

Jerry is a young aspiring Internet Entrepreneur who started his online business at the age of 18. He is currently a Full-time Affiliate Marketer at Wealthy Affiliate, a community to help anyone start their own online business without prior experience. He actually achieved Financial Independence at the young age of 21. Read more about his story here!

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 2 comments
King Ho - December 4, 2016

Hi Jerry, thank you for your wonderful and helpful tips!

Reply
    Jerry Huang - December 5, 2016

    No problem King! Thanks for stopping by:)

    Reply

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