TL;DR

HTTPS encrypts the connection between your site and visitors. Google uses it as a ranking signal (since 2014) and Chrome flags HTTP sites as 'Not Secure.' There is no reason not to use HTTPS — free certificates are available via Let's Encrypt.

Key Points

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Google confirmed HTTPS as a lightweight ranking signal in 2014; it became a stronger signal over time as adoption increased

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Chrome marks all HTTP pages as 'Not Secure' since 2018, creating a UX and trust problem independent of SEO impact

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HTTPS migration requires proper [[301-redirect|301 redirects]] from all HTTP URLs to their HTTPS equivalents to preserve link equity

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HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 (which offer significant performance improvements) require HTTPS — HTTP-only sites are locked out of these protocols

HTTPS as a Ranking Signal

Google confirmed HTTPS as a ranking signal in August 2014, initially describing it as a 'lightweight' signal affecting fewer than 1% of queries^[1]. The signal has been strengthened over time as HTTPS adoption became widespread — what was once a differentiator is now effectively table stakes. The more significant impact for most sites isn't the direct ranking boost from HTTPS itself, but the ranking cost of not having it: HTTP sites trigger browser security warnings that increase bounce rates, users distrust non-secure sites for form submissions, and backlinks from HTTPS pages to HTTP pages create mixed-content concerns. Any new site or migration should default to HTTPS — the Let's Encrypt certificate authority provides free, auto-renewing TLS certificates.

HTTPS Migration Checklist

Migrating from HTTP to HTTPS requires careful execution to avoid losing organic rankings^[1]^[2]. The required steps: (1) Obtain and install an SSL/TLS certificate. (2) Update all canonical tags and sitemap URLs to use HTTPS. (3) Implement 301 redirects from every HTTP URL to its HTTPS equivalent — this transfers link equity and prevents duplicate content issues. (4) Update all internal links to HTTPS URLs. (5) Update Open Graph tags, robots.txt, and any hardcoded absolute URLs. (6) Verify the HTTPS version in Search Console and submit the HTTPS sitemap. (7) Update external backlinks where possible (contact webmasters of major linking sites). Monitor Crawl Errors in Search Console post-migration to catch any missed redirects.

HTTPS and Performance

HTTPS enables significant performance improvements beyond security^[2]. HTTP/2, the successor to HTTP/1.1, requires HTTPS and provides multiplexing (multiple requests over one connection), header compression, and server push — features that can dramatically reduce page load time on asset-heavy pages. HTTP/3 (based on QUIC) similarly requires HTTPS and provides better performance especially on mobile networks with packet loss. TLS handshake overhead (the extra round-trip to establish an encrypted connection) is offset by session resumption and TLS 1.3 improvements that make encrypted connections negligibly slower than unencrypted ones. In practice, sites that migrate to HTTPS and HTTP/2 typically see page load time improvements, not increases, compared to HTTP/1.1.

SOURCES

Google Search Central — HTTPS as a Ranking Signal

Semrush — HTTP vs. HTTPS: Why It Matters for SEO

Last updated: June 9, 2026

Related Terms

301 Redirect

An HTTP status code that permanently redirects one URL to another, telling browsers and search engines that the original page has moved and passing the majority of its link equity to the new destination.

Canonical URL

An HTML tag that tells search engines which version of a page is the preferred, authoritative URL when multiple URLs serve the same or very similar content.

Page Speed

The amount of time it takes for a web page to load and become usable for a visitor — a direct Google ranking factor measured by Core Web Vitals metrics including Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint, and Cumulative Layout Shift.

Crawl Errors

Problems that search engine crawlers encounter when attempting to access and process pages on a website — including HTTP errors (404, 500), redirect issues, and DNS failures — which prevent pages from being properly indexed.

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