It seemed like another minor ripple, a small movement from a weighty web giant. But it seems that the beta of Google secured web search has disturbed more of the already choppy SEO and web analytics waters than was predicted.
We talked earlier about the beta launch of Google's SSL secured search and the advantages that it can bring to users. It seems that for many webmasters this news was not received with such bonhomie.
The issue that has ruffled feathers, is contained in the nuances of how SSL encryption works; HTTP headers normally include a 'referer' with information about the web page you arrived from, and info about the search request that delivered you to their page. It’s the system that allows web analytics tools to gather information about how and why people are on your site. It's this very system that is subverted by using the SSL secured Google search.
Google does indeed acknowledge that referrers are disabled when using the Google search SSL beta:
“As another layer of privacy, SSL search turns off a browser's referrers. Web browsers typically turn off referrers when going from HTTPS to HTTP mode to provide extra privacy. By clicking on a search result that takes you to an HTTP site, you could disable any customizations that the website provides based on the referrer information.”
At the moment Google's secure search is in beta, so its effect on people's analytics data will be limited, but if this becomes the default choice for users then this has the capacity to create sizable problems for website owners. A rich stream of information could be dammed.
More information can be found on The Register.
- Search The Human Body With Google Body Browser - December 21, 2010
- Has This Site Been Hacked? - December 20, 2010
- How Do Twitter & Facebook’s 2010 Trends Compare With Google’s? - December 14, 2010
- Google Zeitgeist 2010: What Have You Been Searching For Planet Earth? - December 10, 2010
- Google Chrome Gets Store And Talks Chrome OS - December 8, 2010
- Google Issues Security Email For Website Optimiser - December 7, 2010
- Google Launches AdWords Global Market Finder - December 7, 2010
- New Android Phone Promises A Pure Experience - December 7, 2010
- Google AdWords Wants Your Products! - December 3, 2010
- Know How Mobile Internet Affects Your Website? Google Analytics does… - December 2, 2010
You may also be interested in:
- New Google Analytics Tool: In-Page Analytics Your website & traffic information on one screen. ...
- Google Says Sorry…so it’s OK to Watch Web Analytics TV#13 Find out what Google is doing to clean up its mess and then watch the latest instalment of Analytics TV... ...
- Google Analytics Wanted by the Fed’s The Google Analytics application has been on the radar of the US Federal General Services Administration for some time, but...
- Know How Mobile Internet Affects Your Website? Google Analytics does… Find out why Google Analytics is taking notice of the mobile internet... ...
- Google Release New Improved Analytics Tracking Code Want to place your analytics code higher up the page but don’t want it to interrupt other elements on your...
Cozy Digital is an