How Web Security Impacts SEO

As internet users, we have become accustomed to the convenience of finding exactly what we need within seconds via Google. Whether we’re looking for a good restaurant that’s nearby, a cooking tutorial , or the best place to buy grocery, we expect instant gratification and quality answers that satisfy our search intent.

The value of organic traffic has put search engine optimization in focus, as it is the cornerstone of building better online visibility.

When it comes to effective SEO practices, we are all familiar with the basics.
But what about web security? How does it influence your SEO efforts? Google is all about making the internet a safer place, so you might need to buckle up your web security.

Google has always advocated a secure web and suggested websites should move to HTTPS by acquiring the SSL certificate. The main reason is simple: data gets encrypted in transit, preventing any misuse of privacy and sensitive information.

At the time, Google reported that having an SSL certificate might give sites competitive advantage and serve as a tiebreaker between two websites that are, more or less, of the same quality.

Server Exploits
There are different types of hackers out there. Some are just counting coup on Websites and though their hacks are annoying and cost you money they don’t leave anything malicious on your server. Of course, you cannot trust any hacker to be “good” but the worst hackers are trying to get in to convert your server into a command-and-control center, a “masterbot” that will control other zombified computers on the Internet.

These guys are looking at all your Internet-accessible services: email, FTP, Telnet, and Web. Anything that gets them into the UNIX/Linux environment with admin access or even just executable access gives them an advantage over you. They’ll do everything possible to hide their tracks and slip into the woodwork. And there is a LOT of woodwork on a UNIX or Linux system. A typical server may be running 200-300 processes on a slow day. You’re not going to recognize all of them.

Restrict Server Access
It is possible to limit who can get into the administrative accounts on an Internet-accessible server. Doing this at least prevents the hackers from exploiting vulnerabilities (but you should still remove the email from that server after downloading it).

Malware Distribution
Concept of searching bugs and virusesMalware distribution is extremely present when it comes to cyber attacks. According to the official report by the Kaspersky Lab, a total of 29.4% of user computers suffered through at least one malware attack in 2017.

Usually, hackers use the technique of spoofing or phishing to present themselves as a trustworthy source. If the victim falls for it and downloads malicious software, or clicks on the link that releases the virus, their computer gets infected. In worst case scenarios, the website can get shut down completely: the hacker can use remote controlling to enter the victim’s computer.

Fortunately for the overall web security, Google does not waste any time and usually reacts promptly to blacklist all websites that are dangerous or guilty of distributing malware.

Unfortunately for you as a victim, even though it’s not your fault – your website gets labeled as spam until further notice, letting all of your SEO success so far go down the drain.

If you, god forbid, do get alerted by Google within your Search Console about phishing, unwanted software, or hacking, you should take action immediately.

It is your responsibility, as a webmaster, to quarantine the site, assess the damage, identify the vulnerabilities. Although it seems unfair, it is up to you to clean up the mess and request a website review from Google.

Remember, Google is always on the side of users and their safety. Rest assured, you will be provided with full support to sort things out.

It’s advisable to continuously update your antivirus program and run regular scans, take advantage of the multi-factor authentication options to optimally secure your online accounts, and monitor your site’s health vigorously.

Passwords
When it comes to user account security we use one of the dumbest ideas in history: the account password.
Passwords are cracked every day. Sure, there isn’t much else out there to work with but our password tools are so outdated and built on nonsense it’s no wonder millions of computers are exploited every year.

Complex Passwords Are NOT Secure
Another myth that has plagued password-burdened users is the idea that mixing symbols and case in a password makes it harder to crack. Come on! any hacker will not sit and think, “Hm…maybe he used his ’birthday”, yes, throwing an ampersand or hashbang into the password will confound him. But hackers now use software to go through all the possible iterations of passwords and it only takes a few minutes for the average algorithm to exhaust all 36-56 variations in each position.

Every SEO Should Know This
Protecting your hard work and your client’s investment in organic search marketing is important both to you and your client. You don’t want to leave them exposed to being used for spam links, spreading malware, or growing botnets. More importantly, you don’t want to find yourself trapped in an exploit minefield on a client’s server. Once your computer has been zombified everything you do on the Internet may be exposed to some hacker halfway around the world.

Exploited Websites loose money, may cost other people money, and cannot be expected to last long in the search results. The search engines take prudent measures to protect their users and those measures may include removing the sites from their results if the exploits are not fixed. The dividing line between prudent SEO and Website security is easy to cross and you need to be careful not to take on too much responsibility, but at the very least know what is happening and have some recommendations available in case you cannot or do not want to take on the extra work of cleaning or securing Websites.

Undoubtedly, improving your online presence is mandatory as consumers rely on Google for getting instant information about your business and the products/services you offer, but they also use it to filter through their options and cherry-pick what’s best for them. If you keep in mind the above-mentioned security tips and switch to HTTPS,you can expect to gradually climb up the SERP.

Web security should definitely become your top priority, and not just for the sake of reaping SEO benefits.