HTTPS and SEO: What’s the impact on your SEO? , learns the source

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Since 2022, there has been a significant increase in sites switching from HTTP to HTTPS in Google search results. Why such an increase? The HTTPS format is a more secure process, and Google announced in the same year, 2020, that it is now a factor considered in its ranking algorithm.

Intending to achieve a 100% secure web, the American firm decided to further accelerate the process of migrating to HTTPS at the end of 2022: Googlers highlight the positive impact on SEO and, above all, the positive impact on Chrome as a major Communicate more regularly on the topic. The update includes reporting HTTP sites as “unsafe” from January 2020. Therefore, if you want to optimize your visibility on search engines and reassure its users, it is essential to be on point.

Since computer language is not suitable for everyone, you will find in this article all the information necessary for a good understanding of this protocol and answers to the questions that you are probably already asking yourself: What about the SEO of your site? Are there benefits? And most of all, how to make this change?

HTTP and HTTPS, what are we talking about?

The HTTP system makes it possible to receive and send data over the Internet: to put. Interacting with websites requires the use of devices such as computers or mobiles.

HTTPS: what is the difference from HTTP protocol? Otherwise called Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, the HTTPS process will transmit data in an encrypted manner to secure the user’s navigation and protect his or her data. For example, some sites use the HTTPS system only on their pages that contain private information such as contact details or passwords.

When you send a classic HTTP request to request a page, the server sends it back, and the browser simply displays it. When sending an HTTPS request, the data exchanged with the site is encrypted, that is, it is protected and cannot be retrieved and saved by any outside party.

To fight this “spying” of data, Google encourages sites to switch to HTTPS, giving them a slight boost to their standing.

Also Read: Here Are the Benefits of Using White Label SEO

Benefits of Switching to HTTPS

Has your site’s SEO improved thanks to HTTPS?

The first five characters of your URL will be an additional signal for Google algorithms to refer to it, and it will actually be SEO friendly if your pages start with “https”. At least, that’s what the Googlers have been able to declare on several occasions, led by Gary Ellis. While some sites have benefited from a good increase in search engines after switching to HTTPS, others have seen no significant impact after the migration. If the idea of ​​a “SEO boost” for HTTPS is not proven in the future, using a site in HTTP could logically send a negative signal.

In any case, the communication used by Google is beginning to bear fruit. According to the Mozcast site, which allows you to observe the evolution of the number of results in HTTPS in the SERPs, over the past 30 days the percentage of sites using secure protocols has increased from 39.5% to 41%. That is, they represented 30% of results in June 2022 and only 7% in 2020, the year Google announced that HTTPS would be considered in reference sites.

Your visitors will have more confidence in the security of your site

Securing transmitted data and displaying this little green padlock next to your URL guarantees the trust of your users: What do they fear most on the Internet? Let’s say their data is pirated or simply scammed… and there are many such sites! Thanks to this little symbol, you reassure your visitors about your authenticity (consciously or not).

How do I switch from HTTP to HTTPS?

To be able to display its URL in “https” you will need to obtain an SSL/TLS certificate. SSL, short for Secure Sockets Layer, is a protocol for securing Internet exchanges, later renamed Transport Layer Security. It is possible to purchase this certificate from your host or certification authority, provided you prove your identity and that you are the owner of the site.

Today, it is also possible to go through Let’s Encrypt, a completely secure site that allows

Certificates will be issued free of cost. The only drawback is that we have no guarantees if an issue arises with HTTPS and a user’s data is stolen. However, many players like Facebook or even Google have supported this initiative launched in late 2019, and since then the number of certificates they issue has increased rapidly.

Which certificate to choose?

In most cases, the certificate issued for free by LetsEncrypt is sufficient. Still, in the case of the most important sites, it is better to choose the paid option, which offers significant security despite being more difficult and expensive. There are different certifications, which vary according to the level of guarantee they provide:

  • Domain Verification Certificate (DV): The authority simply verifies that you are the owner of the domain name to provide a small padlock (automated online process).
  • Organization Verification Certificate (OV): A more extended process; For these, you will need to prove that you are the legal entity that owns the domain and provide paper documentation such as an extract from KBIS or a certificate of domicile.
  • Extended Verification (EV) Certificate: All information provided about your organization – legal and physical existence, telephone number, address, activity, etc. – will be verified annually.

Additionally, certifications do not automatically renew, and planning time to complete all steps is essential! Especially when we know that from 2022, Google will display alerts for sites that do not secure pages with so-called “sensitive” information…

Be careful, however, if you want to switch to HTTPS to respect the protocol end-to-end: on pages containing private information and, later, on all your URLs. The transition to HTTPS should not be taken lightly, and care should be taken to set up redirects on each page to properly prepare for this migration. This is a task that can be tedious and requires the help of professionals.

Also read: What is SEO? Precise definitions and explanations