Search Update: What the Latest Ranking Changes Mean for Small Businesses

NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Two key changes to Google's search algorithm aimed at boosting website security could potentially affect the ranking results of local small businesses. According to the Google Webmaster Central blog, websites encrypted with SSL security will rank higher than websites that do not add this security feature. For small business owners invested in e-commerce or brick and mortar companies, here is what you need to know:

• Websites that collect personal and financial data from visitors such as credit card numbers and email addresses should convert HTTP websites to HTTPS to indicate a higher level of trustworthiness and credibility.
• Storefront businesses including restaurants, retail shops, real estate firms, and law firms can make sure that they appear in broad searches on Google maps by updating their contact information across all the web properties it appears on. This includes review sites such as Yelp or social media.

For more information on Google's latest algorithm update, read the latest article "Tips on How Small Business Can Stay Ahead of the Latest Google Algorithm Change" from PR Newswire's Small Business Toolkit: http://bit.ly/1A5KYbd

PR Newswire's Small Business PR Toolkit is a comprehensive resource that provides small businesses and entrepreneurs the tools to develop an affordable public relations and marketing plan that helps generate interest from potential customers, engage with key audiences and grow their businesses. The toolkit features relevant content such as informative white papers, interactive webinars and how-to articles and premium access to educational resources, as well as the opportunity to take advantage of special offers designed specifically for small businesses. To request information on how PR Newswire can help your small business, click here. You can receive updates on new Small Business PR Toolkit content by following @prnsmallbiz on Twitter.

About PR Newswire                        

PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.com) is the premier global provider of multimedia platforms that enable marketers, corporate communicators, sustainability officers, public affairs and investor relations officers to leverage content to engage with all their key audiences. Having pioneered the commercial news distribution industry 60 years ago, PR Newswire today provides end-to-end solutions to produce, optimize and target content -- from rich media to online video to multimedia -- and then distribute content and measure results across traditional, digital, mobile and social channels. Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimization network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world's enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, and is a UBM plc company.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110831/NY59180LOGO
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130117/NY44355LOGO-a