HTTPS

What Is HTTPS?

HTTPS is no longer an optional extra today — it is an absolute basic requirement: browsers mark websites without encryption as insecure, which immediately damages visitor trust. Thanks to free SSL certificates like Let’s Encrypt, there is no longer any reason to delay the switch. When migrating from HTTP to HTTPS, however, careful planning is needed to ensure that links and rankings are correctly transferred.

HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) is the encrypted transfer protocol for web pages, where the communication between browser and server is secured using SSL/TLS certificates. Since 2014, HTTPS has been an official ranking factor at Google — websites without HTTPS can suffer ranking disadvantages. For users, this is visible through the padlock icon in the browser address bar, which signals trust.

Technically, HTTPS encrypts the data so that third parties cannot view user data (such as passwords or credit card numbers). Google prefers HTTPS for security reasons and has implemented it as a ranking signal. The switch from HTTP to HTTPS is done by installing an SSL certificate on the web server — a process that is cost-effective today since free certificates (e.g. Let’s Encrypt) are available. The page speed impact is minimal; with proper configuration it is even advantageous (HTTP/2 over HTTPS).

When implementing, make sure that after the HTTPS migration all internal links are updated to https:// and a 301 redirect from HTTP to HTTPS exists. Check in the Search Console whether Google recognizes the HTTPS version as the preferred version. For e-commerce sites, contact forms, or login areas, HTTPS is non-negotiable — modern browsers even show a warning for unencrypted pages there. For SEO and user trust: HTTPS is standard practice today, not optional.