If you didn’t receive a notice, you may wonder why not and if you are missing out on something good, or dodging a bullet.

To clear up some confusion regarding the SEO ramifications of getting transitioned to the Mobile Index, let’s take a look at the basic facts as we know them.

What does it mean to be moved to Google Mobile-First Indexing?

Everyone has two versions of their website, the desktop and the mobile. Depending on who built the site and how they configured it, your mobile version may or may not have the same content as the desktop version.

Prior to the move, Google based your site’s rank on the performance and content found on the desktop version of your site.

After you’ve been moved to the Mobile-First Indexing, your Google determines your rank based on the mobile version of your site.

So, how do you know if your Google  rank changed and whether or not you need to fix issues with your mobile site? How can you be 100% positive you were moved and if not, can it still happen?

Let’s first figure out if the two versions of your site differ from one another.

Mobile-Friendly vs Mobile Responsive Websites

This may get a bit confusing because even web developers are guilty of using the terms “mobile-friendly” and “mobile responsive” interchangeably. The two differ and in this instance, it matters.

• Mobile-Friendly websites load and display well on mobile devices. If you do not have a mobile-friendly site, you could see higher bounce rates.
• Mobile responsive websites display content based on the device being used. This may mean that your scrolling banner, popup, or contact form does not appear on mobile. Instead,  your site displays more mobile-friendly content in its place.

The websites built by Effect Web Agency are both mobile-friendly AND mobile-responsive. This is ideal, but it also means your mobile site may not be the same as the desktop version.

How does Google decide who to move to Mobile-First Indexing?

Google has stated that they’re moving sites to mobile-first indexing when the two versions (desktop and mobile) are comparable. They have also said that there is no advantage or disadvantage for those that have been transitioned.

“Mobile-indexing is rolling out more broadly. Being indexed this way has no ranking advantage and operates independently from our mobile-friendly assessment.” – Google

The actual act of moving you will NOT move you up or down, but the CONTENT and PERFORMANCE of your mobile site could.

So, if you have not been moved, you are not missing out on a “ranking boost” but you do need to read on, because you may be affected in other ways.

Based on what we are being told, they are currently moving those with no significant difference between the two versions of their site. This would mean that hypothetically, those sites won’t see any impact to ranking or traffic with this change.

BUT… even though Google says that there should NOT be any significant change in ranking, we are seeing quite a bit of volatility (ups and downs) in ALL the websites we monitor. Early this month (Sept 2018), Google moved a large number of sites to the new index. Normally, a site can go weeks between Google crawls, but with the move, a lot of them are being re-indexed and re-evaluated. When one site moves up or down, it affects all the others in the stack. So, even if you were not moved, your rank could change based on those that were.

How will this affect you, and what should you do?

Once you’ve been moved, it’s irreversible and the word on the street is that eventually, all sites will transition to the Mobile Index. When you receive a notice that your site was transitioned, then take a look at your rankings and see how you were affected. If they fell, check your mobile site for performance issues. If everything is working as it should, then evaluate the content of your mobile site. You may need to invest in some basic search engine optimization or some content development.

If you haven’t been moved, then you should still evaluate your mobile site. Are there issues that are keeping you from transitioning? Keep in mind that mobile search is quickly becoming predominate. That’s the reason Google is making this change. People need to be able to find you on mobile and enjoy a good user experience.

How can you tell if you were moved to Mobile-First?

The owner and administrators who monitor the site’s Google Search Console will receive an email. This email tells them that the site has been moved. If you are afraid you might have missed the email, you can log in to Search Console. Go to the bottom of the left-hand menu and switch to the “old” or “classic” view. The new view does not show messages for all site versions. Once you are in the classic view, click on Search Console at the top and then view messages. If you were sent one, it will appear there.

Can you just do it for me?

Yes! We can.

Effect Web Agency can check to see if your site was moved. We will run a rankings report, and take a look at your mobile site. If there are issues, then we can help you fix them. We even offer an SEO Package to help you move up in the rankings.

All you have to do is call or send us an email.

Read:  How to Prepare for WordPress 5.0 & Gutenberg

The post Why Was(n’t) My Site Moved to Google Mobile-First Indexing? appeared first on Effect Web Agency.

As announced, Chrome will mark non-secure pages containing password and credit card input fields as Not Secure in the URL bar.

Why is Google Pushing for Encryption?

Under the radar, a movement has grown that will force all websites to employ encryption. This push for HTTPS to replace the common HTTP or hypertext transfer protocol seems to have taken root. Google announced plans that, in essence, penalize unencrypted websites. Their new policies regarding encryption went into Effect in January 2017.

The Need for Secure Websites

In 2015, U.S. prosecutors charged three men with the cyber-crime of stealing personal information from more than 100 million people. Unsubstantiated claims by Russian hackers stated that they have accessed over one billion usernames and passwords from Internet databases. A global study by the UN found that the chances of being a victim of cybercrime are 12% higher than being subjected to a physical crime.

Google Leads the Crusade for Internet Reform

Based on those sobering statistics, Google began its push for an “encrypted web.” Back in 2014, Google stepped up the campaign against unencrypted websites when, at their I/O Summit, they called for HTTPS to replace the less secure HTTP. 

To push the agenda forward, Google first drafted a proposal for the purpose of showing users that their HTTP did not provide data security. Next, they announced that websites with valid HTTPS would rank higher in their search results. In the past, SSL certificates were considered necessary only for websites dealing with banking or e-commerce. Other types of sensitive data, such as medical records, might have been encrypted, but the average blogger or informational site had no need for the certificate.

Google Changed the Structure of the Internet

By increasing the search rank of encrypted sites, Google changed the structure of the internet and the status of unencrypted websites. Since most websites base their viability on that first-page ranking, website owners must follow the new “rule” and obtain their SSL certificate to compete. However, Google is not the only proponent of encryption. Apple and Mozilla both speak strongly for required HTTPS. With these three companies behind the initiative, compliance is not really optional.

As a result, the United States government set a requirement for all .gov websites to be converted to HTTPS by December 2016. While most people would agree that their tax records and social security information needs to be protected, the majority may not feel the same way about local blogs and community bulletin boards. However, the push required ALL internet websites to use HTTPS.

What Does This Mean for Unencrypted Websites?

First, Google displayed a red padlock with an “x” on websites with e-commerce or where visitors logged in that were not already secured through HTTPS. Then, Google began marking ALL non-HTTPS pages collecting sensitive information as “Not Secure.” 

The Pros and Cons of Using SSL

So, what does it matter? Are there drawbacks to switching all websites to HTTPS?

First, let’s take a look at the positive aspects of encryption.

SSL Encrypts Sensitive Information and Protects it From Prying Eyes

As data moves around the internet, it passes from computer to computer on its way to its final destination. Think of it like the old Pony Express system. Information travels from one server to another, where it is sent on the next leg of its journey. During each jump, the potential exists for someone to hijack the transmission. Encrypted data keeps the hijacker from making sense of the information they intercept.

Encryption Provides Authentication and Security for Users

Fraudulent websites litter the internet. The only way someone can be sure they are visiting an authentic website is by checking for their SSL certificate. Google shows trusted sites with a small green padlock next to their URL. Users know that the site has been verified and that they are interacting with a known entity. The visual cue of the green padlock creates a sense of security. Visitors won’t have to dig further to find out whether or not their information is safe.

Secure Transmission is Necessary for PCI Compliance

E-commerce sites that accept credit cards must use an SSL certificate. To comply with audit requirements, they must prove they use encryption of customer financial data. No legitimate e-commerce site can operate without an SSL certificate unless they go through a third party payment processor such as Paypal. In such cases, companies such as Paypal accept responsibility for the handling of customer financial information and hold the required certificates.

The Challenges of Switching from HTTP to HTTPS

The primary reason most websites do not use HTTPS is cost. An SSL certificate can cost upwards of $150 and doesn’t seem necessary for those not handling sensitive information. In 2016, the Internet Security Group, sponsored by Linux, Cisco, Mozilla, and others, began offering TSL (Transport Layer Security) encryption free of charge through participating web hosts. Even though the certificate is free, there may still be some configuration costs. The certificate is not enough. Your web designer needs to code your website, so everything on it loads through HTTPS rather than HTTP. The goal of this project was to eliminate the high costs associated with SSL certificates and further the move to “encrypt the web. 

While e-commerce sites will still require a higher level of encryption, these X.509 certificates, being offered at no cost, meet the needs of other sites, not handling data of a sensitive nature.

Overall, the move to encrypt all websites seems to be positive. HTTPS helps protect customers and promote trust. By “forcing” website owners into compliance, Google, and the other internet giants, just might be acting in everyone’s best interests.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding HTTPS

Here are some of the most common questions we receive from our clients.

1. What are SSL and HTTPS?

SSL = Secure Sockets Layer. It’s a digital “certificate” (a big encrypted text file) generated from a trusted SSL provider like Comodo. Anyone can make one. The reason you buy a name brand is that browsers recognize the name brands. A no-SSL certificate will cause a pop-up warning message in a browser for your visitor. This file makes a special connection to a visitor’s browser that encrypts communication.

HTTPS = this is simply the secure version of HTTP – for example, when you are checking out on an e-commerce store, you will almost always see HTTPS in the address bar instead of HTTP.

2. Does this HTTPS requirement apply to me?

In short, Yes. If you require users to log in or you accept payments on your website, then it is an absolute must. But, even if you don’t, HTTPS will factor into rank results. In order to compete, you will need to be secure.

3. Why should I invest in SSL?

There are a couple of reasons why your website should be entirely covered by HTTPS:

• Google has confirmed that they now give additional ranking benefits to websites that are using HTTPS:// on every page. 
• People tend to perceive sites with HTTPS as “safe” and “trusted.” With cyber security becoming an increasingly relevant issue, this trust is important.

HTTPS will build credibility with both the search engines and your visitors. It’s a win-win situation.

4. How much does it cost?

This is, of course, the big question for most companies. The beautiful thing is that for many, the certificate costs nothing. For websites accepting online payments, you will need a different type of SSL Certificate, but you can receive a discount through Effect if you purchase one that is valid for several years. Certificates do need to be installed and renewed. There may be minimal costs associated with the setup.

Let Us Help You Succeed!

We can meet your SEO needs and help you rank higher in the Local Pack, organic search, and YouTube. Whatever your business goals, we will work to build an SEO strategy that reaches them. We do everything we can to work with our clients to make web design and online marketing affordable. Contact us for more information.

The post Unencrypted Websites Penalized by Google appeared first on Effect Web Agency.

“Page speed has been used in ranking for some time but that was largely for desktop searches. Starting in July 2018, page speed will be a ranking factor for mobile searches on Google as well.”

Let’s break this down and see why this is so important.

The Mobile Index and the Primary Index

With more and more people using mobile devices to search for information, the importance of mobile-friendly sites has grown over the past few years. In November 2014, Google even started labeling websites as ‘mobile-friendly.’ Then they gave more and more prominence to these sites until, by August 2016, most companies had received the message and Google dropped the label.

It now appears that Google’s next big push is for speed.

“The Speed Update, as we’re calling it, will only affect pages that deliver the slowest experience to users and will only affect a small percentage of queries. It applies the same standard to all pages, regardless of the technology used to build the page. The intent of the search query is still a very strong signal, so a slow page may still rank highly if it has great, relevant content.”

Understanding the Implications

“only affects pages that deliver the slowest experience”

“regardless of technology to build the page”

“may still rank if it has great, relevant content”

Let’s take a look at each of these qualifiers so you can determine if this new push for speed will affect your website. The first statement one is that the new speed requirements only affect the slowest pages.

What is a Slow Page Load Speed?

Research indicates that 53% of people leave a website when it takes more than 3 seconds to load. Google seems to feel that 5 seconds is the cut-off for top page load speeds.

Here is a screenshot of a website we ran using Google’s mobile speed test.

As you can see, the 4 seconds it took for this site to load on mobile put it into the Top Performer category for mobile sites. This is what you want for your site when Google starts using page load speed to determine search results.

If your site takes more than 5 seconds to load on either desktop or mobile, you should fix the issues as soon as possible in order to stay competitive on the internet.

What does technology have to do with page load speed?

It doesn’t matter if your site was custom built or designed using a website template. The big factors are image and text compression and your scripts. In addition to compression, there are also ways to leverage your cache that will significantly improve speed.

Your web developer should be able to optimize your site to fix any issues that are reducing your page load speed. Before now, this might not have been an issue, but with the changes, it is important that you check with them to make sure your page load speed falls under that 5-second cutoff that Google has set for Top Performers.

Content is King!

Granted, I am a bit biased since writing content is what I do. However, you heard it straight from the Google mouth. It is possible that a slow site will still rank if they have good content.

But, I would be the first to point out that the ideal scenario would be to have a fast website AND great content. Why not cement your place in the SERP by taking advantage of all the things Google (and every other search engine) thinks is important.

Action Plan for Improving Page Load Speeds

If you are like me, then you just want someone to tell you in plain English how to fix a problem. So, here you go.

First, you need to know if you meet the 5-second page load speed cut-off set by Google. Go HERE and test your site. Testing is free, and this service gives one of the most accurate measurements of page load speed that we have found.

If your speed is over 5 seconds, you should contact Effect Web Agency and ask them to give you Advanced Speed Optimization for your site.

If your page load speed was under 5 seconds, then you need to look at your scorecard in the upper right corner of your report.

As you can see, this was the site I showed you earlier. It is way beneath the 5-second page load speed requirement, but there are still things that can be done to improve it’s loading speed even more. This website does not use a content delivery network, and it also needs to leverage the cache of its static content.

Why is this important?

I happen to know that this is a small site with only about 45 indexed pages. There are no videos or animations. If they were to add those elements in the future, the page load speed would increase because they have not fully optimized the site for speed.

The takeaway here is that you should check page load speed first and then the scorecard. If you see room for improvement in either place, then you need to call Effect and ask for help with speed optimization.

If you have any questions about how this new Google speed update pertains to you, contact Effect Web Agency. We continue to serve web clients in Goshen, Indianapolis, and across the United States. Our goal is to help you grow your business.

The post How Page Load Speed Affects Google Search appeared first on Effect Web Agency.

“Upgrading is like taking vitamins; fixing a hack is open-heart surgery“

• Matt Mullenweg, Co-Founder of WordPress

This analogy highlights that prevention (regular updates) is far more cost-effective than dealing with the aftermath of a hack.

Why You Should Update WordPress Regularly

Security Vulnerabilities

One of the primary reasons for updating WordPress is to patch security vulnerabilities. Hackers often exploit known issues in older versions of WordPress, plugins, and themes. According to Sucuri’s annual security report, the majority of compromised WordPress sites in 2022 were running outdated versions of the platform or had outdated plugins and themes, leaving them vulnerable to attacks like SQL injections or cross-site scripting (XSS).

Plugin & Theme Updates

WordPress updates don’t just improve security; they also ensure compatibility with your site’s plugins and themes. When the platform releases a new version, plugin developers typically follow suit by updating their products. Running outdated plugins or themes can cause conflicts, leading to broken features or even crashes.

If your site “breaks,” this can lead to downtime, a loss in search engine rankings, and a decline in user traffic which can directly impact your business revenue.

Automatic WordPress Updates: Pros and Cons

While WordPress introduced automatic updates for minor releases back in 2013, there are pros and cons to this approach:

Pros:

• Reduced Manual Effort: Automatic updates ensure your site is always running the latest security patches without requiring manual intervention.
• Instant Security: Since security vulnerabilities can be exploited quickly, automatic updates ensure that you are always protected with the latest fixes.

Cons:

• Plugin Incompatibility: Not all third-party plugins are immediately compatible with new WordPress updates. Automatically applying updates can cause conflicts with your existing setup, which may result in broken functionality or, worse, downtime.
• No Customization: Automatic updates apply all changes indiscriminately, even those that may not be relevant to your site, potentially altering your site’s design or core features without your consent.

Effect’s Managed WordPress Update Service

At Effect Web Agency, we recommend opting out of automatic updates for major WordPress releases. Instead, we offer a managed WordPress update service that ensures your website is updated and tested for compatibility, minimizing the risk of unexpected issues.

How it Works:

1. Notification: We notify you when a major WordPress release is available.
2. Testing: We create a staging site (a duplicate of your live site) and apply the update there first. This allows us to test your website, plugins, and themes for compatibility.
3. Fixes: If necessary, we update any plugins or custom code to ensure everything works smoothly.
4. Deployment: Once we confirm that everything is functioning correctly on the staging site, we apply the update to your live website.
5. Ongoing Monitoring: Post-update, we monitor your site’s performance to ensure there are no hidden issues.

Common Questions:

How Often Does WordPress Release Major Updates?

WordPress typically releases 2-3 major updates per year, though the frequency can vary depending on new feature rollouts and security needs.

What About Minor Updates?

WordPress also releases 5-8 minor updates annually, primarily focused on security and bug fixes. We allow minor updates to be automatically applied, as they are lower-risk and unlikely to cause issues.

What Happens if I Skip the Managed Service?

Skipping managed updates can lead to unexpected site downtime if an automatic update causes a plugin conflict or breaks a feature. Without human oversight, you might not notice the issue until it affects user experience or traffic. By that time, the fix may be more complicated and costly.

The Cost of Updates

Each managed update generally takes 1 to 3 hours, depending on the complexity of your website. If additional updates, such as plugin or custom code modifications, are required, it may take more time.

However, the cost of maintaining a smoothly functioning, secure website is far less than the potential damage caused by a security breach or loss of site functionality.

Why Regular Updates Are Vital for SEO

Keeping WordPress updated is not only essential for security but also for maintaining your search engine ranking. Google penalizes websites with poor user experiences, including slow loading times or broken features—both of which can be caused by outdated software.

By ensuring your website is always up-to-date, you minimize the risk of downtime and page errors, which can negatively impact your SEO efforts.

Let Us Handle It for You

A well-maintained WordPress website is the cornerstone of your digital presence. By choosing Effect Web Agency’s Managed WordPress Update Service, you can ensure your site stays secure, optimized, and performing at its best—all without the hassle of dealing with unexpected updates or issues.

Ready to safeguard your website? Contact Effect Web Agency today to learn more about our hosting and maintenance packages tailored to keep your WordPress site running smoothly.

The post Why Keeping WordPress Updated is Crucial for Security and Performance appeared first on Effect Web Agency.