japan tunnel
Eric Gockel

Written by Eric Gockel

Share

In today’s web environment, security and user trust are top priorities. In 2018, Google took a significant step by labeling non-HTTPS sites as “Not Secure” in the URL bar, starting with Chrome 68. Now, that “Not Secure” warning is a standard part of web browsing—and users have come to expect HTTPS for every site they visit, even those that don’t handle sensitive information.

Why HTTPS Matters Beyond Security

Even if you’re not handling secure user information, implementing HTTPS prevents hackers from manipulating communications between your web pages and users’ browsers. It adds layers of protection for every element on your site—HTML, scripts, cookies, and images—keeping them safe from tampering anywhere along the network, whether at a compromised ISP, a vulnerable Wi-Fi hotspot, or even on a user’s machine.

HTTPS and SEO in 2024

HTTPS is now a strong ranking signal in Google’s search algorithm, making it essential for SEO. In recent years, Google has placed more weight on HTTPS, particularly for mobile-first indexing, where security is crucial for user experience. While HTTPS alone won’t skyrocket your rankings, not having it could harm your visibility.

Another important factor is that you lose referrer data from HTTPS websites if your site still uses HTTP. This means you’re missing valuable information about where your traffic is coming from. Switching to HTTPS helps you retain that critical referral information, enhancing your analytics.

What Exactly Is HTTPS?

HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. It guarantees three essential layers of security for your users:

  1. Authentication: Your users know they’re communicating with the website they intended, preventing “man-in-the-middle” attacks.
  2. Encryption: The exchanged data is secure, ensuring private information—like login credentials or purchase details—can’t be intercepted.
  3. Data Integrity: Data transferred between your users and your website won’t be altered or corrupted during transmission.

Checklist for Implementing HTTPS (Updated for 2024)

When switching your site to HTTPS, getting every step right is essential to avoid disruptions. Here’s an updated checklist:

  1. Enable HTTPS for your website by purchasing a 2048-bit key SSL certificate, as Google recommends. Popular providers include RapidSSL, Namecheap, or Let’s Encrypt for free SSL certificates.
  2. Update redirects: Ensure any existing redirects, such as non-www to www, are updated to point to HTTPS to avoid unnecessary redirect chains.
  3. Canonical tags: Update all <rel=canonical> tags to reference HTTPS URLs in the <head> section of your page templates. Don’t forget to update hreflang and rel=alternate tags as well.
  4. Content Delivery Network (CDN): Ensure your CDN supports SSL. Many popular CDNs, such as Cloudflare or KeyCDN, include SSL support by default.
  5. Internal links: Update all internal links to point to HTTPS URLs, including links to JavaScript, CSS, and image files within your themes and templates.
  6. Mixed content: Avoid mixed content issues by ensuring all resources (like scripts and images) are served over HTTPS. Browsers will flag pages that mix HTTP and HTTPS content.
  7. Crawl your site: Use tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider or Moz to crawl your website. Ensure all pages are returning a 200 status code over HTTPS.
  8. Google Search Console: Treat your HTTPS migration as a site move with a URL change. Add the HTTPS version of your site to Google Search Console and submit an updated sitemap.

The Bottom Line

Today, having an HTTPS-secured website isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a must for security, user trust, and SEO performance. The longer you wait to switch, the more potential harm it could cause to your rankings and your visitors’ trust.

Ready to switch to HTTPS or ensure your current setup is correct? Contact us today to see how we can help.

Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash

Tags
HTTPS