Google adds SSL to search

Worried about people sniffing around your Internet traffic? Well, Google now has a peace of mind solution for you. They have very recently added access via https to encrypt all search data.

SSL is a communications protocol and stands for Secure Sockets Layer. The simple explanation is that it encrypts data that transfers over a website, thus keeping it safe. Its main use is for payment gateways where sensitive data such as credit card details are passed to a third party for processing, such as PayPal.

If you are familiar with SSL you will notice your browser bar going green when you visit https://www.google.com as this will confirm the data you send from the page is secure from anyone trying to look in.

SSL also means that referral strings will not be available to provide analytical data and as far as us SEOs are concerned, the removal of referrer strings will create a bit of havoc  in trying to determine which Google site and what keywords were used when a visitor lands on a website.

So, all in all, it is an interesting addition from the Google team. SSL is currently in beta and is likely to roll out to other services such as images and maps in the near future. We’d be interested to know how you get on with them.

Chris Hutchison
Web Developer / Designer