People using DuckDuckGo as their primary search engine is increasing as online privacy becomes a priority.
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Marketing on DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo is becoming an increasingly popular search engine due to the fact that individuals are paying more attention to the tracking of their online activity being utilized by other search engines.  Restricting paid ads to the “usual” search engines which have historically held a majority of market share may be limiting your exposure to potential customers and clients.

If you’ve been thinking about incorporating DuckDuckGo into your PPC stack, here are some facts you need to know at a glance:

  • DuckDuckGo uses info from Apple Maps vs. Google Maps for location searches.
  • DuckDuckGo uses Yelp search results for ratings and review searches.
  • DuckDuckGo has about 1% of market share of all searches in the United States according to Stat Counter.  Data is based on usage from Feb 2018 thru Feb 2019.

Source: StatCounter Global Stats – Search Engine Market Share

  • DuckDuckGo market share (users) in the United States has grown at an average rate of +75% over the past four years.
  • In SriLanka, DuckDuckGo is as preferred as Google, providing the same number of search results to the same number of users in that region of the globe. (More details from Quora.)
  • DuckDuckGo paid ads uses the same model as Google and Bing – you only pay for clicks, not impressions or a monthly fee.
  • More than half the searches on DuckDuckGo are on mobile, compatible with Apple iPhones since it’s using Apple location data.
  • Location based searches are just as valid on DuckDuckGo since search results are based on keyword. So when a user types in “Dentist in Smallville,” the location is within the query. “Near me” queries are typically made on a mobile device and therefore using the location data sent via the phone.
  • Use a Bing Ad account to run ads on DuckDuckGo.
  • DuckDuckGo has agreements with Amazon and Ebay, meaning product searches on DuckDuckGo will result in Amazon and Ebay results vs. Google Shopping results – good to know if you have an e-commerce site.
  • DuckDuckGo is not know for “influencing” user experience or attempting to include “ephemeral” messages on SERPs.  In fact, the attractiveness of DuckDuckGo to many users is that the search engine provides results based on nothing except keyword relevancy.
  • Remarketing and Retargeting are not available to users of DuckDuckGo since the search engine retains no user data.

For digital marketing help contact the Savvy Sister Marketing team.  We specialize in small and mid-sized businesses, and we empower business owners to understand their marketing and what increases their bottom line.  Call Now – We’ll Get You There.

How many SSL security certificates do you need?
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How Many SSL Certificates Do I Need

How many SSL Certificates does my website need and why should I care about SSL?

Every small business owner understands the importance of their website.  With regard to marketing and good Search Engine Page Results (SERP), most small business owners know a solid website is essential.  However, there are many elements that factor into organic rankings on a SERP, as well as credibility and building trust with potential customers.  One of these factors is the security of your website.  This is described in technical terms as Secure Socket Layer or SSL.

SSL IS a big deal, and for almost every type of website an SSL certificate is essential, however, depending on the function of your website and the types of products or services you offer, different levels or layers of SSL are recommended (if not required by search engines in order for your site to rank on their results page).

So what is SSL?

  • SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is the security for your website.  Think of it like an alarm system for your house.  In the same way you secure your home so that no one is able to poke around without your consent, an SSL certificate functions like a security system for your website.  SSL can prevent your site from being hacked, which would allow the hacker to collect data on your subscribers and publish content or add outbound links without your awareness.  However just putting an SSL certificate on your website doesn’t 100% guarantee your site won’t be hacked.
  • There are 3 levels of user trust for SSL Certificates and it depends on what your site will be providing to your customers or users as to which one to install.

So how many levels of SSL does your website need?  In other words, how many SSL certifications should you consider?

o    Domain Validated certificates (DV):  These certificates check against your domain register to confirm the validity of the connection.

o    Organization Validated certificates (OV): These certificates are strictly authenticated by real agents against business registry databases hosted by governments.

o    Extended Validation certificates (EV): These certificates are the highest level of trust and require more validation to ensure the person buying the certificate owns and manages the website the certificate will be installed on your site.

For any of these levels of security, you will likely need the assistance of your domain host to install the SSL Certificate, and get the proper amount of SSL Certificates on your site.

 

Does my website need an SSL Certificate

  • The short answer is YES but which one do you need.  The following guidelines should help you when choosing the right certificate for your website.
  • For sites where security isn’t an issue like an internally hosted website for your business or a public facing information only (no personal information is collected, which includes email address for newsletter subscriptions or contact forms) then an EV certificate would be ok.
  • If your site is used for transmitting personal data like email, address, credit card information then you would want to move up to the OV certificate at the least.
  • The highest level of security and most expensive is the EV certificate.  This type of certificate has the most rigorous validation process.  The EV certificate use the Green bar you’ll see on some of the bigger sites like Amazon, Google, Wal-mart, target and more.

If you have any questions about the security of your website, please contact the team at SavvySisterMarketing.com for help.  Our IT guru, Robert will be happy to help you.