The Crucial Importance of HTTPS for SEO

The transition from a website to HTTPS protocol for SEO has become essential to hope for good natural referencing. According to Google, HTTPS is even a positive factor that can boost the positioning of a page in search results. It is also important to Responsive website.

However, many sites still neglect this essential technical migration. Staying in HTTP now exposes you to the risk of long-term downgrading on competitive keywords. Not to mention the negative impact on trust and visitor engagement.

Fortunately, it has never been so simple and affordable to switch to HTTPS. By following a few best practices and with a little patience, any website can adopt HTTPS to secure its data and boost its visibility in natural referencing.

In this article, find out why and how to transition to HTTPS smoothly. Simple explanations accessible to everyone to understand the crucial issues and act quickly. Follow the guide to peacefully migrate to this essential protocol of modern SEO!

🌿 HTTPS improves search rankings

Since 2014, Google has made HTTPS one of the most important positive signals for a site's ranking in its search results. Switching a website to secure HTTP, via the installation of an SSL certificate, clearly results in a net positioning bonus.

On some hotly contested keywords, the presence of HTTPS can make the difference between first and second position in the SERP (Google results page). This gain in position can result in an explosion in traffic and conversions for an e-commerce or service site with user accounts.

This ranking advantage stems from Google's desire to promote sites in which Internet users can have complete confidence. HTTPS, by encrypting the data exchanged, greatly strengthens the perceived credibility of a site and the feeling of security during transactions, sharing of personal data or connection to an account.

For this reason, all sites offering sensitive functionalities such as Online Store, a customer area or access to private data would benefit from switching entirely to HTTPS. In addition to optimizing the user experience, the ROI will also be felt in the volume of traffic thanks to better Google positioning.

The technical migration of an HTTP site to HTTPS is carried out easily and at a lower cost these days. All you need to do is obtain an SSL certificate from your web host or a certification authority, then install it on your server. Some accommodation offers even offer free SSL certificates.

Beyond Google, switching to HTTPS also improves rankings on other engines like Bing. And the trend towards promoting HTTPS in algorithms is unlikely to be reversed, quite the contrary. It is likely that unsecured sites will be penalized even more in the future.

🌿 HTTPS strengthens credibility and felt trust

The "S” of HTTPS means “Secure“. By encrypting the data transmission between the visitor and the server hosting the website, HTTPS guarantees their confidentiality and integrity. Impossible for hackers to intercept or modify this sensitive data.

This security of exchanges, easily identifiable by the green padlock and the “https” at the start of the URL reassures the Internet user about the professionalism of the site visited. It reinforces the perception of credibility and legitimacy of the company. The visitor has the unconscious reflex that an HTTPS site is reliable and competent in its field.

This asset in terms of image allows you to distinguish your brand in a competitive market. It also directly impacts the customer journey: a prospect will be much more inclined to share their personal details or bank card on an e-commerce store secure in HTTPS.

More and more banking organizations and administrative services only accept the sharing of sensitive information if the connection to the site is HTTPS certified. Browsers themselves now force the green padlock to be displayed to validate online payments or transactions.

🌿 HTTPS reassures visitors thanks to the green padlock

The presence of this visual indicator demonstrates that the connection between the Internet user's client station and the server hosting the website is secure using the HTTPS protocol. The data exchanged is encrypted and cannot be intercepted or modified during transport.

This padlock greatly reassures users by guaranteeing the confidentiality of the information transmitted. Whether it concerns personal details, banking data, medical data or other sensitive information, the visitor has the certainty that they cannot be stolen.

In addition, two-way encryption also prevents malicious people from injecting fraudulent content or modifying a web page for phishing purposes. The physical presence of the green padlock prevents the risk of false pages on Similar URLs deployed to trick the user.

Thanks to this proven security of transmissions and online transactions, the visitor feels real peace of mind when browsing an HTTPS site. He is aware of being on a professional platform that perfectly masters current cybersecurity issues.

🌿 HTTPS protects data against hacking

With HTTPS, all data exchanged between the website and users is encrypted and secure. They cannot be intercepted or hacked during transmission, unlike standard HTTP.

This protection of sensitive data is essential, especially if your site offers transactions, account registration or forms for collecting personal information.

🌿 Technically switching to HTTPS may take time

Although the transition to HTTPS has become essential for the credibility of a site, the technical migration to this secure protocol is not always an easy task, especially for a large site. Between the audit of the existing system, the acquisition of certificates and the modification of the server configuration, the project can quickly take several weeks.

First of all, it is necessary to carry out a complete inventory of the current technical infrastructure to identify points of non-compliance or incompatibility. Certain servers, software or Outdated CMS do not support HTTPS.

This is usually followed by the replacement or update of machines and third-party solutions that do not support SSL certificates. This first phase of migration alone can immobilize an IT team for a month on large fleets.

Once the audit has been completed and the servers are HTTPS compatible, you must purchase SSL certificates from a certification authority to authenticate the identity of your site. Depending on the desired level of security (single-domain, multi-domain, wildcard…), the bill climbs from a few dozen to several hundred euros per year.

Above all, the technical integration of the certificate on a site made up of hundreds of pages and subdomains is complex. Between managing auto-renewal and modifying each vhost, it often requires several weeks of work from an experienced network and DevOps team.

🌿 Closing

Over the years, the HTTPS protocol and its essential green padlock have become essential standards for any business present on the web. By encrypting communications, HTTPS greatly strengthens the perceived credibility of a site and secures exchanges with users.

On the search engine side, this securing of connections has also become a major positive signal in ranking algorithms. Both Google and Bing clearly value sites adopting HTTPS by giving them more weight and legitimacy.

Benefiting from this positioning bonus and improving visitor confidence are two more than sufficient reasons to take the plunge. Especially since the SSL certificates allowing technical migration to HTTPS are now accessible at prices very affordable.

Ultimately, with users increasingly sensitive to digital security issues, any serious organization must adopt this encrypted protocol to maintain its credibility, its brand image and its digital strategy in the long term.

FAQ

Why is switching to HTTPS so important for SEO?

The HTTPS protocol secures exchanges between the Internet user and the visited website. Since 2014, Google has valued this positive signal in its ranking algorithm. HTTPS sites therefore benefit from a clear positioning bonus in search results.

What are the advantages of HTTPS for my SEO?

• Better ranking on strategic keywords
• Increase in qualified traffic and conversions
• Strengthening visitor credibility and trust
• Increased compatibility with browsers and certain services

Does HTTPS have a positive impact on user experience?

Yes, by encrypting data, HTTPS reassures Internet users about the confidentiality of their personal and banking information. It guarantees them a calm and confidential navigation.

Should I switch my entire site back to HTTPS?

Yes, it is essential. The HTTPS protocol must be implemented on all pages of the site, otherwise you will lose part of the SEO bonus. Also make sure that all your internal links point to HTTPS URLs.

What is the cost of switching to HTTPS?

Today, SSL certificates enabling HTTPS are very affordable, starting from a few euros per year. Some hosts even offer free certificates. The investment quickly pays off thanks to SEO gains.

With this guide, you now know why and how to switch to a 100% secure site. By combining this SEO asset with pages technically optimized by tools like WP Rocket your visibility in natural referencing will be maximum. So don’t hesitate any longer, and start your transition to HTTPS now!