Not too long ago, Google announced that switching a website over to the HTTPS protocol would give it a small boost in ranking. Google, being the ruler of the Internet, should know what's what then, right? Many people have this mentality but it is vital to understand the difference between HTTP and HTTPS, how to switch, and if even making the switch is right for your brand to begin with. To start with, it is vital to ask a few questions; why would Google rather HTTPS for SEO rankings? And what are the benefits of using HTTPS for SEO? It should also be noted that there are a few concerns regarding SEO and changing an HTTP website to HTTPS.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a multifaceted industry with dozens of techniques designed and developed to push your blog or website to the fore—or at least toward it. But how do you know whether your efforts are paying off? Sure, you’ll probably find that you get more subscribers to your blog, or be getting more purchases from new clients on your ecommerce site, but that’s not a very accurate means of measuring your SEO success. So how do you know just how visible your site is? Well, that’s where web analytics tools come in.

With enough website builders and content management systems (CMS) available to fill a book, and almost as many web hosting companies, developing an online platform has never been easier. But therein lies the problem many new bloggers and businesses now face.

There are more than 7.5 billion people alive at any given moment, and more than half of them are online. This means that, excluding those who don’t have access to the internet (and those too young or too old to use it), almost everyone has some online presence. For many, this may be limited to social media accounts and a smattering of subscriptions, but there are still billions of business websites and personal blogs.

So no matter the nature of your online platform, you need to be smart and resourceful if you want your site to be visible. The days of simply posting online and adding a few keywords are very much long gone. The world of search engine optimization has evolved to a point where even most novices know that there are hundreds of factors that contribute to your ranking.

Some of these factors—especially keywords—are very well known. The problem is, with the rise of voice search, keywords are no longer the dominant SEO tool. Many SEO experts have stepped forward and stated that keywords are somewhat outdated. And while they’re not likely to ever fall away altogether, relying purely on keywords is suicidal. That’s where backlinks come in.

In light of the global movement from a physical copy to online content, having a good online presence with excellent visibility is one of the most important keys to success. Almost everyone has heard of search engine optimization (SEO) and knows some of the basic tricks to help boost your site’s search engine page results (SERP) ranking. You may even have heard of structured data before, but aren’t sure what it is or what it has to do with SEO. Flexibility. That’s why we’re here to help.

In the digital age, almost everyone has an online presence. Most people will look online before stepping foot in a store because everything is available online—even if it’s just information on where to get the best products. We even look up cinema times online!

As such, staying ahead of the competition regarding visibility is no longer merely a matter of having a good marketing strategy. Newspaper and magazine articles, television and radio advertising, and even billboards (for those who can afford them) are no longer enough, even though they’re still arguably necessary.

Now, you also have to ensure that your site is better than your competitors’, from layout to content, and beyond. If you don’t, you’ll slip away into obscurity, like a well-kept secret among the locals—which doesn’t bode well for any business.

This notion is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in. There is a host of SEO tools and tricks available to help put you ahead and increase your search engine page ranking—your online visibility. These range from your use of keywords, backlinks, and imagery, to your layout and categorization (usability and customer experience). One of these tools is the website crawler.