Is your website’s security affecting your SEO? Find out how to ensure your site is secure in this week’s Wednesday Workshop!

Welcome back to another Wednesday Workshop from Happy Hao Car!

As we’ve discussed before, there are over 200 ranking factors that can impact how well your site ranks in search results.

Some of these factors are big and obvious, like linkbuilding and title tag optimization.

However, one thing many people don’t consider is website security, which can actually impact how well you perform in search results.

Today, we’re going to break down how website security affects SEO.

Thankfully, all Happy Hao Car websites are secure.

If you don’t have a Happy Hao Car site yet, you may want to consider one; or at the very least, consider the impact the lack of security has on your site’s performance.

Google has said for years that website security is a big deal, and they regularly invest their resources in further securing their products.

Plus, a HubSpot study showed that 85% of users in the United States would leave a website if it was marked as “not secure” in their web browser.

This would affect your bounce rate, your sessions, your time on site, and much more.

So, this is definitely a big deal and something you need to fix if your site is not already secure.

Here are a few resources you should invest in to improve your website security:

• Use strong passwords on your site.

This one may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many people use a password such as “Password” or “123456.”

Using a mix of letters, numbers, symbols and cases can really amp up how secure your website password is, and prevent hackers from getting into your site’s back end.

• Keep your website’s apps and plugins up-to-date.

Some of the codes used in popular website tools are easily accessible, as they are open-source programs.

Keeping these apps up to date can minimize your risk of being hacked.

• Make sure your site has an SSL certificate.

Have you ever noticed that some URLs begin with “http” while others begin with “https?”

That extra letter shows you have a secure website connection and any data inputted is safe.

This is so crucial for car dealer sites, which may take online payments or process credit information in financing forms.

As I said, you don’t have to worry about this if you’re on a Happy Hao Car site; but not all other website providers offer the same level of protection.

Make sure you follow up with your web team to ensure that these things are taken care of.

That’s all the time we have left for today’s workshop.

As always, if you have questions or comments, leave ‘em down below and we’ll get back to you shortly.

We’ll see you next time with another Wednesday Workshop from Happy Hao Car.

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• AI Search Visitor Behavior
• AIO and GEO Aren’t Replacing SEO

Kelcey Drapp is an SEO Manager working at Happy Hao Car since 2015, and in the digital space for nearly a decade. Kelcey enjoys digging deep into SEO research to discover the 'why,' and helping clients realize their potential for success online. In addition to her work in local SEO, Kelcey also likes to volunteer her digital marketing skills for non-profits in need. When Kelcey is not working, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with her husband, son, & three dogs.

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