I implemented the CloudFlare flexible SSL and installed the CloudFlare SSL plugin on JT30.com and all of the pages correctly redirected to HTTPS. This was supposed to be a good thing. I did it because I was supposed to get an SEO bump from Google.
The actual result that the Google search query results according to Google Webmaster Tools dropped to practically nothing starting the day that I changed to SSL. Google stopped sending me traffic as soon as I turned on the CloudFlare flexible SSL.
Today I turned it off (which is pain because WordPress likes to go into an endless redirection loop). I have to go into FTP to delete the CloudFlare plugin and go into PHPMyAdmin to change the site URL in the WP_OPTIONS table to HTTP from HTTPS. This is unpleasant.
I am waiting for the Mozilla SSL to come out, and I am hoping my web hosting company will let me set it up without having to pay them a fee. If they don’t, I’ll have to change hosting companies yet again.
Update:
Google referrals are starting to come back:
Here is a screen grab showing the drop around the 14th and the slow rise back after the 26th when I turned off SSL.
