HTTPS SEO

HTTPS, Website Security and SEO

If you have a business, it is important to understand the difference between HTTP and HTTPS SEO. 

HTTP = Hypertext Transfer Protocol

HTTPS = Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure

SEO = Search Engine Optimization

Now that you know what the different terms stand for, are you ready to go and make sure that your website is doing everything possible to maximize the possibility for potential customers to find it? Unless you are an SEO and IT guru, knowing what these terms stand for is not likely going to tell you much about what they are and why they are important to your business’s website.

HTTP
Hypertext Transfer Protocol is an application layer protocol over which information is sent from a user’s web browser to websites they are visiting. When a browser and website are “communicating” data, it is sent over in plain text. This can be bad in terms of security because if someone intercepts the connection between the browser and the website, they will fairly easily be able to see the information that the user was viewing and sending out on the website. If the user is filling out sensitive information such as a credit card number and user credentials to make a purchase, or even entering location information on social media, it can be very susceptible to getting stolen.

HTTPS
While HTTP and HTTPS are essentially the same concept, the “S” creates a great divide between the two: security. If your website does not have the security of HTTPS, it may have a negative impact on your SEO. Instead of acting as its own application layer protocol, HTTPS uses separate protocols called SSL (secure sockets layer) and TLS (transport layer security).

Neither HTTP nor HTTPS are concerned with how information gets from one point to another but the SSL that HTTPS uses makes sure that the information travels through a safe passage to its final destination. The SSL 2048-bit key can protect a site connection through authentication and  encryption. This means that the true meaning of the data being transferred, such as credit card numbers and other personal information, is very difficult for hackers and others with nefarious intent, to see.

When an SSL certificate is installed on a web server, it activates a “padlock” and the https protocol allows secure connections from a web server to a browser.

How HTTPS / SSL Helps With SEO
Technical jargon aside, it is better to have a secure site than one that is not. The SSL certificate of HTTPS ensures a website’s security. The following facts and information about HTTP and HTTPS are just a few of the reasons that HTTPS is important in today’s digital world:

• Polls indicate that 84% of users would abandon a purchase if they knew their data was being sent over an insecure connection.
• Google Chrome warns users that HTTP site connections are insecure
• HTTPS websites load much faster than HTTP sites. Sites with faster speeds are more likely to rank better.
• Multiple studies have found a correlation between HTTPS and higher search rankings
• HTTPS has been a signal in Google’s ranking algorithm for over six years now (since 2014)

If you are looking for high level SEO services from a team of veteran SEO experts who know their HTTPS and SSL, contact Matador Solutions today.