On Friday, Google announced an SSL-encrypted version of its search engine, which may impede search engine optimization, reports the Register.
The announcement came mainly as a response to a recent incident in which Google’s Street View car fleet accidentally pulled information from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks. The company’s other services, such as Gmail and Google Docs, already had SSL encryption, so the move doesn’t come completely out of left field.
While SSL encryption does allow users greater privacy, it presents a problem for those in the search engine optimization (SEO) industry. One way that many website owners do keyword research is by using analytical tools to see what searches their current audience uses to get to their website. SSL encryption prevents referral data from being sent, meaning that when a visitor goes to a webpage, the webmaster won’t know where he or she came from or what search terms he or she used to get there.
Though the SSL-encrypted version of the search engine is not the default version, many analytics firms are concerned. For example, search analytics firm Clicky went as far as to say this new move by Google may signal the end of search analytics in a recent blog post.
