HTTPS uses secure connectors and has many SEO benefits. In August 2014, Google declared the secure connection to be a certified ranking signal. This means that sites that do not have a secure connection can significantly boost their rankings with search engines if they move to HTTPS-protocol.

Growing green bar graph of HTTPS on white

HTTP vs. HTTPS: Understanding the Basics

It is important to know the difference between HTTP and HTTPS so that you can understand their features and compare their advantages. It will also give you an idea on why HTTPS is favored by Google.

HTTP

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It refers to a mode of receiving and conveying information on the internet. HTTP focuses on the mode that displays information to the user; it is an “application layer protocol”. This network protocol is considered “stateless” because it does not try to “recall” anything that happened in a previous online session. Consequently, HTTP does not use significant amounts of data to send and receive information on the Internet. This translates to better speeds.

When is HTTP Beneficial?

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) is more suitable for loading HTML pages. It is important to note that other Internet users may access your information on HTTP websites. Most websites that do not require users to provide personal information like credit card details would use HTTP.

HTTPS: Secure HyperText Transfer Protocol

HTTPS is just like HTTP, but with more advanced security features. It was designed to enhance security when transacting or sharing information on the Internet. HTTPS helps to provide data security on a network and prevent unauthorized access to the data. However, like HTTP, The link to a website on a server is set up through a regular port. The main difference between HTTP and HTTPS is that the latter uses SSL to transfer data.

Basically, HTTP and HTTPS are two distinct Internet communication protocols. The fact that HTTPS uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) for data transfer is what sets it apart from HTTP. This is one of the main reasons why Google boosts rankings of sites that use HTTPS. SSL provides better data security on the Internet because it does not recall what the information looks like. On the other hand, HTTP does.

HTTPS helps to enhance sites’ Google ranking and security. Although many people use the terms HTTPS and SSL interchangeably to mean the same thing, the two have different meanings.

SEO advantages of switching to HTTPS

Apart from the extra security that comes with HTTPS, there are various SEO advantages that HTTPS has over HTTP:

  1. Greater amounts of referred data
    When traffic is channeled from a protected HTTPS site to a non-protected HTTP site, the referral information is stripped off. The traffic will then be displayed on your analytics report as “direct”. This is not a good thing because you will not be able to identify where the traffic is coming from. Fortunately, this issue can easily be resolved. Whenever the traffic goes through an HTTPS site, all the protected referral details are saved. This always applies whether the initial website uses HTTPS or HTTP.
  2. HTTPS boosts rankings on search engines
    Although Google favors websites with HTTPS, the effects of the rankings influence may not be quite significant. Therefore, if you are looking for good rankings on search engines, there are various steps you will have to take to complement the effects of HTTPS. It is not wise to count on HTTPS only to boost your sites ranking on search engines.
  3. Security and privacy
    Many people believe that the security benefits of HTTPS will only be realized if your site has sensitive passwords. However, this is not entirely correct. Normal, dull websites can also benefit from using HTTPS or SSL encryption.

HTTPS improves security in several ways:

  • HTTPS approves websites that the server should be communicating with.
  • HPPTS prevents interference from unauthorized third parties. It prevents man-in-the-middle problems, thus providing extra security for visitors on your website.
  • It also encrypts all communication including URLs, which helps to secure credit card details and browsing history.

SEO checklist to preserve your rankings

  • Ensure that all the elements in your site including CSS files, images, widgets, and content delivery networks use HTTPS.
  • Use 301 redirects when directing HTTP URLs to HTTPS. Although this is often considered a basic SEO strategy, it can be a bit surprising how often 302 (temporary) redirects find their way to the home page by accident.
  • Ensure that every canonical tag redirects to the HTTPS description of the URL.
  • Use relative URLs if necessary.
  • Re-write as many hard-corded internal links as possible to redirect to HTTPS.
  • Register the HTTPS version of your site on search engine Webmaster Tools.

Business owners should consider switching to HTTPS if doing so is beneficial to their businesses. The security and trust that comes with switching to HTTPS make it worth the effort.

Why Google Gives a Rankings Boost to Websites Using HTTPS