After a slew of major search algorithm updates over the last couple of months, Google has thrown yet another roadblock to the path of website owners, SEO experts, and online marketers. Just recently, the tech giant announced that it is encrypting all search activities “within its walls.” This is bad news for SEO experts and online marketers as the encryption will prevent them from accessing valuable keyword and search data.
Google said the changes, which are mostly intended for anonymous users, are geared towards encrypting all search activity except for clicks on the tech giant’s ad activity. In a nutshell, what Google is trying to do is to turn all websites from HTTP into HTTPS. Because of this announcement, many web experts are accusing Google of doing this under the guise of hiding customer activity from the US National Security Agency, or NSA, after the tech giant has been suspected of giving NSA access to search data in June this year.
Some experts, meanwhile, speculate the 2013 encryption is perhaps Google’s way of forcing more people to purchase their services, specifically Google AdWords. After all, in July of this year, Google has transformed the previously free keyword tool service into a paid service. Then, it combined the service with Google AdWords a month later.
So what are the impact of the 2013 encryption on website owners and Internet marketers? When the changes are fully implemented, it will be much difficult for them to identify the keywords that are bringing traffic to their site. And for inexperienced marketers and website owners, it will be more challenging to determine which keywords they should be using to attract their target market.
According to Google, the encryption will affect less than 10% of global web searchers. However, many businesses and blog owners are reporting a steady rise in the figure since the tech giant made the announcement. They believe that a 100% encryption is inevitable by the end of 2013.
While the situation seems hopeless for many people, there are a number of strategies that website owners can still use to obtain valuable search data. For instance, according to experts, there are still a number of search engines that offer free access to search data about organic traffic. While these data can be limited, having access to them is way better than having nothing at all.
Experts also believe that Google’s move to encrypt all search activities within its walls provides Internet marketers and site owners the chance to rethink their strategies. According to them, to survive in this ever-changing tech landscape, website owners should broaden their approach when it comes to SEO and learn how to effectively and efficiently utilise the resources that are available to them.
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