Google had once announced that moving your website from HTTP to HTTPS would your SEO ranking a little push. It is very important that you understand the difference between HTTP and HTTPS before you move the website from HTTP to HTTPS.
HTTP vs. HTTPS
HTTP or Hyper Text Transfer Protocol is a system that is used to send and receive information through the internet. Also called ‘application layer protocol’, it conveys the information to the end user and has no means to guarantee the safety of the data transferred. It doesn’t store any information about the previous session.
HTTPS or secure hypertext transfer protocol enables authorization which translates to safe and secure transactions. It prevents unauthorized sources from accessing confidential information. This protects the website’s trades with authentication and encryption. It’s very important to be aware that HTTPS is only secure because it uses SSL for data transfer. They are two distinct protocols and elements. However they operate together to create a secure workplace.
Google aims to build a more secure internet and as a way towards accomplishing this aim, it wants to be sure that the sites which are being accessed through Google are secure. Google currently runs a check to assess if websites run on encrypted and secure connection and have factored this into their calculations for search ranking.
From October 2017, any website that gathers user information with in HTML over HTTP will have warning appear on the URL bar when an individual types from the form. From July of this past year, Google announced that all HTTP websites will receive a warning, not only the ones collecting information. This “non-secure” warning might get your users away from your website. If your customers start leaving your site upon viewing this warning message, then it would lead to a fall in participated traffic and which would ultimately mean that a drop in your rankings too.
The SEO advantage of using HTTPS
Increased rankings are the most obvious advantage of switching to HTTPS. Google has confirmed that there’s a minimal ranking boost for websites on HTTPS. HTTPS ensures that information is sent over HTTPS is secure via TLS or transport layer security protocol.
The two main search engine optimization benefits of using https are:
Improved Ranking: It might not be a major increase but SEO experts predict that the potency of the HTTPS ranking signal will increase over time. However, for an HTTPS site, the safety of the referring domain is maintained.
Security and Privacy: With enhanced safety benefits, the benefits add up to:
- Authentication of websites
- Avoid bugs from third parties
- Data Encryption
Potential SEO risks of moving to HTTPS
One of the biggest risks is traffic drops into your website after you make the change. The other issues that might crop and cause your website to malfunction are:
Canonicalization problems in the domain : All variants of your website need to be redirected to the right HTTPS page.
Improper URL redirects: Every 301 redirects should be pointed into its HTTP equal.
Failure to upgrade internal links: After your move to HTTPS, you also need to upgrade your hyperlinks to the HTTPS version.
Mixed content issues: This may not lead to a fall in rankings but it still is vital. You need to ensure that all your scripts and images are all hosted on HTTPS webpages or even the “non-secure” warning will appear.
Updated sitemaps: Produce a new sitemap following the transfer.
Possible reduction in AdSense earnings: There might be a fall in revenue once you move to https.
Loss of social shares: There is a chance you might end up resetting all of your societal shares to zero.
Google revaluation of website quality: A switch to HTTPS can potentially cause Google to re-evaluate your site concerning quality.
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