Google has started penalizing pages that collect data, and apparently any type of data – from simple forms to more sensitive information such as bank details – if they do not have an SSL certificate.
Google's penalty will become stricter throughout 2017 for pages that do not have this type of certificate and that engage in data collection through any means. Surveys, forms, or payment gateways are some of the most common ways to collect user information and, if we do not have this type of security certificate, our website will be seriously affected. Google's main measure against those websites that do not implement these certificates will be to penalize their SEO ranking. Additionally, for sites that have an ecommerce and do not have an SSL certificate, it will not only affect their ranking, but Google will also limit Google Shopping campaigns. This means that only ecommerce sites with an SSL certificate will be eligible for these campaigns.
What is an SSL certificate?
What advantages does an SSL certificate provide us?
- Greater protection for our clients and their data.
- Greater trust from our clients to provide their personal data through our website.
- We avoid being placed on SPAM lists.
- We avoid penalties to our SEO from Google and limitations on Google Shopping, and furthermore, simply by having the certificate we improve our ranking.
- Improves the performance of our website.
- We reduce the actions of potential fraudulent clients.
How do I know if a page has an SSL certificate?
To know if a page has this type of certificate, you just need to look at its link. Links (web addresses) that appear as "https" – instead of "http" – are those that have SSL security certificates.
How do I get the SSL certificate?
At this point we have two options:
- If we don't know how to do it ourselves, we can request the SSL certificate from our Hosting provider, who will charge us a little more per month to implement the certificate.
