Https Websites Flatter Ranking Factor

According to Google HTTPS opposed to HTTP websites is flattering the ranking factor. In a major shift, Google has made it official that it is rewarding websites using the HTTPS with a better ranking in the internet searches. In the last few months, Google has been running trials and errors to test the use of secure connections as an indicator in the ranking algorithms. The Google webmaster trends analysts Zineb Ait Ba hajji and Gary Illyes have written in a blog that they have seen positive results and hence they have started using HTTPS as a signal for better ranking.

Apparently, it is a lightweight signal and affects less than 1% of international queries. It also carries less weight age than other indicators as good quality content. Meanwhile, the analysts have decided to give webmasters more time to switch to HTTPS. However, time will tell if this parameter will be strengthened as Google plans to encourage all website owners to move to HTTPS from HTTP for safety reasons.

What is Https?

Https stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure. It is a version of the well-known http that helps transfer website pages over the internet. The S adds a level of security through data encryption. If your website supports https, the URL will be Domain. Browsers will add a padlock icon and highlight the address bar in green.

How HTTPS Affects Ranking

A few years back, Google made the announcement that website speed will be taken as a ranking indicator in the search algorithm. Consequently, a number of websites rushed to enhance their loading time. While users appreciated the improvement of speed, no one noted the direct effect it had on rankings.

Page speed is known as a modifier. If 2 web pages have relevant scores and similar quality, the deciding factor in ranking by Google is done on the basis of which page loads faster. Similarly, https looks like a modifier. 99% of searches take place whiteout even looking at https, but in those instances if the webpages are otherwise equal, the https factor might give you the edge.

In the help files, Google talks about the best methods to set up https, such as allowing search engines to see a website as secure by following the tips given below:

1. Redirect your users as well as search engines to https resource or page with the server side 301 http redirects.
2. Use qualified URLs as resources on the secure domain
3. Use protocol relevant URLs for other domains or upgrade your website links for directly linking to the https resource
4. Use a server which supports HSTS HTTP Strict Transport Security and make it enabled

In case or any queries or concerns, Google directs people to Webmaster Help Forums. The search for https in the forums pulls several conversations that take place already on the issue. In the future weeks, Google will publish the best practices in detail. Let’s watch out and keep our fingers crossed until then.

Does Page Rank Matter Anymore In SEO

In layman’s terms, the Page Rank or the PR is simply a number which is used by Google in order to determine how much weight a website carries. The PR can be anything between values of 0 to 9. A website with a better page ranking will have a higher number assigned to it.

Does It Matter?

If a website has a PR of 1, it will be quite easy to get it to a PR of 3. However getting a website with a PR of 5 to a PR of 8 will be difficult. According to numerous experts, the current Page Rank of all websites are no longer accurate. This means that Page Rank is not important anymore. Google usually used to update the Page Rank of websites on a regular basis. The updates are no longer performed by Google which leads to the current Page Rank of all websites becoming terribly inaccurate and outdated.

Why Has Page Rank Become Inconsequential?

There are quite a few reasons behind the diminished importance of Page Rank nowadays.

Purchase of Domains

Bidding for domains is a very lucrative business. It is something that most internet marketers will be familiar with. It is actually possible to get a very good domain by purchasing it for a reasonable amount of money. Sometimes, it is possible to a domain with a Page Rank greater than 5. Google already knows about this and they do not like it. By purchasing a domain with a better PR, it was easy to become one of the better sites in Google rankings. In order to prevent such questionable and manipulative practices, Google has decreased the importance it used to place on PR.

Website Flipping

Website flipping is another very popular business in the internet. An internet marketer would create a website and build it properly so that it manages to get a good PR. Once the website reaches targeted Page Rank, the website could have been sold for a good profit. Although such a business is not illegal in anyway, it is not something that Google likes. This is another reason that Google has stopped paying attention to Page Rank.

Changes in Search Results Display

Earlier, the Page Rank of the website would determine how high the website would be ranked in a search results page. However, this is no longer the case. Now a lot of websites with a lower PR gets the same search ranking or even better ranking than the websites with higher PR. This showcases the fact that Google is continuously decreasing the importance it used to place on PR.

Increase In Paid Advertising

The websites which spend money on Google Adwords will always show up at the top of a search results page. If Page Rank was still considered by Google, such a result would not have been possible. Google cannot be blamed for this particular change as they need to make money. Google earns the majority of its revenue through the AdWords.

Updates in Page Rank

Google is no longer updating the Page Rank of the websites. Even if it is updating the PR, the process seems to be excruciatingly slow. If Google actually used Page Rank anymore, it would have kept updating it on a more consistent and regular basis.