Why is HTTPS important for SEO

HTTPS is now a must for Driving Instructor Websites

If driving instructors wish to have their website listed high up in Google search results you must now use HTTPS rather than HTTP.

What's the difference between HTTP and HTTPS

HTTPS stands for “HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure” which is the 'secure' version of HTTP. All this simply means is that the information on your webpage is encrypted, which significantly tightens your site's security and puts your visitors at ease.

This type of 'Not Secure' warning may easily be interpreted by visitors to mean that your site has been hacked or compromised and this affects the perceived credibility and trust of your website.

Why should you use HTTPS instead of HTTP?

HTTPS is now a confirmed Google ranking signal, so if your site is HTTPS you will get a boast in the rankings. In fact, your site is now very unlikely to rank highly in Google search results if you continue to use HTTP.  Google is now prioritizing and displaying sites that use HTTPS. 

With cyber crime and identity theft on the rise, this will be an even more significant ranking algorithm in the future, confirmed by Google itself," .... over time, we may decide to strengthen it, because we'd like to encourage all website owners to switch from HTTP to HTTPS to keep everyone safe on the web."

If your site offers your learner drivers payment gateways, it's doubly important that your site is encrypted to protect your customer's sensitive payment details. Switching to HTTPS provides your website with a secure payment connection.

If your site has security flaws or has been compromised by malware, Google will actually take your domain off their listings. This is the reason why it makes the headlines when major corporations get hacked - because their sites have fallen off the world wide web !

How can I Test my Website for HTTPS / SSL

If you have a website and you want to test that it is operating on HTTPS, you can test its security level and configuration using Google's Qualys Lab Tool.

How can I fix it and switch to HTTPS / SSL

To switch from HTTP to HTTPS you need an SSL certificate. They're not expensive. And if you wish to list highly in Google search results I do suggest you take care of this ASAP. 

Best SSL Certificate Providers

There are several Silicon Valley tech companies you can choose from to buy an SSL certificate. Two top providers I have used and recommend include the SSL Store and CyberSSL but you can consider any of the following who are all very good: -

If we manage your ADI site, you don't need to worry. We ensure all our driving instructor websites have HTTPS SSL. We include it in the package.  

SEO Tip # 4 - Is your website mobile friendly

Click here if you need a new, clean, modern, SEO-optimised, mobile-friendly, responsive 

Driving School Website template


Review of Top 3 SSL Certificate providers

Comodo SSL

Comodo are a big global name in the SSL world and arguably one of the cheapest SSL certificate providers in the market with a DV level ‘Positive SSL’ certificate costing just £5.05 / year for 5 years coverage, making it highly affordable. Keep in mind, the Silicon companies charge in USD which is why the GBP £ conversion can vary a little.

If your site provides a payment gateway consider the ‘Premium’ SSL solution which costs £38.94 / year for 5 years. This package includes a fully validated certificate, 256-bit encryption and a high value relying party warranty. This package allows your customers to complete online transactions with the assurance that their confidential details are securely encrypted.
Comodo has excellent reviews when it comes to 24/7 customer support should you have any installation or browser problem issues.

Reason to Buy

+ Priced very competitively + Excellent customer support

Negatives

- Validation can take a little time

Rapid SSL

This SSL certificate provider is also impressively cheap. RapidSSL is actually owned by another SSL provider, GeoTrust, that targets corporate giants, while RapidSSL is the smaller subsidiary targeting small 'price sensitive' businesses 

For any self-employed business you can choose the RapidSSL® Certificate which costs £8.35 / year for 6 years coverage. This provides for a single domain certificate with 128/256-bit encryption and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Again, free 24/7 customer support is provided by web and email, and installation tools are part of the package at no extra cost. Even at this low price, you do get the same level of service that is built on the same GeoTrust global infrastructure which the bigger corporate customers benefit from.

So Rapid SSL is another simple and very affordable solution to help you get basic encryption on your site fast.

REASONS TO BUY

+ Impressively cheap +Uses GeoTrust’s global infrastructure +Installation tools are part of package


Sectigo Store

A new name in the market issuing SSL certificates is Sectigo Store but when I looked more closely into this provider I learnt that it's essentially Comodo CA with a re-branded name, who I've already covered in my reviews. Sectigo (Comodo CA) is a very reputable worldwide issuer of HTTPS SSL digital certificates.

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