I’m already being asked if Google’s latest changes will effect WordPress sites. The 2 big changes in the Google search and SEO stats are spurring a flurry of posts online that make it sound like it’s the end of the Internet.
Before you start fearing that the sky is falling and looking for a stainless-steel umbrella, take a deep breath because your current WordPress SEO and keywords are still in place and are still being used by Google (and other search engines) to index your site..
Here’s what’s up…
The first, is the Encrypted Private Searching. Google announced on 9/24 that ALL Google searches will now be encrypted. For Average Joe and Average Jane who go to Google to search it now happens on a secure screen. Go ahead and try it. Go to google.com in your browser. When you click “enter” you’ll now be on a page that begins HTTPS. It’s secure and encrypted.
Just like a credit card transaction on Amazon, PayPal, or any other secure shopping cart, your Google search is secure and private. What goes to Google, stays at Google.
The Second, the end of the Keyword Tool. This tool was a fav of WordPress bloggers and anyone who wanted to see how the general population searched the web. No names disclosed, just keyword and key phrase stats. It was a great tool to find SEO keywords or for bloggers to find phrases to sprinkle in their posts. Google’s changes have been in the works for quite a while. The bottom line is probably the bottom line—Google is a publicly traded company and their objective is to make money. Their means of making money is through advertising, so they have become even more focused on keywords for Google ads.
The Keyword Tool has been replaced by the Keyword Planner Tool which is a bit different because it’s based on per-click advertising — most folks already know that clicking to get to a web page or blog post is a different maneuver than clicking on an ad. Therefore this tool is not relevant for the webmaster who wants to choose keywords to drive traffic to a site or pages within the site.
How Are 1 and 2 Connected?
Google searches are now completely encrypted and private. Because they are secure, Google is taking the privacy high-road– they will not share search stats with website owners, bloggers, or web marketers even though there is no identifying or personal information attached to these stats.
Google is continuing to provide a search engine. Your keywords will still be used by ALL the search engines. The “panic in the streets” is over the fact that there is no longer a Google tool that tells you if you’re selecting key words that are highly searched.
“Do I need to change my Google keywords?”
Not today.
