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For most users, the phrase “internet security” likely conjures images of dark alleys and underground server farms, nefarious hackers banging away in a basement, munching on Funyuns and Code Red, or eccentric shut-ins in tin foil hats. It isn’t.

Recent regulatory changes in the FCC’s Rules to Protect Broadband Consumer Privacy have greatly increased search interest in VPNs for users concerned about their online safety. This recent shift toward digital privacy has thrown some digital marketers into a panic. For those who do not know, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is an anonymizing service that provides a secure connection for a consumer to access personal or private information through public networks.

A VPN is a secured access point through which private or confidential data can be accessed using public networks. Until recently, VPNs were used primarily by corporate companies, students, remote workers, global travellers, and digital security enthusiasts to surf the net while securing sensitive data.

How Does All This Impact SEO?

Spoiler alert – the impact might not be as significant as you thought. Still, many elements of your plan may become an issue with the widespread use of private browsing.

VPN’s Impact On Google Analytics

How much difference can millions of users browsing through VPN make in analytics tracking? The answer is likely not much.

Google Analytics still captures data through cookies. VPN is secure but not anonymous, using entirely different words.

Secure browsing via VPN is still the same: it uses and stores visitors’ data via cookies. So, it is business as usual. Users still use established browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or MS Edge *rolls eyes* and use an encrypted and private route to access their desired information. The one dynamic that may vary is the IP address server from which they access data due to the VPN’s redirecting of the user’s IP address.

Anonymous surfing is quite a different affair (and, to this point, impossible). To build anonymity in the online environment, users need to acquire and deploy third-party applications such as TOR, I2P, or Freenet. These applications effectively provide an incremental chain of several completely encrypted connections. Each connection can only inform the connection in front of it and the one directly behind it.

Does it sound confusing? It is. Imagine playing a telephone game with a blindfold and no one in the same room.

As noted previously, VPNs often reroute the data path. The VPN uses this if it places a consumer in a specific country. Thus, the GA location reporting would be reporting false data.

This can also cause problems when building IP filtering, since it multiplies the number of potential IPs the filter must include.

VPNs And Local SEO

This insight means VPNs impact the accuracy of Local SEO and “Near Me” searches. It depends on how the user’s IP is routed. For example, if someone is primarily based in New York and their VPN location is in Flagstaff, AZ, every “near me” search could have consequences mainly based on the server region in Flagstaff.

It becomes problematic at scale for smaller local businesses and multi-location brick-and-mortar businesses that depend on local searches and SERP visibility through the Local Pack.

VPNs And Site Speed

The second issue is that users’ VPNs will slow site speeds. This is due to added encryption and fewer direct routes for data transfer. Google is no longer secretive about the fact that website speed is an important ranking factor. It relies on how a user’s VPN is set. Increased web page load instances will cause accelerated rates of page load time and go-out.

What’s The Big Deal?

Unlike some would have you believe. The big news about the surge in VPN usage is that it isn’t a big news story.

Even at scale, the impact on SEO and analytics tracking will be minimal. However, these tools may affect some users’ site speed, geolocation monitoring, and reporting. All of the above are still the best ways to browse securely.

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