The main advantage of HTTPS is that it makes your site more secure for your users. More precisely, it’s more secure when a user is giving you any sort of critical information. It’s necessary on pages where users are required to provide their credit card information. The real change takes place when a user submits their data. HTTPS can provide many veneers of protection to that data:
- encryption – the data is useless to anyone who somehow manages to intercept it because they don’t have the key to decrypt it (you do).
- Data integrity –data can’t be corrupted, which is a very good aspect.
- Authentication –it prevents “man in the middle” attacks, which means that no one can track your customers into thinking they’re giving you data when they’re providing it to a scammer. This is the purpose of your SSL certificate.
There are other benefits of having HTTPS as well. Such as a small boost in rankings is possible if your website has it. Since it creates a more secure site for your users, the influx of customers to your website will also increase.
If you just only have a blog and all you need from your users is to enter their email addresses to opt into your email lists, you probably don’t need HTTPS for security reasons. But, if you accept payments or important personal information for any reason, HTTPS is a must-have for you and your website.
Will Switching Your Website to HTTPS Lead to Higher Search Rankings?
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is taking over the internet. According to WatchGuard, roughly 79 percent of the top 100,000 websites now use it. The remaining minority use the older and less-secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) protocol.
Will Switching Your Website to HTTPS Lead to Higher Search Rankings?
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is taking over the internet. According to WatchGuard, roughly 79 percent of the top 100,000 websites now use it. The remaining minority use the older and less-secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) protocol.
Because of the additional security it offers, HTTPS is often correlated with search rankings. Webmasters assume that using it will increase their website’s rankings. When a website is secure, it won’t pose a threat to its visitors, some of whom may have come from a search engine. While you can’t earn high rankings without content and backlinks, though, switching to HTTPS may prove worthwhile.
What Is HTTPS?
HTTPS is a networking protocol that creates a secure channel for sending and receiving data. All websites need a networking protocol. It’s the communications framework that allows visitors to load and interact with a website’s content. HTTPS is a secure networking protocol that uses a pair of cryptographic keys to encrypt data.
To load a page, a visitor’s web browser must send a request. The website must then respond by sending the page’s content to the visitor. These back-and-forth communications are controlled by a networking protocol. HTTP and HTTPS are the two main networking protocols used by websites. They work in similar ways by facilitating the exchange of data, but HTTPS offers a more secure environment than its counterpart.
Why HTTPS Is More Secure Than HTTP
HTTPS offers enhanced data security by using a pair of cryptographic keys. There’s a private cryptographic key that’s installed on the website, and there’s a public key given to visitors. All data coming into and going out of HTTPS websites will be encrypted. The cryptographic keys, however, ensure that only websites and visitors can read the encrypted data.
With these cryptographic keys, websites are virtually immune to man-in-the-middle (MITM) cyber attacks. A MITM cyber attack involves intercepting or modifying the data exchanged by a website and its visitors. If a visitor completes a web form containing his or her personal information, for instance, a hacker may intercept it. HTTPS only gives websites and visitors the cryptographic keys needed to decrypt the data, so using this networking protocol protects against MITM cyber attacks.
Google Confirms HTTPS as a Ranking Signal
Switching to HTTPS can absolutely improve your website’s rankings on Google. Google began using it as a ranking signal in 2016. In a series of posts on its Webmaster Central Blog and Security Blog, Google explained that security is one of its top priorities, so it would be using HTTPS in its ranking algorithm going forward.
The Impact of HTTPS on Google Rankings
When Google originally announced HTTPS as a ranking signal in 2016, it cited pre-rollout tests showing that it affected less than 1 percent of search queries. Google further said that it may strengthen HTTPS’s ranking value in the future.
A lot has happened since then. Data breaches have increased, prompting consumers to be more cautious when using the internet. Therefore, Google has likely followed through on its original statement by making HTTPS a stronger ranking signal. In July 2018, Google updated its Chrome web browser to label non-HTTPS websites as “Not Secure.” Firefox and other web browsers now display similar messages for non-HTTPs websites.
Vulnerable websites rarely earn high rankings. If a website or its data can be hacked, visitors may be harmed when using it. Google wants to protect its users from cyber threats, so it gives HTTPS websites a ranking advantage over those that use HTTP.
Bing Doesn’t Use HTTPS as a Ranking Signal
While switching to HTTPS may lead to higher rankings Google, it won’t have a direct impact on your website’s Bing rankings. When asked whether Bing’s algorithm takes into account HTTPS, the company’s lead program leader, Vincent Mehren, said it didn’t.
According to Mehren, Bing’s algorithm is designed to serve the most valuable and relevant content to users. Bing doesn’t consider HTTPS as being helpful in achieving this goal. As a result, its algorithm doesn’t currently look for HTTPS.
How HTTPS Can Still Affect Bing Rankings
Bing may not use HTTPS as a ranking signal, but its algorithm may still be indirectly influenced by HTTPS. Bing uses many of the same traditional ranking signals as Google, including backlinks. Switching your website to HTTPS can help it attract more backlinks so that it ranks higher on both Google and Bing.
Some users may be hesitant to link to your website if it uses HTTP. When a visitor loads your HTTP website, he or she will see a “Not Secure” message. The sight of this warning message is often enough to drive away visitors. Maybe a blogger visits your website and finds an interesting piece of content that he or she wants to link to. Once the blogger notices the “Not Secure” message, he or she will probably exit in search of a different website to link to.
In addition to backlinks, your website will attract more social shares if it uses HTTPS. Social media users are more likely to share content from HTTPS websites than HTTP websites. If your website uses HTTPS, visitors won’t see a “Not Secure” message. Instead, their web browsers will show a padlock icon, denoting that your website is secure. Visitors will feel reassured upon seeing the padlock icon, so they’ll more comfortable sharing your website on social media.
Backlinks and social shares are ranking signals used by Bing. The more backlinks and social shares your website has, the higher it will rank on Bing. HTTPS can help your website acquire more backlinks and social shares by instilling trust in visitors. Visitors won’t have to worry about their data being stolen. In turn, more of them will link to your website and share it on social media.
HTTP is quickly fading in favor of HTTPS. They use similar technologies to control website-and-visitor communications, but only the latter this encrypts communications data. With HTTPS, your website will become more secure, which can have a direct or indirect impact on your site’s rankings.
Because of the additional security it offers, HTTPS is often correlated with search rankings. Webmasters assume that using it will increase their website’s rankings. When a website is secure, it won’t pose a threat to its visitors, some of whom may have come from a search engine. While you can’t earn high rankings without content and backlinks, though, switching to HTTPS may prove worthwhile.
What Is HTTPS?
HTTPS is a networking protocol that creates a secure channel for sending and receiving data. All websites need a networking protocol. It’s the communications framework that allows visitors to load and interact with a website’s content. HTTPS is a secure networking protocol that uses a pair of cryptographic keys to encrypt data.
To load a page, a visitor’s web browser must send a request. The website must then respond by sending the page’s content to the visitor. These back-and-forth communications are controlled by a networking protocol. HTTP and HTTPS are the two main networking protocols used by websites. They work in similar ways by facilitating the exchange of data, but HTTPS offers a more secure environment than its counterpart.
Why HTTPS Is More Secure Than HTTP
HTTPS offers enhanced data security by using a pair of cryptographic keys. There’s a private cryptographic key that’s installed on the website, and there’s a public key given to visitors. All data coming into and going out of HTTPS websites will be encrypted. The cryptographic keys, however, ensure that only websites and visitors can read the encrypted data.
With these cryptographic keys, websites are virtually immune to man-in-the-middle (MITM) cyber attacks. A MITM cyber attack involves intercepting or modifying the data exchanged by a website and its visitors. If a visitor completes a web form containing his or her personal information, for instance, a hacker may intercept it. HTTPS only gives websites and visitors the cryptographic keys needed to decrypt the data, so using this networking protocol protects against MITM cyber attacks.
Google Confirms HTTPS as a Ranking Signal
Switching to HTTPS can absolutely improve your website’s rankings on Google. Google began using it as a ranking signal in 2016. In a series of posts on its Webmaster Central Blog and Security Blog, Google explained that security is one of its top priorities, so it would be using HTTPS in its ranking algorithm going forward.
The Impact of HTTPS on Google Rankings
When Google originally announced HTTPS as a ranking signal in 2016, it cited pre-rollout tests showing that it affected less than 1 percent of search queries. Google further said that it may strengthen HTTPS’s ranking value in the future.
A lot has happened since then. Data breaches have increased, prompting consumers to be more cautious when using the internet. Therefore, Google has likely followed through on its original statement by making HTTPS a stronger ranking signal. In July 2018, Google updated its Chrome web browser to label non-HTTPS websites as “Not Secure.” Firefox and other web browsers now display similar messages for non-HTTPs websites.
Vulnerable websites rarely earn high rankings. If a website or its data can be hacked, visitors may be harmed when using it. Google wants to protect its users from cyber threats, so it gives HTTPS websites a ranking advantage over those that use HTTP.
Bing Doesn’t Use HTTPS as a Ranking Signal
While switching to HTTPS may lead to higher rankings Google, it won’t have a direct impact on your website’s Bing rankings. When asked whether Bing’s algorithm takes into account HTTPS, the company’s lead program leader, Vincent Mehren, said it didn’t.
According to Mehren, Bing’s algorithm is designed to serve the most valuable and relevant content to users. Bing doesn’t consider HTTPS as being helpful in achieving this goal. As a result, its algorithm doesn’t currently look for HTTPS.
How HTTPS Can Still Affect Bing Rankings
Bing may not use HTTPS as a ranking signal, but its algorithm may still be indirectly influenced by HTTPS. Bing uses many of the same traditional ranking signals as Google, including backlinks. Switching your website to HTTPS can help it attract more backlinks so that it ranks higher on both Google and Bing.
Some users may be hesitant to link to your website if it uses HTTP. When a visitor loads your HTTP website, he or she will see a “Not Secure” message. The sight of this warning message is often enough to drive away visitors. Maybe a blogger visits your website and finds an interesting piece of content that he or she wants to link to. Once the blogger notices the “Not Secure” message, he or she will probably exit in search of a different website to link to.
In addition to backlinks, your website will attract more social shares if it uses HTTPS. Social media users are more likely to share content from HTTPS websites than HTTP websites. If your website uses HTTPS, visitors won’t see a “Not Secure” message. Instead, their web browsers will show a padlock icon, denoting that your website is secure. Visitors will feel reassured upon seeing the padlock icon, so they’ll more comfortable sharing your website on social media.
Backlinks and social shares are ranking signals used by Bing. The more backlinks and social shares your website has, the higher it will rank on Bing. HTTPS can help your website acquire more backlinks and social shares by instilling trust in visitors. Visitors won’t have to worry about their data being stolen. In turn, more of them will link to your website and share it on social media.
HTTP is quickly fading in favor of HTTPS. They use similar technologies to control website-and-visitor communications, but only the latter this encrypts communications data. With HTTPS, your website will become more secure, which can have a direct or indirect impact on your site’s rankings.