Moving Your Site to HTTPS?

Google’s John Mueller recently answered 13 frequently asked questions about HTTPS. The questions are specifically about moving your site from HTTP to HTTPS. From how to test HTTPS pages to how long a site move to HTTPS takes, this FAQ is helpful if you’re considering moving.

Why Switching from HTTP to HTTPS Boosts Your SEO

In today’s digital landscape, website security is paramount. But did you know securing your site with HTTPS doesn’t just protect your users? It can also significantly boost your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Let’s explore why switching from HTTP to HTTPS is smart for your website’s visibility and ranking.

What is HTTPS?

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the secure version of HTTP. It encrypts data exchanged between a user’s browser and your website, ensuring that sensitive information remains private and protected from potential interceptors.

SEO Benefits of HTTPS

1. Improved Rankings: Google has confirmed that HTTPS is a ranking factor. While its impact may be small, every advantage counts in the competitive SEO world.
2. Increased Trust: HTTPS sites display a padlock icon in the address bar, signaling to users that the site is secure. This visual cue can increase user trust, potentially leading to higher engagement and lower bounce rates – both positive signals for search engines.
3. Referrer Data Preservation: When a user clicks from an HTTPS site to an HTTP site, the referrer data is stripped away. Using HTTPS ensures you receive all the referrer data you should, which can be valuable for analytics and SEO strategies.
4. Faster Performance: HTTPS sites often load faster than their HTTP counterparts, thanks to modern web protocols like HTTP/2, which requires HTTPS. Site speed is a known ranking factor for search engines.
5. Mobile-Friendly: As mobile searches continue to dominate, it’s worth noting that HTTPS is required for AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), which can give you an edge in mobile search results.
6. Future-Proofing: As the web moves towards a more secure standard, search engines are likely to emphasize HTTPS in the future. Making the switch now puts you ahead of the curve.

Making the Switch

Transitioning from HTTP to HTTPS involves obtaining an SSL certificate and changing your site’s configuration. While it requires effort, the long-term benefits of security and SEO make it a worthwhile investment. Remember to implement proper redirects from HTTP to HTTPS to maintain your SEO equity and ensure a smooth transition for users and search engines.

In conclusion, switching to HTTPS is no longer optional for businesses that are serious about their online presence. It’s a necessary step that protects your users and gives your site a competitive edge in search rankings. Make the switch today and watch your SEO efforts reap the rewards.

Here are Google’s HTTPS FAQ and answers:

1. “Do I need to set something in Search Console?”

Mueller says all you must do is “add the HTTPS site there.” He also mentions the “change-of-address setting doesn’t apply for HTTP -> HTTPS moves.” Remember that this HTTPS FAQ focuses on moving an existing site to the same hostname. The change of address tool does not currently support protocol changes.

2. “How can we do an A/B test?”

A/B testing makes sense for webmasters who want to ensure a safe launch. To do it correctly, Mueller suggests you “don’t cloak to Googlebot” and “don’t block via robots.txt.” Instead, he recommends using 302 redirects and a rel=canonical to the HTTP site so the HTTPS version won’t be indexed.

3. “Will the rel=canonical guarantee that the HTTP URL is indexed?”

Expanding on the previous question, Mueller answers, “No, but it’s a powerful signal.” So, whichever site you tag as canonical will signal Google to treat it as right.

4. “What’s the next step after testing?”

Google provides a step-by-step guide for completing a site move. Mueller also lists additional steps in his comments:

• “Use 301 redirects from HTTP to HTTPS.”
• “Confirm the new version by adding a rel=canonical on the HTTPS page, pointing to itself.”
• “Submit sitemaps including HTTP & HTTPS URLs with new change-dates (in the long run, just keep the HTTPS sitemap).”

5. “What about the robots.txt file?”

Mueller says, “The HTTPS site uses the HTTPS robots.txt file. Check that it’s reachable or serves a 404 result code, and check that the HTTP robots.txt file doesn’t block your HTTP URLs.”

6. “Is it OK to have just some pages on HTTPS?”

Mueller responds enthusiastically, ” Yes, no problem!” He gives the all-clear to move only some pages over, test them, and add more if you’re happy with the result. The process will vary in difficulty for everyone, so it’s nice to go at your speed.

7. “Should I move everything together, or is it fine to do sections?”

In line with the last question, Google reminds us that moving your site in sections is fine.

8. “Will I see a drop in search?”

This is a big one for SEO companies or any online business. Mueller reassures that “Fluctuations can happen with any bigger site change. We can’t make any guarantees, but our systems are usually good with HTTP -> HTTPS moves.”

Remember that Google has started prioritizing HTTPS sites over HTTP ones. With Google supporting a more secure web, rankings may increase once your new HTTPS site settles in.

9. “Which certificate do I need?”

There are several SSL certificates to choose from. However, Google emphasizes any “modern certificate” that is supported by “modern browsers.” So as long as your choice is up-to-date, you should be good.

10. “Do I lose ‘link juice’ from the redirects?”

Mueller’s stance on this is pretty direct: “No, for 301 or 302 redirects from HTTP to HTTPS, no PageRank is lost.” Although our research has found that redirects don’t carry all the link juice from page to page, this is mostly true. Hearing it from Google should be all you need to be convinced that moving from HTTP to HTTPS is in your best interests.

11. “Will we see search keywords in Google Analytics when we’re on HTTPS?”

There is no change here—Mueller says, “You can still see the search queries in Search Console.”

12. “How can I test how many pages were indexed?”

No doubt you’d want to know which—and how many—pages got crawled after your move to HTTPS. Mueller offers the following: “Verify HTTP / HTTPS separately in Search Console, use Index Status for a broad look, or the sitemaps indexed counts for sitemap URLs.”

13. “How long will a move from HTTP to HTTPS take?”

This depends on several factors. Google has no fixed crawl frequencies; they happen when they happen. But for a site-move to be recognized by Google, it will “depend on the size of your site, and the speed of the crawling that’s possible. Mueller also states the site-move “takes place on a per-URL basis.” So if you’re moving lots of pages simultaneously, the move could take a while.

Remember this HTTPS FAQ and Move Your Site with Confidence

These questions don’t answer everything people need to know about HTTPS, but they are a comprehensive list for moving a site from HTTP to HTTPS.

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