The importance of HTTPS protocol in SEO

The difference between the two protocols is that HTTPS transmits information between the user and the website through encryption by a Web Server certificate.

Providing high website security is one of the most critical and vital issues in SEO and website optimization. This article will discuss the importance of the HTTPS protocol in SEO and its effect on increasing security.

What is SSL?

SSL stands for secure sockets layer and is a specific protocol for transferring information over the Internet. In other words, SSL can be considered a web standard for encrypting data between the user and the website.

Because the information exchanged by SSL is encrypted, they have a very high level of security and are protected from the risk of theft. SSL is a reassurance for companies and customers who want to confidentially send their private information, such as their credit card number, to the destination website. Web Server Certificates are required to establish an SSL connection.

What is the impact of SSL on SEO?

Browsers prefer to encourage website administrators to use the HTTPS protocol by showing not secure websites without SSL. Due to HTTPS’s high security for exchanging user information, Prefer websites with SSL. Continuing this article, we pay to the advantages of SSL on-page SEO.

1- Higher speed than HTTP

An SSL security certificate must be installed and enabled on the user’s browser and website to use HTTPS. After observing these two cases, accessing and receiving website data through the secure HTTPS protocol will be possible.

A few months ago, Mozilla and Load Impact released statistics stating that SSL sites will experience 50 to 70% better speed and performance than other websites. If you want to open a website using HTTP protocols, you must go through 9 general steps to form a connection with the website, process, and finally receive the information. Conversely, using the HTTPS protocol will significantly increase the website’s loading speed and data due to the simultaneous performance of two steps from the set of these nine steps.

2- Increasing website SEO and improving rankings

One of the most important and main advantages of using HTTPS on the website is to increase website SEO and improve rankings.

In 2014, Google CEO Matt Katz stated that HTTPS is a light and effective measure of Google’s website’s ranking. So, based on this sentence, we can say that using SSL on websites is very important for Google. Given the long time since this statement, the use of HTTPS is more pervasive than in the past. The impact of this issue on on-site SEO is probably different than in the past. However, it is still a factor in Google.

3- Providing more security

The main advantage of using SSL for websites and encouraging website administrators to use it is that SSL provides more security. Important information is provided daily, from a simple login form to online credit payment information. Stealing this sensitive information is a constant concern for HTTP users Because HTTP has drawbacks that allow users to eavesdrop on communication. This is not the case with HTTPS websites. Using HTTPS makes it easier for users and web admins to think about high security. After using HTTPS, you will not have a problem with data theft.

Use the HTTPS protocol even for the most straightforward websites that do not have essential information. Even if it has little content, any area should take HTTPS seriously to avoid the risk of WordPress hacking.

4- Easier data reference

You may have noticed when installing SSL that when a page on your website has an HTTP address, the green HTTPS lock icon will not be displayed on that page. This indicates that your page is not entirely secure. It does not matter if the link is from your website or another location. In any case, it is recommended to use HTTPS links inside the pages for high security and correct data transfer.

For example, you will lack global security if you use Google Analytics and Google Search Console Statistician on your website and the statistician code is loaded via HTTP. To solve this problem, it is enough to convert this link to HTTPS. This is because the data is referred between two websites through a protocol. If both websites use HTTPS, the quality and speed of data exchange will significantly improve.

5. More information in tools like Google Analytics

Various tools, including Google Analytics, are much more efficient using HTTPS. For example, unlike HTTP, your website security information is stored in HTTPS.

This is one of the advantages that lead to improved website SEO. Because, in this case, the displayed information will not just show website traffic.

6- Increasing users’ trust

The last of the benefits of using SSL on a website is the issue of building trust between users. As users today use the Internet for more sensitive matters than in the past, they worry more about stealing their information. This leads to users staying away from less secure websites.

According to published statistics, 75% of Internet users care about websites that do not have acceptable security. They avoid them. These users choose websites with similar backgrounds and much more user security.

Challenges you may face when using HTTPS!

In this section, we will get acquainted with the challenges of HTTPS.

There is a possibility of error.

Moving an entire website from HTTP to HTTPS means moving many things that are likely to leave many essential details and data to you. Here are some common ones you may encounter. We mention:

• Block meaningful URLs in the robots.txt file!
• Add your Canonical tags to the wrong URLs.
• Your website is sending browser alerts to users and driving them away from your website.
• And…

All of these problems, although rare, can still occur. To prevent this, you must do the transfer process correctly.

Speed Problems

The HTTPS protocol is a double coin that can increase the website’s speed and reduce the website’s rate due to additional server communication. Since the loading factor is very influential in SEO and website ranking, you should not ignore this option in any way. You can use new technologies compatible with HTTPS, such as SPDY, to increase the speed of your website.

Costs

The annual cost of web admins for SSL certificates is between 200 and 800 thousand tomans. This is not significant for managing large websites, but it can be an additional expense for small websites.

Expenses related to various SSLs can be viewed and searched on the Internet.

Not everything is ready for HTTPS yet.

Not all conditions are ready to work with HTTPS. Older online applications are more likely to have problems with HTTPS.

Of course, now all the websites worldwide are moving towards SSL encryption. However, there are still obstacles in this direction. For example, if you use Google Adsense on your website, your ads and, as a result, your revenue may be affected.

Conclusion

We will probably see the web move towards using SSL encryption by default in the coming years. The importance of using these encodings and their effect on website security is a topic that SEO experts, consultants working in this field, and website designers are well aware of. So, in the coming years, we will see an increase in the popularity and broader use of the HTTPS protocol.

Google recently announced that Google Chrome software will no longer be available alongside URLs for websites not using the HTTPS protocol. It Will display the phrase Not Secure. Elevating website traffic demands a multifaceted approach that includes creating valuable content, optimizing for search engines, and harnessing the power of social media to reach a wider audience.