It is a part of website optimisation that is often overlooked; website security. When deciding which websites to prioritise, Google will choose those which are secure and that create a safe user experience. If your website is considered to be in any way insecure, Google is very likely to show your site further down in the search results – or even remove it altogether.
Here are some simple ways you can ensure your site is considered secure and even improve its search engine rankings.
Regular updates
Regularly updating your website is essential. Most WordPress sites use extra functionality provided by Plugins and these need to be updated to install security patches released by their authors. An out of date site is far more likely to be hacked and if this happens, your visitors will receive a warning not to proceed to your site.
SSL Certificates
If your website address starts with http:// rather than https:// this means that Google will view the site as “Not Secure”.
Getting a SSL certificate (a Secure Sockets Layer certificate) installed means you are providing your web visitors with protected server-client communication and encrypting all data in transit, protecting both of you from any web security vulnerabilities.
Google have previously confirmed that SSL certificates are a factor in search engine rankings. Certainly search engines prioritise those sites with SSLs in place.
Prevent ‘bad bots’ from accessing your site
A quarter of the traffic on your website could be “bad bots,” according to www.infosecurity-magazine.com. These are automated software that scan your site looking for vulnerabilities to exploit; including your client’s data.
Your hosting company can help you to stop these bots by installing security and caching software – which also has the benefit of speeding up your site, something that Google will appreciate.
Sign up to website maintenance
At Zonkey we provide WordPress maintenance and management services to keep your site secure and up to date. Sign up to our monthly maintenance service which provides regular site updates and security patches – find out more about WordPress Maintenance.