Google released two major usability and security updates – the Speed and HTTPS “not secure” updates. These two major changes were released along with Chrome 68 and could have major affect on the number of people that use your website.
The Speed Update:
The Speed Update is particularly important as it affects mobile sites. Google algorithms already take speed into account when it comes to desktop sites, but it now ranks mobile sites based on speed as well. This update only affects those pages where speed impacts usability and it applies to all mobile pages regardless of the technology they are built with.
Nonetheless, search query is still one of the major ranking factors. This means that even a slower loading website can be ranked high if it is rich in relevant content. However, if you are building a new site, the amount of content you wish to use should be taken into account when designing your new website.
HTTPS:
From a security perspective, if you are taking or giving information, whether it's credit card details or personal details, it's imperative that information is kept safe and encrypted. This is normally done with an SSL certificate.
Google has pushed for this in the past by incentivising slightly higher rankings for websites with an SSL certificate. All sites that haven’t been migrated to HTTPS are marked as “not secure”.
Googles stats show:
- At least 68% of Chrome traffic on both Android and windows are on HTTPS
- At least 78% of Chrome traffic on both Chrome OS are on HTTPS
- 81 of the top 100 sites on the web use HTTPS by default
It's a no-brainer that a "this website is not secure would, you like to proceed?" question, is going to discourage a person from going to your site.
If your business is yet to have an SSL certificate and you wish to set one up, the team at Expert can help you out.
Contact us for an SSL certificate