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Security report for searchenginejournal.com

Search Engine Journal · Media · United States

Low risk. 2 critical or high findings in GDPR outside view and SSL/TLS.

Security score

83/100

Risk levelLow

0–100, higher is better. How it is calculated

Search Engine Journal is a well-established media company founded in 2003, specializing in SEO, search marketing news, tutorials, and digital marketing insights. It operates under Alpha Brand Media and targets SEO professionals, marketers, and digital marketing communities. The website offers a variety of content including news articles, webinars, podcasts, ebooks, and newsletters, positioning itself as a leading resource in the SEO and marketing industry. Technically, the site is built on WordPress with a modern tech stack including Yoast SEO, HubSpot forms, Google Analytics 4, and a consent management platform, ensuring good performance, mobile optimization, and SEO best practices. Security posture is strong with HTTPS, secure forms, and no detected vulnerabilities, complemented by GDPR compliance through a consent mechanism. Overall, the site demonstrates high professionalism, trustworthiness, and compliance, making it a credible and authoritative source in its niche.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of searchenginejournal.com. View the latest report

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
80/ 100 · Low
Checks completed
7of 7

NIS2 Art. 21(2)

  1. (a) Risk analysis and security policies: Not visible from outside
  2. (b) Incident handling: One indicator
  3. (c) Business continuity, backups and crisis management: Not visible from outside
  4. (d) Supply chain security: Not visible from outside
  5. (e) Secure acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling: Partly checked
  6. (f) Assessing the effectiveness of security measures: Not visible from outside
  7. (g) Cyber hygiene and security training: Not visible from outside
  8. (h) Cryptography and encryption: Partly checked
  9. (i) HR security, access control and asset management: One indicator
  10. (j) Multi-factor authentication and secured communications: Not visible from outside

This scan rated NIS2 with an earlier keyword method that is no longer shown; rescan for the per-article view. Risk management, continuity, supply chain, training, MFA, management oversight (Art. 20) and incident reporting (Art. 23) need internal evidence, and Guard cannot tell whether NIS2 applies to this organisation.

GDPR is indicative only, based on publicly visible signals: Articles 7, 12, 13 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Not a certification or legal assessment.

Priority findings

2 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • High

      No Cookie Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

      What to do: Add a dedicated cookie policy explaining cookie usage and purposes

  2. SSL/TLS

    TLS encrypts the connection and proves the site is really yours. Weak or expiring certificates trigger browser warnings and put traffic at risk.

    • High

      Weak Protocols Supported

      Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

      What to do: Disable TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, and all SSL versions

      • CWE-327
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V12.1.1

Need hands-on remediation? Email guard@offseq.com

Keep watching searchenginejournal.com

This scan found 15 issues across 6 checks. Monitoring re-runs those checks daily, emails you when something material changes and records each fix, so you can show progress.

Daily monitoring

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  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
  • SPF, DKIM and DMARC
  • Security headers
  • GDPR and NIS2 posture
  • Exposed services
  • Third-party trackers
  • Security score drift

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Results by check

Each check with its score, findings and the evidence it collected.

How this score is calculated

The security score runs 0–100, higher is better. It is the plain average of the security checks that completed in this scan, each counted equally. A check that could not run is left out: it counts neither as a pass nor as a fail.

Counted in this score

SSL/TLS
59
Security headers
85
Email security
87
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
80
Average
83

Not counted

  • NIS2 outside view: Re-weights evidence from the TLS, email, DNS, network and hygiene checks, so counting it would count that evidence twice. Shown on its own.
  • OffSeq Observations: An AI reading of the site, useful context but not reproducible evidence. Shown on its own.

Findings that cap the score at 49

Each of these is serious on its own, so while any is present the site cannot rate better than high risk, however good the other checks are.

  • The certificate is not trusted by browsers
  • The website is not served over HTTPS
  • A database, remote desktop, file-sharing or Telnet service is reachable from the internet
  • The page loads a script from a compromised source
  • The domain registration has expired
  • SPF authorises every server to send mail as the domain

Partial scans

When the site blocks Guard or most checks cannot run, the score covers only the checks that ran (usually DNS and email), is capped at 75 and is shown as partial, without a risk level.

Risk levels

  • Critical0–25
  • High26–49
  • Medium50–75
  • Low76–100

Breach exposure

Leaked credentials and lookalike domains from OffSeq Breach. The counts are free; the detailed lists are paid add-ons.

Dark web exposure

Add-on

Leaked records that mention searchenginejournal.com, from OffSeq Breach.

Total records
241
Employees
0
Customers
189
Third parties
52
Weak passwords
24%

6 subdomains affected

See the 10 newest leaked credentials

A one-off add-on to this report that lists the most recent identifier and password pairs OffSeq Breach holds for searchenginejournal.com.

Select it in the checkout above.

Breach keeps ingesting new leaks, so these numbers can grow between scans.

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

The company maintains a strong market position as a trusted media outlet for SEO and digital marketing professionals. Its business model relies on content publishing, advertising, sponsored content, and lead generation through newsletter subscriptions and webinars. The presence of multiple social media channels and partnerships with marketing technology providers like HubSpot and UniConsent indicates a mature digital marketing ecosystem. The company’s longevity and consistent branding reinforce its credibility. No suspicious or inconsistent WHOIS data was found, supporting legitimacy. The site’s extensive use of analytics and advertising tools suggests a data-driven approach to audience engagement and monetization.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, use of a consent management platform for GDPR compliance, and secure integration of third-party services. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. Security headers are likely implemented though not explicitly visible in the HTML. The site lacks a publicly visible security policy or incident response contact, which could be improved. Overall, the security measures align well with industry standards for a media website, minimizing risk exposure and supporting user privacy.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy and incident response page to enhance transparency.
  2. Implement and explicitly document security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options.
  3. Regularly audit third-party scripts and plugins for vulnerabilities and update promptly.
  4. Enhance visibility of data protection officer or privacy contact information if applicable.
  5. Continue monitoring and improving GDPR compliance and user consent mechanisms.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Search Engine Journal
Description
Search Engine Journal is dedicated to producing the latest search news, the best guides and how-tos for the SEO and marketer community.
Key services
SEO news and updates, Search marketing tutorials and guides, Webinars and podcasts, Ebooks and downloadable resources, Newsletter subscriptions
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, Yoast SEO Premium, HubSpot Forms, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics 4, Amazon Ads (apstag), Prebid.js, UniConsent CMP, jQuery 3.6.1, Bootstrap Grid, LazyLoad, Growthbook A/B Testing
Frameworks
Bootstrap
Platforms
WordPress
Performance
moderate
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
excellent

Security

Observed score
90/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of CMP for GDPR compliance
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Secure forms via HubSpot
  • No vulnerable libraries detected

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics 4, HubSpot Analytics, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Facebook Pixel, Twitter Universal Website Tag
Tracking level
extensive
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google AdSense/DoubleClick, Amazon Ads, Prebid.js
Tracking pixels
Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag, Twitter Universal Website Tag, HubSpot Analytics, DebugBear, Crowd Control, ID5 Sync
Marketing tools
HubSpot Forms, Growthbook A/B Testing, UniConsent CMP
Transparency
good

Site quality

Design
excellent
User experience
excellent
Content relevance
excellent
Navigation
excellent
Professionalism
excellent
Trustworthiness
high

Key observations

  1. Website is a professional media publication focused on SEO and digital marketing.
  2. Strong compliance with GDPR and privacy regulations via CMP and policies.
  3. Multiple forms for newsletter subscription using HubSpot integration.
  4. Extensive use of third-party marketing and analytics tools.
  5. No signs of security issues or blocking mechanisms.
  6. Content is rich, well-structured, and regularly updated.
  7. Social media presence is strong and consistent with brand.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on WordPress with a comprehensive tech stack including Yoast SEO Premium for SEO optimization, HubSpot for forms and marketing automation, Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics 4 for analytics, and Amazon Ads with Prebid.js for programmatic advertising. The site uses Bootstrap for responsive design and lazy loading for performance optimization. The presence of multiple asynchronous scripts and CDN usage indicates a modern infrastructure aimed at balancing performance and functionality. Mobile optimization and accessibility are well addressed. Technical debt appears low with up-to-date libraries and frameworks, though continuous monitoring is recommended to maintain security and performance.
Standards and sources

Reference chips under each finding point to the standard, regulation or specification the finding relates to. They are taken from the official datasets below and mapped conservatively: a finding with no defensible link shows none. NIS2 and GDPR references mark where a finding is relevant evidence, not a compliance verdict. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690 binds digital infrastructure and digital service providers; for other entities it is the most detailed public reading of the Article 21 measures. WCAG, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive references name the requirement an automated accessibility rule relates to; they are not a conformance verdict.

Retrieved 2026-10-25

Earlier scans of this domain

  1. 87/100Low20 findingsView report
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