What does this mean?
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When performing searches, all users who are signed into Google services will be redirected to Google Secure Search site.
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All users who are signed into Google services will have their search queries encrypted.
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Secure site searches that lead to clicks to organic results will not pass the search query string via the referrer. As per the Google Analytics Blog, this change will mean:
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The organic click will be identified as coming from Google.
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The organic click will be identified as ‘organic’ but will no longer display the query string.
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The organic click will be identified under the token ‘not provided’ within Organic Search Traffic Keyword reporting.
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Secure site searches that lead to clicks via search ads will still provide the search.
Google’s reasoning is that the move is to protect the privacy of users by not relaying any search query information to Websites, that a users clicks through to.
Stephen Cobb, security evangelist from ESET, talked to Search Engine Watch about this move and said, “This addresses the concern that a consumer’s search activity can contain sensitive information, knowledge of which might be abused. For example, that information can be gathered without your knowledge if you are searching the Web over an unencrypted connection and then used against you; or some website that you visit might use the referrer data inappropriately.”
He, however, did not doubt Google’s intentions behind the move and said, “I don’t see this as Google trying to drive search spending from SEO to PPC, although that might be one effect in the short time. Google seems to be very genuine in its desire to improve search privacy.”
It is worth noting that Google will be passing referrer data to AdWords advertisers only, for practical reasons. SSL only strips referrer data when the traffic is sent to a non-secure connection, but the data is kept intact between two secure connections.
Thom Craver, Web and Database specialist for the Saunders College at Rochester Institute of Technology said, “There is no reason why Google couldn’t make this work, if the site owners cooperated by offering their entire site via HTTPS.”
All of these opinions seem to indicate that possibly this is an attempt by Google to exchange web data in order to leverage security. It is also feasible that if webmasters make their sites more secure via SSL, they will get to see referrer query data from signed in secure search users.
What can the SEO industry do?
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The change will initially not affect many search queries.
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Google is committed to HTTPS Everywhere and the distinction between advertisers and organic search traffic may simply be a technical consideration around how SSL works in general.
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The data of actual search terms is available in aggregate form elsewhere, via Google Webmaster Central.
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Analytics is performed at a custom segment level, in most cases, rather than at the absolute granular level of individual keyword analysis.
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One could create a custom segment in Google Analytics to monitor the overall performance of conversion of visitors arriving on the ‘not provided’ token within Organic Search Traffic Keyword reporting.
However, the SEO industry needs to keep in mind that:
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The growth of mobile search may mean that the market share of encrypted searches is likely to increase correspondingly.
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Google usually makes announcements in pairs, so it would be justified to speculate that they may be on their way to releasing a search re-targeting product which sets off the data of USP around data security.
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It is probably time for website owners to put HTTPS on the agenda.
The SEO industry has risen in arms against this move by Google, though the impact of the move will be visible only after some time. Reactions to Google Instant and Panda were also on the same lines and the best policy would be to wait and watch.