Google blocks HTTP referrers from secure search
A few days ago, Google enabled SSL by default in the search interface for authorized users, thereby making life difficult for SEO optimizers. The problem is that the referrer is not transferred from https to http together with the user. Thus, an unprotected site does not receive information on which search query users came to from a secure Google search. But this is very valuable information for SEO-optimization.
So far, the problem is not very significant, because the share of authorized users in Google search is only a few percent. Different sites report that without referrers from 2% to 2.6% of traffic from Google come to them. For example, the SearchEngineLand site has only 381 transitions from 15,000, that is, only 2.6%. This group takes the second place in the list of the most popular search queries for which users come from Google.
In a sense, the current state of affairs is logical. In theory, referrers can be considered private information of the user (this is part of his search history), it should not be transmitted over unprotected channels. Some lawyers and advocates of personal information also think so, therefore hiding referrers is not a bug, but a feature. Although Google has never spoken before about referrer privacy. Quite the contrary: Matt Cutts called them "part of the web" , which was formed before the advent of Google.
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Complete information about referrers, even referrals from a secure search, can be obtained through the AdWords system or, in a limited version, through Webmaster Central. It turns out that Google is consciously or involuntarily encouraging people to use AdWords and buy search advertising, and free SEO-optimization and analytics are now being hampered.
However, the question is not yet closed. Perhaps Google will enable secure search not only for authorized users, but for all users, and allow referrers to be transferred to other secure sites. In this case, many sites will quickly switch to SSL, as they quickly put the +1 buttons in due time, as soon as it became necessary for search engine optimization. That is, Google will make the entire Network a more secure and good place, in accordance with its slogan and global mission.
So far, the problem is not very significant, because the share of authorized users in Google search is only a few percent. Different sites report that without referrers from 2% to 2.6% of traffic from Google come to them. For example, the SearchEngineLand site has only 381 transitions from 15,000, that is, only 2.6%. This group takes the second place in the list of the most popular search queries for which users come from Google.
In a sense, the current state of affairs is logical. In theory, referrers can be considered private information of the user (this is part of his search history), it should not be transmitted over unprotected channels. Some lawyers and advocates of personal information also think so, therefore hiding referrers is not a bug, but a feature. Although Google has never spoken before about referrer privacy. Quite the contrary: Matt Cutts called them "part of the web" , which was formed before the advent of Google.
')
Complete information about referrers, even referrals from a secure search, can be obtained through the AdWords system or, in a limited version, through Webmaster Central. It turns out that Google is consciously or involuntarily encouraging people to use AdWords and buy search advertising, and free SEO-optimization and analytics are now being hampered.
However, the question is not yet closed. Perhaps Google will enable secure search not only for authorized users, but for all users, and allow referrers to be transferred to other secure sites. In this case, many sites will quickly switch to SSL, as they quickly put the +1 buttons in due time, as soon as it became necessary for search engine optimization. That is, Google will make the entire Network a more secure and good place, in accordance with its slogan and global mission.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/131099/
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