SEO Considerations When Moving from HTTP to HTTPS
When users browse the web, they look for many things. Not only do they want a website that is visually appealing and provides them with the information they’re looking for, but they want a secure experience.
In order to meet these demands more efficiently, many people are switching their website over from HTTP to HTTPS. But what is the key difference between these two options, and what modifications should be implemented to a site that makes the change to HTTPS?
Anyone who has looked to increase the visibility of their site and increase traffic has likely experimented with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques. Given the importance of SEO rankings for establishing a web presence, it’s important to understand how adapting a website to HTTPS changes things.
What Is HTTP? What Are the Benefits?
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is application layer protocol designed for sending and receiving information on the net. This system is designed to deal with how information is presented to users. This means the focus is largely placed on how the content appears once it reaches its destination, rather than focusing on how it actually gets from A to B. HTTP is commonly used to access pages created with HTML. Historically, it has been used by sites that don’t place a large focus on security due to lacking features such as ecommerce functionality.
www.BBQFans.com is an example of a website that is using HTTPS sitewide
The Benefits of HTTPS
Secure HypeText Transfer Protocol (HTTPS) is designed to promote secure transactions and trustworthy authentication. Secure HTTP, as it is often called, makes it easier to exchange private information while ensuring that tampering from unwanted third parties can be avoided. By working with the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol, this system helps a website gain a more trustworthy status in search engine rankings. Given that HTTP focuses on appearance and SSL deals with security, HTTPS helps to promote both of these valued website qualities.
SEO Considerations When Changing a Website to HTTPS
While nearly every major website has experimented with SEO, some don’t place a large emphasis on it. But when a site is making the jump to HTTPS, their ranking will automatically gain a slight improvement due to the presence of additional security. This means that placing a greater focus on SEO can give the site a clear advantage in terms of reputation and visibility in a search engine.
The ability to operate a more secure website means new possibilities, and thus new opportunities for SEO techniques. For example, it is much easier for users to make purchase from a website that uses HTTPS. Search Engine Land notes that proper SEO techniques can help boost ecommerce sales significantly. This is just one of many SEO changes a website owner may want to consider when making the change to HTTPS.
The Summary: HTTPS Opens Up New Opportunities
HTTPS provides something that everyone wants when they’re browsing the net – security. The ability to improve a site’s rankings and increase the possibilities for what it may be used for can prove very valuable. While there are no clear SEO changes that must be made when switching a website to HTTPS, it can be wise to adapt SEO practices to the new uses a website may have after making the change.
Convined? The first thing you'll need to convert your website to HTTPS is an SSL Certificate for your domain name.