Google adopts SSL default - drops search query data

[FirstPageResults]

This has been a big talking pointing over the last few days in the search community, so I'm sure some of you have already seen it.. but it still sucks.

Google has decided to default all logged in users to SSL, meaning their search queries will now be encrpyted and as a result the keyword referral data will no longer be available in Google Analytics.

What does this mean for sites that receive clicks from Google search results? When you search from https://www.google.com, websites you visit from our organic search listings will still know that you came from Google, but won't receive information about each individual query.

Basically they have enabled SSL as the default search for those that are logged in, if that logged in user then clicks on a natural search listing to your website you will see medium as “organic” in Google Analytics, but you won’t see what the keyword is. But get this, Google AdWords is unaffected!

Google is claiming that only 10% of it's users are logged in, but this is a worrying sign for the future as undoubtedly SSL will be further rolled out - which is a good thing.. it's just a shame the referral data drops off when users go from https to http URLs.

More:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/making-search-more-secure.html
http://analytics.blogspot.com/2011/10/making-search-more-secure-accessing.html
http://www.davidnaylor.co.uk/outcry-from-seos-as-google-hide-keyword-info.html
http://www.seobook.com/false-privacy-claims
http://www.seroundtable.com/google-ssl-drops-query-data-14188.html

 

[paz]

Well....that sucks.