Non-wildcard SSL risky for SEO?
-
I have a potential client who doesn't seem to be using wildcard SSLs in a multi-site scenario (over 40 sites) - what I'm wondering is the scope of Google's inspection of a site's SSL in this case:
- https://www.domain.com (good to go)
- https://domain.com (certificate error)
Will Googlebot/Google possibly consider the entire TLD insecure?
- Could the secured, www-version of the site end up with the "Site is not secure" message in the SERPs as well?
- Could this invisibly affect the client's rankings?
PS: Yes, I know that the right thing to do is go wildcard, but I need an answer to this before recommending a large purchase to them.
-
Yeah, I'd say that, if Google is typically indexing the "www" version, then you're probably ok, but you can't guarantee that. 301s/canonicals should help, too.
-
As a site-wide issue, any page URL exhibits the behavior (if you remove www)
The site's preferred setting in GSC is on www.domain.com, but I don't think this is a guarantee on indexing following that suggestion completely.
It seems to me the risk vector is dependent on googlebot's behavior in Google's black box so no guarantees.
I don't think they need to treat this as an emergency, but will work repair in soon.
thanks!
S
-
I can't find a reference for what I'm about to say, unfortunately, but I seem to recall Google suggesting that https is a per-page consideration (and that's consistent with Google's overall philosophy) and not domain-based. So, if your indexed pages are all on "www.domain.com" (for the most part) and that version is secured, you should be ok. I've used "www" specific certs and not seen any particular signs of a problem.
Of course, if you secure "www.domain.com" and then canonicalize your entire site to "domain.com," then that's going to be a problem.
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
-
Does a similar CMS fabric/theme used by 2 colleagues, cause SEO issues?
Does using the same CMS fabric/theme with substantially different content for each website but the same business address (on google places and the websites) cause SEO issues? For example: 2 colleagues with somewhat similar services located at the same business addresses desire to use the same CMS fabric /theme but will have different content on the sites. Will this hurt their SEO / should they use a different website skin/theme?
Web Design | | toti5880 -
Does having too many wordpress portfolio pages with little content hurt a site's SEO?
I have a site that is for a service company, not image based like a photographer or artist. We utilize the Portfolio feature to create a gallery of floor coating finishes (images of all the flooring finish options available) but this solution has created /portfolio/file-name pages for each image. These pages have no other content besides the image. I've run SEMrush audits on this site which shows a high percentage of pages with low text/code ratio and duplicate content (a lot of the finishes have very similar names). This site has been extremely slow to improve any visibility online (more than 9 months) and I'm wondering if this is a factor by possibly having a negative effect on our site. We initially chose the portfolio option because it was the best-looking solution for our users but we can certainly change it to another format if that is better. Thanks!
Web Design | | WillGMG0 -
Are photoshelters templates SEO friendly?
trying to figure out if photoshelters templates are SEO friendly. We are debating using photoshelter (already an image hosting partner we're using) and Wordpress. Any input much appreciated!
Web Design | | Majsan0 -
Responsive design to serve different page for IE8 - SEO Implications?
A client is planning on developing a responsive designed website which redirects visitors using IE8 to a static webpage that encourages users to visit in another browser. What are the SEO implications of a server redirect just for IE8 visitors? Possible solutions: would containing a link on the static page to "continue browsing" and give the visitor access to the entire site in IE8 work well? Or should a CSS overlay message appear to IE8 visitors, no redirect, that encourages them to visit in another browser? Or serving a separate stylesheet for IE8 visitors, and not giving a responsive experience be optimal? Any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated. Cheers, Alex
Web Design | | Alex.Weintraub0 -
Best Forum Platform from an SEO perspective
Hi All, I am looking to start a eCommerce business and would like to centre the user engagement of the site around a forum. Can anyone suggest a forum platform that adopts good SEO practice? So far my considerations are; phpBB vBulletin Wordpress with bbPress plugin Wordpress with Tal.ki plugin Anyone used these with great success? Do you have another suggestion? I am simply in the preliminary stage of sourcing something and am eager to here your thoughts... Thanks in advance... Dan
Web Design | | djlaidler0 -
Home page redirect - will this cause an SEO problem
Hello, We are using Wordpress to build a wiki site. The wiki plugin we're using (Wordpress Wiki lite) can only be set up on an internal page like nlpwiki(dot)org/wiki Can we redirect the home page to the /wiki subdirectory and use nlpwiki(dot)org/wiki as our home page? I've never done that, just wondering if it will be indexed as the home page or if there are any connonical issues. Thanks!
Web Design | | BobGW0 -
What is Best Platform to Build Website - SEO in mind
Hello... I am going to be creating two new websites shortly that will need to be built with SEO in mind. These will not be e-commerce sites, but instead will be informational with a couple pages of content on each. One will be used to get people to input their contact info and that info will be sent to our call center where we will call them back from. The other site will be heavily used for graphics, but still needs to have room for content (seo purposes)... Can you guys please recommend what platform i should have these sites written on (and please remember I need to do this on whatever is the most SEO-Friendly)... Thanks
Web Design | | Prime850 -
Website design for non-coders
Hi All Anyone any experience with using Headway Themes for wordpress. How does it compare to Artisteer 3 for ease of use for a non-coder. Does "Headway Themes" really allow for the designing of sharp business wordpress websites for people with no coding skills as it claims. Thanks Peter
Web Design | | peterds0