Last updated - December 20, 2023
It’s important to remember that online website security measures can affect your SEO ranking. From SSL certificates to XSS scripts, make sure your website is safe and secure. In addition, you should block specific bots from accessing certain parts of your site. Read on to learn more SEO technical tips.
The Effects of Website Security on SEO
1. Avoiding duplicate content on multiple pages
When it comes to digital marketing, one of the most difficult areas to master is technical SEO. Without the right foundation, a website will fail to rank well for relevant keywords. The result could be an SEO disaster. There are several common mistakes that you can avoid.
One common mistake is duplicating content on multiple pages of the same website. Duplicated content will irritate search engines. It will make it difficult for search engines to know which page is more relevant to the query. For example, if two pages share the same content but have different URLs, the search engines will not know which one to prioritize.
2. Fragmentation
Fragmentation is another common technical SEO mistake. Having a sitemap is crucial for your SEO efforts. This XML file will tell search engines which pages belong to your site. A sitemap should include both your primary and secondary keywords. This data is important for your website’s ranking on search engines. Remember, your sitemap can be submitted through Google Search Console.
3. Having structured data
Your website should have structured data, which helps search engines understand your content. This can be achieved through a plugin or manually entered code.
4. Putting an SSL certificate
Putting an SSL certificate on your website can boost your technical SEO rankings in a variety of ways. Not only does it make your website more secure and trustworthy, but it can also improve user experience, which increases traffic and page views. The process of determining your ranking on Google involves hundreds of factors, so adding an SSL certificate to your website could have a significant impact on your ranking.
A secure SSL certificate binds the domain name, company name, and location, and changes the transfer protocol from HTTP to HTTPS. By making sure your website is secure, Google will not credit any traffic from “Back to Safety” and will instead credit any legitimate website traffic that follows it. Furthermore, Google has announced that having an HTTPS certificate in front of your domain will help your organic search rankings. Most people use VPN for this purpose. You can view the Astrill VPN tool named “what is my IP” for checking your IP and viewing its protected status.
SSL certificates have three main types: Organization Validated, Extended Validation, and Wildcard. Organization Validated (OV) certificates verify that your website belongs to a legitimate organization, and provide medium-level encryption. OV certificates display a small green padlock and can be used for medium-level encryption.
5. XSS scripts
XSS vulnerabilities can affect your website security in a variety of ways, including the way your code renders a website. The most obvious is through script tags. These tags can reference external JavaScript code, or they can embed JavaScript code themselves.
Another popular XSS attack vector is via JavaScript event attributes. These are used in various tags, including the body and background attributes. Some browsers execute JavaScript from these attributes, which are interpreted as executable code.
XSS attacks are the result of a flaw in the way scripts interact with each other. These vulnerabilities allow malicious actors to inject scripts into a website’s code without a user’s knowledge. These attacks can cause damage by modifying the content of websites and redirecting browsers to malicious websites.
XSS attacks can also take place through embedded links. For example, an attacker may use a website’s link to spam messages promoting their own infected website. These messages may also contain a malicious code called a stored XSS script. This malicious code is then reflected back to the website’s target server in the HTTP response.
6. Blocking specific bots from accessing certain parts of the site
If you’re trying to improve your technical SEO, you may be blocking certain bots from accessing certain areas of your site. These bots can be both neutral and harmful to your site. Ideally, you want to avoid blocking certain bots, but this is not always possible. It may be necessary to block specific bots to maintain website security and speed. Use a secure browser to prevent access to particular bots.
Keeping up to date with the latest updates is a great way to prevent insidious bot attacks. However, bots can still get access to your site from older versions. By blocking specific IP addresses, you’ll prevent bots from accessing certain parts of your site.
7. Having a responsive design
Responsive design is one of the most important factors for improving your site’s technical SEO. Google has made many algorithm changes in recent years to prioritize websites that are fast and reliable for mobile users. Additionally, mobile devices are projected to increase in use in the near future, so responsive design makes the most sense for your website.
Many companies rely on search engine optimization, and a higher search engine ranking means more potential customers. Using responsive design increases your chances of being found by mobile users, and it reduces the amount of content creation and maintenance work for your site. It also increases your SEO rankings as Google prefers mobile-friendly sites.
Another reason to make your site responsive is that Google places a high value on page load time. If a user has to wait more than three seconds for a page to load, they are likely to leave the website. Using responsive web design can improve page load time across all devices. A slow mobile site is a turn-off and will lead to poor user experience, as well as a decrease in SEO rankings.
8. Simple structure
One way to improve your technical SEO is to create a website that has a simple structure. In this way, search engines can understand what your website is all about. Your website should not have dead ends or internal links. Also, avoid using keyword-rich anchor text or internal links. To make your site as easy to navigate as possible, consult with an experienced website programmer.
9. Preventing Malware website security breaches
A malware security breach could impact your website’s SEO rankings in a number of ways. For starters, it could affect your site’s ability to load content, distort SERPs, and cause a number of manual penalties from search engines like Google. It can also result in a website being flagged as a malicious website by Google.
10. Monitor analytics data
One way to detect if your site has been hacked is to monitor its analytics data. Take note of any changes in SERP positions, or a sudden spike in traffic. Your browser might also alert you to suspicious search results. Site owners with coding knowledge can also sift through high-ranking pages, trying to spot misplaced keywords.
Another way malware can affect your SEO is through SEO poisoning, where the attackers create malicious websites loaded with keywords and search engine optimization techniques. They lure people to their compromised site, where they download a malicious installer that drops the BATLOADER malware onto their computers during the installation process. Google Analytics is a good tool for monitoring analytics data.
