SSL hosting has been receiving a lot of attention lately, and with good reason.  This security feature is also now a ranking signal for Google, meaning a site with SSL will have an advantage over a non-SSL website.  In this article I will explain what this layer of security is and why a managed SSL hosting upgrade is the best way for small businesses such as our B&B inn and dude ranch clients to take advantage of an HTTPS website.

Managed SSL hosting offers HTTPS security and an SEO bump from GoogleWhat SSL Is

SSL is short for Secure Sockets Layer, which is the protocol for websites to securely send to and receive data from visitor web browsers via secure HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTPS).  An SSL certificate issued by a trusted third party provider is required for SSL web hosting. Website’s with SSL-certified HTTPS show a closed green lock icon marked “Secure” in the visitor’s web browser’s address bar.

The SEO Advantage of SSL-certified HTTPS Websites

Back in August of 2014, Google stated that HTTPS websites with SSL certification gain a ranking signal.  As with any ranking signal, the way this advantages works is, all other signals being equal, an SSL-certified HTTPS website will have an advantage over a non-HTTPS site for rank.  The SEO bump, Google admits, is small, but can make a difference in highly competitive search markets.

The HTTPS to HTTPS Referral Advantage

Missing Data?Although the issue had been around for quite awhile, it was when TripAdvisor moved to HTTPS and stopped sending referral link source data to Google analytics for non-HTTPS sites a year ago that many of our clients in the B&B inn and dude ranch industry became aware that it was going to get increasingly difficult to track their referrers as more of them moved to HTTPS.

Why Your Business Should Have Managed SSL Hosting

As with any managed hosting, managed SSL hosting offers the expertise of web technicians in maintaining your web services.  This is a better solution for most small businesses who cannot devote the time to learning all the things that go into into best practices for self-managed hosting or SSL security for HTTPS.

Choose InsideOut Solutions Managed SSL Hosting for Comprehensive HTTPS Service

InsideOut Solutions hosting clients who get a managed SSL hosting upgrade receive the following:

  • GeoTrust logoAn annually renewing SSL certificate for their domain issued by GeoTrust
  • Installation of SSL certificate and switch of website delivery over HTTPS connection
  • Redirect of all HTTP web addresses to HTTPS using WordPress configuration and/or .htaccess file
  • Updating all internal links on domain to point to HTTPS web addresses
  • Following launch, we also:
    • Update Google Analytics property & view(s) as needed to use HTTPS
    • Update Google Search Console and resubmit the website to Google for quicker indexing of the switch to HTTPS

Qualys® SSL Labs logoManaged SSL hosting clients of InsideOut Solutions get an A+ rating from Qualys® SSL Labs.  Current clients include:

and more are being added weekly as our clients come to understand the additional cost for an SSL-certified website is far outweighed by the advantages in provides.

Ready for Managed SSL Hosting?

SEO illustrationCurrent and incoming managed web hosting clients of InsideOut Solutions may purchase a Managed SSL Hosting Upgrade for a $250 one-time setup fee and $100 per year for annual certification.  Simply request this upgrade online, by email to sales@insideout.com or call to 1-800-500-8401 and we will send you a work order to set up this annually recurring service.  Move your website development forward, add HTTPS security to your data transfer and enjoy the SEO advantage of a ranking signal with Google when you choose managed SSL hosting from InsideOut Solutions.