In the recent weeks, Google has gone on record stating that websites that use HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) will receive a bump in their website’s search rankings.

If you have not a clue as to what I’m talking about, when I say “HTTPS”, then I suggest you read up on SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and HTTPS, and why and when they’re to be used.

In short, banking, shopping, email and social media service providers are among the top users of SSL.

SSL is used primarily to keep data encrypted and private from those snoopy eyes trying to pry into the most intimate details of your life. SSL only protects the transferring of data from one connection point to another.

As a matter of fact, if your banking, email, social media, and online shopping providers are not using SSL, the chance of your sensitive data (i.e., credit card information, social security, passwords, username) being compromised is at a greater risk.

Also, just because SSL is used doesn’t mean that the database one stores your information in is secure.

Again, SSL on deals with securing your data as it is transferred throughout wild superhighway known as the Internet. But I digress.

So why then is SSL being used in search such a big factor at all is probably your question?