TutorZ is SSL Encrypted to Boost Security, Integrity and Google Ranking

Palo Alto, California, November 29th, 2016 -TutorZ LLC, the nation-wide leader of affordable tutoring now uses SSL encryption to protect the users’ data. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a security technology that establishes an encrypted link between a web server and a browser and maintains the privacy of the communication and guarantees the safety of the visitors’ data.

The encryption of the data has been completed for all pages. As of today all TutorZ’ pages are seen in a browser with the green lock indicating a safe and secure connection to the TutorZ server.

In even more technical terms the SSL update provides users with three layers of protection:

1. Data encryption. This means that data, such as username and passport, are encrypted and cannot be seen by a possible eavesdropper.

2. Data Integrity. Data, such as payment cannot be modified or re-directying during the transfer.

3. Authentication. This means that only users who they claim to be can communicate with TutorZ and our credit card provider PayPal.

To TutorZ as a company the SSL deployment has several key benefits itself:

1. More referrer data. Whenever traffic passes from a secure HTTPS site to a non-secure HTTP site, the referral data gets stripped away. This traffic shows up in TutorZ’ Google analytics report as ‘Direct.’ This is a problem because we don’t know where the traffic actually comes from.

2. Google ranking boost. As of 2014 Google increases the ranking of pages that are secured by SSL. This boost can even be quantified to range between 1% and 5%, according to a searchmetrics study in 2015. In 2016 Google even increased its emphasis on the HTTPS signal to the point that almost all top ranked pages at Google are SSL secured.

There is a right way to update a website with SSL. For us a TutorZ right looks like this:

1. HTTPS is enabled, meaning you can type in https://www.tutorz.com and you’ll see the website — d’oh!

2. The other HTTPS URL — in this case https://tutorz.com — as well as both HTTP URLs (http://tutorz.com and http://www.tutorz.com) all redirect to https://www.tutorz.com ensuring there is only one canonical version of the content available

3. Every redirect leads directly to the canonical version of the content. It redirects A –> B, not A –> C –> D –> B.

4. Every redirect uses the HTTP status codes for permanent redirects (301) instead of temporary redirects (302 or 307)

Let’s toast to us with bottle of properly authenticated party participants drinking a class of integrity cocktail to boost 🙂

HTTPeeeeSSSSS