Google Latest Algorithmic Change about Https & Mobile Friendliness
-
How effective did it prove for anyone with the latest algorithmic change google search engine made for being mobile friendly and using https (valid ssl certificate). I see a good change being made under the ecommerce category for sites being used for online shopping. Let me know if anyone observes a major difference.
-
Looks like the question is legitimate and has generated some good discussion, but I've gone ahead and removed those links.
-
Is this not spam? It has contextual links that have nothing to do with the topic. We get these all the time on the forum I help manage.
-
Mobile friendliness does impact the search rankings but specifically on mobile platforms. You can see a quite apparent difference in rankings in desktop search and mobile search for same keywords. So, if you rank high in desktop searches doesn't guarantee high rankings in mobile searches as well if you don't have a mobile friendly website.
As far as HTTPS is concerned so it has nothing to do with your search rankings, it is just make your website secure. So, if you accept online payments, you should go with SSL to keep your website secure and safe. However, as Tom Roberts mentioned, you might see some drops in rankings while you migrate your website to SSL due to migration technicalities
-
Normally Google is making changes to their algorithm and it's SEOs who are trying to convince you that certain changes are beneficial. But full-site SSL is the exact reverse. Google says it's a (small) ranking factor and SEOs are the ones remaining to be convinced. Nobody has proven any kind of serious boost and I'm still dubious that it's a good decision from a pure SEO standpoint.
If you want to do your own experiment, use Cloudflare. It can serve up a SSL version of your site without a certificate (and thus free) and you can do your own test to see if full SSL is worth it to you without having to make any serious configuration changes (and you can always turn it off if you want)
-
Hi Joshua
From personal experience (won't cite external sources here) working with a number of sites:
The mobile friendly update - I've definitely seen an impact in mobile search. I think there's quite a clear handicap in mobile search if the webpage you're trying to rank for isn't mobile friendly (while desktop search looks to be unaffected).
Regarding SSL - I'm yet to be convinced. I've yet to see a strong correlation - or any correlation for that matter - between websites switching to HTTPS and seeing their rankings improved. I've followed my own sites, competitor sites, and industry trackers like SerpWoo on this and I don't think the impact is quite there (yet). In fact, I've seen more cases of companies migrating to SSL seeing rankings drop than improve, because of the problems they have faced in the migration.
In short:
Mobile Friendly - I do see this as a must for SEO.
SSL - treat it as a business decision, not an SEO one. If you're looking to integrate an onsite payment solution, for example, it makes sense for the site to be SSL.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
SEO - Google Local Listing & Same Day Delivery
Hi We are looking to offer same day delivery if you're in a 20 mile radius to us. I'm trying to do some research on how to optimise this for Google organic listings. Would this be the same as optimising for a local business listing? I'm not sure where to start. Thanks! Becky
Algorithm Updates | | BeckyKey0 -
Latest Best Practices for Single Page Applications
What are the latest best practices for SPA (single page application) experiences? Google is obviously crawling Javascript now, but is there any data to support that they crawl it as effectively as they do static content? Considering Bing (and Yahoo) as well as social (FB, Pinterest, etc) - what is the best practice that will cater to the lowest-common denominator bots and work across the board? Is a prerender solution still the advised route? Escaped fragments with snapshots at the expanded URLs, with SEO-friendly URL rewrites?
Algorithm Updates | | edmundsseo2 -
Google update January 2015
Hello, In January 2015, google changed its European Algorithm. The change decreased the ranking of some of our keywords but not all. See article for more evidence in google changing its algorithm. https://www.seroundtable.com/google-update-maybe-19760.html The biggest change was the keyword phrase ‘Wholesale Silver Jewellery’ which we ranked 1 in SERP, but now we’re nowhere to be seen. However, the change didn’t affect our keyword phrase ‘Wholesale Jewellery Silver’, ’Wholesale Silver’ and ‘Wholesale Jewellery. We’ve been through our data and see that all of our ’Silver Jewellery’ keyword phrases are no longer showing in the SERP. Further research has shown that our competitors were also dropped down the rankings for the same keyword phrase. Our question is: Why has this update affected certain keyword phrases, such as ‘silver jewellery’ but not ‘jewellery silver’ and how should we over come this? Additional Information
Algorithm Updates | | SilverStar1
If you type in our company name ‘Mainly Silver’ or ‘mainlysilver’ were still showing in SERP, however if you type ‘mainlysilver jewellery’ we’re no where to be found. We’ve even checked ‘site:mainlysilver.co.uk silver jewellery’ in google search and it returns with ‘no results found’. If you switch the keyword phrase, all our web pages are showing up Our website is - www.mainlysilver.co.uk0 -
Https & Google Updated Guidelines
Hi We have https on aspects of the site which users directly interact with, such as login, basket page. But we don't have https across the whole site. In light of Google adding it to their guidelines - is this something we need to put into action? Also same question on the Accessibility point Ensure that your pages are useful for readers with visual impairments, for example, by testing usability with a screen-reader. Are we going to be penalised if these are not added to our site? Thank you
Algorithm Updates | | BeckyKey0 -
Where can I find a breakdown of google search volume by specific industry/vertical? For example, what % of people searching in google are looking for housing? Cars? Restaurants?
I"m looking for specific breakdowns of search volume in google by: #1 Vertical (Shopping/restaurants/Services etc). For example, how many people are searching in google for information pertaining to restaurants per month? Search volume for all of 2012, 2013, 2014? #2 More granular categories within verticals, people searching for: books,apartment rentals,cellphones) Is there a breakdown of google search somewhere online that gives this type of information? Thank you MOZ community, really appreciate it!
Algorithm Updates | | AppleSauceRules0 -
Will Google discount new gTLDs?
I have the opportunity now to acquire a very desirable generic domain name with either the .org or .pro TLD. Obviously, the .pro version I can get for a far better price. The .org will probably end up being about 10x the price of the .pro. I feel like the .org would give me instant clout while the .pro might raise eyebrows. Also, I'm concerned that Google might also discount these new gTLDs. What do you guys think? Is the perceived authority of the old-time TLDs something worth investing in? Or will this fizzle away over time as the new gTLDs flood the market? THanks! Ira
Algorithm Updates | | iraweissman0 -
Fetch as Google in GWT - Functionality
Hi, For example, some of the HTML improvements notices from GWT, says dupe meta descriptions or titles, for pages that have since been 301 redirected or had a canonical tag added. So, my idea is to force google to read it using "Fetch as Google" - hoping that it will now see 301 redirection or the fix we have implemented. Does this work? How long does it take? Lastly, should I just click the "fetch as google" or should I also click on the "Submit to index" button? Thanks!
Algorithm Updates | | bjs20100 -
Proper Way To Submit A Reconsideration Request To Google
Hello, In previous posts, I was speaking about how we were penalized by Google for unnatural links. Basically 50,000 our of our 58,000 links were coming from 4-5 sites with the same exact anchor text and img alt tags. This obviously was causing our issues. Needless to say, I wen through the complete link profile to determine that all of the links besides this were of natrural origins. My question here is what is the accepted protocol of submitting a reinclusion request; For example, how long should it be? Should I disclose that I was in fact using paid links, and now that I removed (or at least nofollowed) them? I want to make sure that the request as good as it should so I can get our rankings up in a timely manner. Also, how long until the request is typically aknowledged? Thanks
Algorithm Updates | | BestOdds0