In 2014, Google decided that websites with an HTTPS are far better than those with HTTP, so much so that it decided to give sites a small boost in the rankings. Since the majority of websites use HTTP, many SEO experts faced this question: Is it worth the pain of migrating your site to HTTPS for a “minor boost” in the rankings?
Doesn’t seem like it. According to this article from Search Engine Land, less than 0.1 percent of the entire internet is using SSL. This means the majority of websites that you visit are not secure. And with security issues increasing every day, it may be time to switch over to HTTPS.
So what is HTTPS? And why is it different than the usual HTTP? It’s rather simple – HTTPS, which stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure, is a secure version of HTTP. For instance, if you visit an e-commerce website such as Amazon, chances are this site has a certain protocol in place (called an SSL, or Secure Sockets Locket) that secures connections for transmitting files. So you know when you punch in your credit card number on Amazon that since the site has encrypted the connection, the chances of those numbers being stolen are slim.
Too technical? Just know that a website is more secure with an HTTPS than with an HTTP.
So why the slow change? Well, to get an SSL certificate can be pricey. And migrating your website can be difficult. There are redirects to worry about, making sure every page is transferred correctly, that you have a dedicated IP address, the list goes on.
You may think with if your website is just promoting your business and not selling anything, you don’t need that much security, right? Well, yeah but there are benefits to your SEO that you should think about. Besides an increase in rankings, HTTPS can prevent altering from third parties. Plus think of your visitors – even if they don’t understand what HTTPS is, they will feel safer knowing that any contact information they send via a form on your site is secured against third parties.
Need help with your SEO? Considering an HTTPS migration? Let’s talk it out. Contact ENX2 Marketing today for a free consultation.