Today it was revealed that the HTTPS is extremely important for both the security of web-site and for its position in the search engine. The step behind HTTPS is to make sure that the connection created between the users and the website is protected. Besides, the HTTP protocol also enables one to enhance the ranking of the website in the widely-used search engines such as Google. It is the aim of this article to provide a detailed discussion on how HTTPS impacts on website security and SEO as well as provide useful information on how to optimize HTTPS for success.
How HTTPS Affects Website Security and SEO
In the present world of internet opportunities, the protection of your Web site is a matter of critical importance. HTTP Secure or simply SHTTP, proved to be indispensable for protecting data and for optimizing the positioning of a site on the search engines. That is why, in this article, I will present the benefits of using the HTTPS protocol, showing you how it affects both security and positioning, for you to have a complete view of why it should be the basis of your website development and your SEO strategies.
The Role of HTTPS in Website Security
HTTPS or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure guarantees that all the traffic between the user’s browser and the website passes through SSL/TLS protocols thus making the traffic encrypted. This encryption is somewhat critical when users type in their account details, and credit card numbers among other details to combat MITM attacks. HTTPS implementation means that your users’ information is transferred safely and with minimal chances of interception.
Moreover, when you have a way of ensuring that your website is secure through HTTPS then this goes a long way in increasing the confidence of the users. This gives a signal to the users of the website to trust the site with their information, especially for sites that involve sales, and any other site that requires users to sign up using their information.
How HTTPS Influences SEO
Security is something that search engine takes into consideration; hence, HTTPS is used as a ranking signal by Google. This means that those Sites adopting https shall have priority of being ranked higher on search engine result pages as compared to other Sites that do not use https. It also helps in enhancing the ranking of your site while also increasing the number of organic visits.
Furthermore, HTTPS plays an important role related to the accurate data of referral information of websites in Google Analytics. Without this, the referral data cannot be tracked, and therefore there will be misrepresentation of traffic figures and wrong marketing strategies.
Implementation of HTTPS also contributes to the general improvement of the user experience — a crucial element of SEO. Collections of sites with included HTTPS load faster and this is connected with the HTTP/2 protocol which is supported by most websites when the HTTPS is included. By using a website that is loaded faster than others, the bounce rate is lower and this helps to improve engagement, which helps SEO processes.
Transitioning to HTTPS
When changing from HTTP to HTTPS, one has to be very cautious so as not to experience a drop in the site’s rankings. Some of these activities include ensuring that there are 301 riders… This makes certain that all search engines re-index your site and transfer all the prior SEO equities to the new secure site.
This is also true concerning the frequency of monitoring as well as the maintenance plan. This, despite using an SSL certificate, denies your site to have any mixed content, which is not good for security and SEO.
If you would like to get more engaged in the ways of SEO you might want to check out this guide on which channels to use to drive traffic to your website.
Conclusion
It goes without saying that including HTTPS is not merely done with consideration to the security aspect but also for amplifying your website’s SEO performance. As all the search engines are focusing on user safety, HTTPS implementation is mandatory for any site that aims to stay relevant in the competition. HTTPS should be one of the elements implemented at the beginning of website creation to guarantee its security, compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for users with disabilities, and the possibility of being indexed by search engines.
This article can be regarded as a kind of reference manual where you will be able to read about HTTPS and its influence on the security and SEO of your website. From a developer’s perspective, a marketer’s perspective, or even as an individual owning a business site, adopting HTTPS is of paramount importance especially in safeguarding the site and ensuring the site’s visibility in the online market
Leave Comment